Help & support

Getting started

Install the app and build your catalog. On the Free tier, core counting and purchase orders run on your device without cloud sync. Paid tiers add cloud sync, team features, and the web cabinet—see Pricing on this site for limits (SKU caps, history windows, and included stores/users).

Import your product catalog

Open the Catalog area in the app and use Import (from the catalog header) to bring in CSV or Excel files. The import wizard maps columns and is designed for real-world spreadsheets (mixed encodings, messy headers).

Counting inventory

Start an inventory count session, scan barcodes, and enter quantities. You can use exact count or scan-to-increment style flows depending on the session options you choose. Completing a count updates on-hand stock in the app from your counted quantities.

Why does the app ask me to sign in after a while?

Retail Scan & Stock is local-first. You can install the app, build your catalog, run counting sessions, and create purchase orders, receiving records, and write-offs without creating an account.

After you complete 15 operational documents in total (counted across inventory sessions, purchase orders, receiving, and write-offs), the app asks you to sign in by email or Google before you can start a new operational document. This is a verification step, not a paid cloud upgrade. Sign-in is free and your data stays on your device.

The reason for this gate is to verify a real human owner of the app installation before account-related features become available, and to give you a path to recover your account information if you switch devices in the future.

You do not need to be signed in to view, edit, or export documents you have already created.

Why does the stock number say "Last counted" instead of a current balance?

Retail Scan & Stock uses an honest stock model. The number you see for any product is the result of your most recent counting session, with the date that count happened. The app does not pretend to know your current real-time stock.

This is intentional. In a small store, items leave shelves through sales, breakage, theft, sampling, gifts to family, and many other paths the app never sees. Most of these never go through a point-of-sale system, and even when they do, the app would need a live POS integration to track them. Retail Scan & Stock is not a POS replacement and does not connect to one.

Instead, the app focuses on what it can do well: making it fast and accurate to count what is actually on your shelf, capture orders to suppliers, record what you received, and document write-offs. The stock number is updated when you complete a count. Until then, it shows the last counted value with a date so you always know how fresh the number is.

Where do the suggested product names come from when I scan a barcode?

When you scan a barcode the app didn't recognize, Retail Scan & Stock checks an open product database called Open Food Facts and may suggest a product name and brand to save you typing. You can accept the suggestion as-is, edit any field, or replace it entirely with your own naming. Whatever you save is what goes into your own catalog. The shared database is read-only and is never modified by your edits.

The Open Food Facts database is provided by a community of contributors under the Open Database License (ODbL). Coverage is strongest for food and beverage products, especially in European markets, and lighter for non-food items. If a barcode isn't recognized, you can simply type the product details manually and continue working.

Read more about Open Food Facts at https://world.openfoodfacts.org/.

Purchase orders

Create purchase orders from your catalog, add lines by scanning or manual pick, then finalize. Export CSV or Excel and share from your device. On tiers that include approval, a purchase order may need approval before export or send.

Receiving goods

When you receive goods against a purchase order, use the receiving flow linked to that order in the app. It records receipt against the order as implemented on your device.

Write-offs

Use write-off (stock adjustment) documents when you need a structured record for loss or wastage. This is a separate operational document type in the app, alongside counts and orders.

Exporting data

Export inventory sessions and purchase orders as CSV or Excel and share through your phone’s share sheet. On the Free tier, history visible in lists and exports follows the plan’s history window; your device may still store older rows, but views and exports respect the tier.

Upgrading your plan

Compare tiers on the Pricing page. Subscriptions and renewals are purchased through the App Store or Google Play; those stores show the price, currency, taxes, and renewal terms that apply to you.

Managing your sign-in

If you sign in with email or Google, authentication is handled by our identity provider. After extended use, the app may ask you to sign in before starting new stock counts or purchase orders—this verification step is separate from turning on paid cloud sync. You can manage account-related options in Settings when you are signed in.

Account deletion — how to remove cloud account data and request help if needed.

Troubleshooting

Update to the latest app version. For cloud features, check connectivity. For sign-in problems, confirm email delivery or Google sign-in works on your device. If something still fails, contact support with your device model and app version.