Barcode Botswana

SA Barcodes has designed a versatile yet practical website and online system with the ability to assist customers from all over the world – Botswana included. There is no need for our business and customers to be within close ranges – our barcode packs are conveniently delivered in zipped folders via email, ready for you to access on the go or while dealing with your products, business partners or clients. SA Barcodes was established in 2012, and since then has been providing customers across the globe with high quality barcode numbers that are able to used for life.

The process of acquiring a barcode may seem a daunting task at first as you enter the industry. There is a lot of information out there – with plenty of varying types of barcodes and specifications – and it can be difficult to make sense of it and pin point exactly what you need specifically for your business. We at SA Barcodes strive to not only serve our customers as best we can, but educate them. Once you have done business with us, we would like you to leave with a sense of understanding and knowledge of the industry, ready to approach your intended retailers with your products.

Types of barcodes in Botswana

The most commonly used barcodes in retail stores are UPC and EAN barcodes, Botswana and the rest of Africa included. The majority of our customers are in need of this kind of barcode in order to sell their products – such as food items, clothing items, appliances, CDs and DVDs, etc. – at stores. We do advise our customers to check with their intended retailers on whether they prefer the UPC or EAN format as it tends to differ from store to store with suppliers having to compensate. In South Africa the preferred format is EAN of barcodes, Botswana included.  SA Barcodes does however provide you with both the UPC and EAN versions of your barcode numbers for your convenience.

When placing your products into retail stores there is another format that you may be required to obtain and this format is called an ITF-14 barcode or a Case barcode. This barcode is 14 digits long and is used primarily in the receiving area or warehouse of retail stores and are unable to be scanned at the point of sale system. These codes are always created and issued alongside your EAN barcodes if requested. They are linked together with the EAN barcode that will be placed on the the products that will be scanned at the point of sale system. Why is this necessary you maybe wondering? This is necessary as it saves a huge amount of time in the warehouses of major retailers that they are able to scan in a ITF-14 barcode when pallets or large cases or cartons are delivered to the store and by scanning the barcode the stock system of the store is automatically updated. This is possible due to the store loading your ITF-14 barcodes into their system with the linking EAN of the individual products and the amount that the box contains, so for example you will have a different ITF-14 barcode for the box containing 12 products and a different barcode for the box containing 24 products so the system and stock records are constantly updated that way and staff can then move the box onto the floor for the packers to begin packing the shelves with your products. There are many new things to learn when it comes to barcodes and all the different formats is one of them. Each department in a retail store can operate on different barcode formats. Such as the deli mainly operates on internal barcodes that the stores have created themselves due to the barcodes not being needed to be used externally. That is why it is vitally important to purchase your barcodes to ensure they are unique to you and are your property so the store can also have peace of mind that they will not be receiving duplicate barcodes.

In the publishing industry, there are namely two types of barcodes in Botswana that are required depending on your publication. For books, novels and once-off publications, an International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is required. For magazines, newspapers and serial publications, an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) is required. Both numbers can be sourced from the National Library of Botswana; however SA Barcodes offers the service of sourcing your numbers for you as well as designing the corresponding barcode images. In Botswana however, the National Library is not fully functional or contactable. We have instead opted to obtain numbers for publications through the International Library for our customers from Botswana. The results are the same, and we can easily source these numbers for you on your behalf so that you don’t have to go through the hassle yourself.

We’re aware of the difficulties involved for smaller businesses when endeavoring to see their products on retail shelves. The process has proven to be a lengthy and extremely expensive – with large registration and annual fees, paperwork and even training courses required in order to become a registered member able to receive barcodes. SA Barcodes strives to be the solution for small businesses and individuals, ensuring that nobody gets excluded from the market due to an inability to pay huge sums up front. We are able to sell our barcodes, Botswana and worldwide to customers at a once-off price which, upon purchasing, belong to our customers for life – no registration or annual fees whatsoever!

• The barcode numbers
• High resolution corresponding images
• PDF and Excel spreadsheets of the numbers for easy reference
• A certificate of registration
• A sizing template to help with printing and scaling
• A copy of your purchase invoice
• A copy of the terms and conditions

If you are not yet convinced, have a browse through our customer testimonial page to view a list of our previous happy customers. We understand that there are a number of pop up businesses claiming to sell legitimate barcodes; however we endeavor to instill trust in our business partnerships beforehand. Our codes are recognized at the majority of retail stores in Botswana and across the rest of the world. If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact our team for assistance and guidance, we are always available to help via phone or email or chat option.