Serial number tracking software for the warehouse floor

Endpoint Cloud and Endpoint for Acumatica record each serial number by scan when it arrives, where it is stored and when it ships, so "where did this unit go?" becomes a lookup.

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G2★★★★★4.7/5 on G2

What is serial number tracking?

Serial number tracking records each unit of an item by its own serial number, from receipt to shipment. Lot tracking groups units made or received together; serial tracking follows one unit at a time. Serial number tracking software captures the serial by barcode scan at each step, so the record matches what happened on the floor.

Why serial numbers get lost between the dock and the customer

  • Serials are written on the receiving paperwork and keyed in hours later, with typos.
  • The ERP lists one serial in stock, and the box on the shelf holds a different one.
  • A unit ships, and the serial on the packing slip is not the one in the box.
  • A customer returns a unit, and nobody can say which order it went out on.

How Endpoint tracks a serial number

Receiving

Each unit is scanned against the purchase order as it comes in. Endpoint Cloud and Endpoint for Acumatica capture the serial number at receipt. Endpoint for Acumatica reads GS1 and HIBC barcodes on every tier from Small up, so a single scan can carry the item, lot and serial.

Storage

In Endpoint Cloud, serialized inventory is kept by location down to the bin, and every move is a scan. Cycle counts check serialized stock without shutting the warehouse down.

Packing and shipping

Every item is scanned at the pack station before the shipment leaves. Endpoint Cloud records traceability from receipt to shipment at the serial level.

Tracing

Endpoint Cloud traces serials forward and backward: from a unit back to the receipt it came in on, or from a receipt to every place its units went.

Lot tracking vs serial number tracking

Lot tracking
Serial number tracking
What gets a number
Lot tracking
A batch of units made or received together
Serial number tracking
Each individual unit
Typical goods
Lot tracking
Food, chemicals, components bought in quantity
Serial number tracking
Equipment, devices, high-value parts
What a trace returns
Lot tracking
Every order that shipped from that lot
Serial number tracking
The one order, and customer, that received that unit
Scans per receipt
Lot tracking
One per lot
Serial number tracking
One per unit

Many operations use both: lot numbers for consumables and components, serials for finished units and expensive parts. For the barcode side, including how a GS1 barcode carries both numbers in one scan, read our guide on how to set up lot and serial tracking with GS1 barcodes.

Which Endpoint products track serial numbers

  • Endpoint Cloud captures serials at receipt, keeps serialized inventory by bin and traces serials from receipt to shipment. It connects to NetSuite and QuickBooks Online. On NetSuite, you choose whether serials stay in Endpoint Cloud only or are kept in both systems; keeping them in both means every NetSuite transaction carries its exact serials. QuickBooks Online has no serial numbers, so serials live in Endpoint Cloud.
  • Endpoint for Acumatica runs inside Acumatica, captures lot and serial data at receiving and tracks them end to end, with inventory updating in real time. GS1 and HIBC barcode support starts at the Small tier.
  • Endpoint for Sage 100 requires a serial number on every scan of a serial-controlled item, because Sage 100 does. Serial control is set on each item in Sage.

Serial tracking runs inside the same receiving, storage and shipping workflows as the rest of Endpoint's warehouse software.

What reviewers say
G24.7 out of 5 on G2★★★★★
★★★★★

"How simple it was to integrate and how easy it was to train the employees. We had employees picking efficiently within hours of going live."

Lee M., Small-Business, verified G2 review

★★★★★

"Easy to use and easy to integrate into our ERP system... if you have any issues and create a ticket, you will get help ASAP."

Simon C., Mid-Market, verified G2 review

★★★★★

"The multi-bin solution for Sage 100 is robust and allows for flexibility with customers that have complicated workflows."

Tara S., Small-Business, verified G2 review

Frequently asked questions

Can you look up where a serial number went?

Yes, if the serial was scanned at receipt and again at shipment. In Endpoint Cloud you can trace a serial forward to the shipment it left on, or backward to the receipt it arrived on. If serials were only written on paper, the lookup is a manual search.

Do I need GS1 barcodes to track serial numbers?

No. A serial number can be tracked in any barcode your scanners read. GS1 puts the serial in a standard place in the barcode, next to the item and lot, so one scan captures all of them. Endpoint for Acumatica reads GS1 and HIBC barcodes from the Small tier up, and Endpoint Cloud reads the lot, serial and expiration date from a GS1 barcode in one scan.

What is the difference between serialized and non-serialized inventory?

Non-serialized inventory is counted as a quantity of an item. Serialized inventory tracks each unit separately, so a count tells you which units are on hand, not just how many.

Does serial tracking replace my ERP's inventory records?

No. Your ERP keeps the financial record of each item. Endpoint scans the serials on the floor and sends the transactions to the ERP, so the two records match.

See serial tracking on your own items

Bring a serialized item to a 30-minute live demo and walk through receiving to shipment with us.

Book a live demo

Or give us a call: (855) 350-7850