Since their inception, barcodes have mostly been associated with the cashiers of the supermarket and retail industries. Nowadays, however, barcodes are finding themselves to be increasingly prevalent in and relevant to a larger and more diverse group of industries than ever before. There are several factors behind the rise of the barcode. For one, barcode technology has increased dramatically in recent years with the increased development and accessibility of three-dimensional barcodes and QR codes. Another reason for the more widespread use of barcodes is the incorporation of cloud-based platforms into more and more industries. The cloud-based platforms make it easier to transfer, store, work with and send the data that can be accumulated with barcodes and barcode scanners. In fact, the increasing ease of working with data could be considered the biggest development in the business world of the past decade; as a result, businesses are understandably placing more of a premium on collecting valuable data—barcodes and barcode scanners are still among the most effective ways businesses can do this. Exactly which industries are being affected by the rise of barcodes? There are too many to discuss in a short post; however, here is a list of a few industries that are now leaning on barcodes and the data they provide. If you own or are involved in a business in one of the following industries but do not yet incorporate barcodes into your practice, consider a barcode scanner rental from a reputable barcode equipment company.

Sports & Entertainment

Barcodes have been traditionally associated with transactions. In few industries are there more transactions, and a more diverse array of transactions, than in the sports, entertainment and events industry. Putting on a sports or entertainment event involves a lot of moving parts; prior to barcode data that could be effectively tracked, when a venue or organization had a problem with an event it was difficult to track down the source of the problem. Now, nearly every facet of a sports game or event is kept track of with barcodes, from concessions to security to technical equipment. When the game or event is over and the controlling organization doesn’t see the overall profit they expected, they can now rely on the data produced by barcodes and barcode scanners to identify the problem and implement a solution.

Healthcare

Barcodes have always been associated with inventory tracking, and there is perhaps no industry where inventory tracking is as important as it is in healthcare. In the healthcare industry, the availability of equipment is a major contributing factor in the delivery of timely, effective treatment. Additionally, many healthcare facilities are facing an increasing number of patients that place a heavy burden on the capacity of the staff and facility. To remedy this, many healthcare facilities are providing patients with barcoded wristbands. Simply scanning the wristband ensures that healthcare practitioners and their powerful computers and data systems have access to all the information they need about the patient and their condition in order to provide the best care possible as quickly as possible.

Education

Education might seem like an unlikely field for barcodes to be used in. A closer look, though, reveals barcodes to be very useful for school. For many schools, their textbooks have been outfitted with barcodes for much longer than they have had the technology adequate to use them. More and more schools are making the technological investment in the software and hardware necessary to scan textbook barcodes and use automated systems to more cost-effectively track inventory. Beyond textbooks, as more schools provide students with computers and iPads, keeping track of assets is becoming more of a priority for those in the education sector.