Maximize Your Return On Mobility

By Erin Harris, Integrated Solutions For Retailers magazine

If you keep your inventory straight by cycle counting, you're probably always cycle counting. And, you probably rely on a handheld device to streamline the process. Powell's Books, headquartered in Portland, OR, manages its inventory by cycle counting. The company has 500 employees, five stores, and two warehouse locations, which store approximately 2.1 million books. The company performs cycle counting at both the store and warehouse locations. For about 12 years, Powell's Books relied on 18 handheld scanners that were not intuitive, not user-friendly, and had difficulty scanning faded shelf labels. Jason Ellingson, used book DC manager at Powell's Books, explains that the company needed to overhaul its handheld scanners with rugged mobile devices in order to optimize inventory and keep the warehouse organized.