Inventory management - BMS Point of Sale System

Overview

The inventory management system provides complete control over your product catalog, including adding/editing products, barcode scanning, automatic UPC database lookups, stock level tracking, and low stock alerts.

Barcode scanning

Fast product lookup and creation with barcode scanner support

UPC database integration

Automatic product information from UPC Item Database

Stock level tracking

Real-time inventory counts with low stock alerts

Category management

Organize products with customizable categories

Product catalog

Product information

Each product includes:

Barcode (required) - Unique identifier, UPC/EAN/SKU
Name (required) - Product display name
Variant/Size (optional) - e.g., “500ml”, “Large”, “16GB”
Brand (optional) - Manufacturer or brand name
Category (optional) - Product classification
Quantity (required) - Current stock level
Low stock alert (required) - Minimum quantity threshold
Cost price (required) - Wholesale/purchase cost
Selling price (required) - Retail price
Image URL (optional) - Product image from UPC database or custom URL
Unit (default: “pcs”) - Unit of measurement
Status (default: active) - Active products appear in POS

Product grid view

Products are displayed in a responsive grid with:

2-5 column layout - Adapts to screen size (mobile to desktop)
Product images - Display from URL or show placeholder
Click to view - Full product details in modal
Hover actions - Edit button appears on hover
Color-coded status:
- Red text: Out of stock (quantity = 0)
- Orange text: Low stock (quantity ≤ minimum stock level)
- Normal: Adequate stock

Search and filtering

Search bar filters products by:

Product name
Barcode
Brand
Category

Category dropdown filters by selected category (configured in System Settings). Results counter shows: “X products” (filtered count).

Adding products

Enter barcode

Scan or manually type the product barcode. The barcode field accepts:

UPC codes (12 digits)
EAN codes (13 digits)
Custom SKUs (any length ≥5 characters)

Search UPC database (optional)

Click “Find” to search for the product in the UPC Item Database. If found:

Product name is auto-filled
Brand is populated
Category is suggested
Variant/size is detected
Product image is downloaded

If not found locally, the system automatically queries the UPC database.

Fill in product details

Complete required fields:

Product name - What customers will see
Quantity - Initial stock count
Cost price - Your purchase cost
Selling price - Retail price to customers
Low stock alert - Reorder threshold (default: 5)

Add optional information

Enhance product details:

Variant/Size - Helps distinguish similar products
Brand - Useful for filtering and search
Category - Select from pre-configured categories

Review image preview

If UPC database found an image, it will appear in the preview. The image will be saved with the product.

Click 'Add'

Save the new product to the catalog. It will immediately appear in the POS.

API endpoint

Create product: POST /api/products

{
  "barcode": "012345678912",
  "name": "Coca-Cola",
  "variant": "500ml",
  "brand": "Coca-Cola Company",
  "category": "Beverages",
  "stockQuantity": 100,
  "minStockLevel": 20,
  "cost": 0.75,
  "price": 1.50,
  "unit": "pcs",
  "isActive": true,
  "imageUrl": "https://example.com/image.jpg"
}

Editing products

Find the product

Use search or scroll to locate the product in the grid.

Click 'Edit' or select product

Hover over the product card and click “Edit”, or click the product to view details then click “Edit Product”.

Modify fields

Update any field except the barcode. Changes to stock quantity are tracked in user activity logs.

Click 'Save Changes'

The product is updated and changes are logged. The system tracks:

What changed (field by field)
Who made the change (from session)
When the change occurred
Significant price changes (>20%) are flagged

API endpoint

Update product: PUT /api/products/{id}

{
  "id": 123,
  "barcode": "012345678912",
  "name": "Coca-Cola",
  "variant": "500ml",
  "brand": "Coca-Cola Company",
  "category": "Beverages",
  "stockQuantity": 85,
  "minStockLevel": 20,
  "cost": 0.75,
  "price": 1.50,
  "unit": "pcs",
  "isActive": true,
  "imageUrl": "https://example.com/image.jpg",
  "createdDate": "2026-01-15T10:30:00Z",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-02-28T14:25:00Z"
}

Deleting products

Select product

Click the product to load it into the edit form.

Click 'Delete'

A confirmation dialog appears.

Confirm deletion

Click “OK” to permanently delete the product from the database. This action cannot be undone.

Permanent deletion: Products are hard-deleted from the database, not just marked inactive. Historical sales records will still reference the product by name/barcode, but the product itself is removed.

API endpoint

Delete product: DELETE /api/products/{id}

Barcode scanning

Scanner detection

The system automatically detects barcode scanner input:

Scanner sends rapid keystrokes (barcode digits)
Scanner sends Enter key at the end
System buffers keystrokes within 100ms window
When buffer reaches ≥5 characters, barcode search is triggered

Compatible scanners: Any USB barcode scanner configured in USB-HID keyboard mode.

Barcode search workflow

Scan barcode

Use barcode scanner to input product barcode into the barcode field.

Local database search

System searches for product: GET /api/products/barcode/{barcode}If found, product is loaded into the edit form for viewing/editing.

UPC database fallback

If not found locally, system queries UPC Item Database API:GET https://api.upcitemdb.com/prod/trial/lookup?upc={barcode}If found, product information is pre-filled in the add form.

Manual entry

If not found in either database, barcode remains in the field for manual product entry.

UPC database integration

Automatic product information

When a barcode is not found locally, the system queries the UPC Item Database to retrieve:

Product title → Name
Brand name → Brand
Product size → Variant
Category → Category
Product images → Image URL

Image selection logic

The system intelligently selects product images:

Filter reliable sources - Prefers images from:
- walmart.com
- amazon.com
- target.com
- walgreens.com
Exclude broken URLs - Skips URLs containing:
- spin_prod_ec_ (known placeholder images)
- rpx/i/s/i/spin (broken image patterns)
Prefer HTTPS - Uses secure image URLs when available
Fallback - Uses first available HTTPS image if no reliable sources found

UPC database limitations

Trial API - Free tier has rate limits (100 requests/day)
Coverage - Not all barcodes are in the database
Accuracy - Product information may be incomplete or outdated
Images - Some image URLs may expire or break over time

Consider upgrading to UPC Item Database paid plan for higher rate limits and better coverage in production environments.

Stock level management

Current stock

The “Quantity” field shows current available stock. This number:

Decreases automatically when sales are processed
Increases automatically when returns are restocked
Can be manually adjusted in the edit form

Low stock alerts

The “Low Stock Alert” threshold triggers visual warnings when:

stockQuantity <= minStockLevel

Products below this threshold are highlighted in:

Inventory grid (orange text)
POS product grid (orange “LOW STOCK” banner)
Dashboard low stock report

Stock adjustments

To manually adjust stock:

Edit the product
Change the “Quantity” field
Click “Save Changes”

The adjustment is logged with:

User who made the change
Old quantity → New quantity
Change amount (+/-)
Timestamp

API endpoint

Update stock: PUT /api/products/{id}/stock

{
  "newQuantity": 75,
  "reason": "Physical inventory count"
}

Low stock products

View all products below minimum stock level: API endpoint: GET /api/products/low-stock Response:

[
  {
    "id": 123,
    "name": "Coca-Cola 500ml",
    "barcode": "012345678912",
    "stockQuantity": 8,
    "minStockLevel": 20,
    "price": 1.50
  }
]

This endpoint is used by:

Dashboard alerts
Inventory reports
Reorder notifications

Category management

Configuring categories

Product categories are configured in: System Settings → Product Categories Enter comma-separated category names:

Beverages, Snacks, Dairy, Frozen Foods, Household, Personal Care

Using categories

In inventory management:

Select category from dropdown when adding/editing products
Filter product grid by category

In POS:

Search products by category
Filter product grid by category (future enhancement)

In reports:

Group sales by product category
Analyze category performance

Product images

Image sources

UPC Database - Automatically downloaded during barcode search
Manual URL - Enter image URL directly (not currently exposed in UI)
Upload - Not yet implemented

Image display

In inventory grid:

Thumbnail size: 72px height
Fallback: “Image” placeholder text
Object-fit: contain (preserves aspect ratio)

In POS grid:

Thumbnail size: 88px height
Fallback: “Image” placeholder text
Lazy loading for performance

In product detail modal:

Full size: 192px height
Fallback: “No Image Available” message

Image URL validation

The system performs client-side validation:

Tests image loading with onLoad event
Falls back to placeholder on onError event
Logs loading failures to console for debugging

API endpoints

Complete inventory management API:

Endpoint	Method	Purpose
`/api/products`	GET	List all active products
`/api/products/{id}`	GET	Get single product details
`/api/products/barcode/{barcode}`	GET	Search by barcode
`/api/products/low-stock`	GET	List low stock products
`/api/products`	POST	Create new product
`/api/products/{id}`	PUT	Update product
`/api/products/{id}/stock`	PUT	Adjust stock quantity
`/api/products/{id}`	DELETE	Delete product

Inventory reports

Stock value calculation

totalInventoryValue = Σ(product.stockQuantity × product.cost)

Potential revenue

potentialRevenue = Σ(product.stockQuantity × product.price)

Profit margin per product

margin = ((price - cost) / price) × 100

Example: (

1.50 -

0.75) / $1.50 = 50% margin

Best practices

For inventory managers

Scan barcodes instead of typing to reduce errors
Set realistic low stock alert thresholds based on sales velocity
Regularly review low stock reports to avoid stockouts
Use variants to distinguish similar products (e.g., sizes, flavors)
Keep product images up-to-date for better POS experience
Assign categories consistently for accurate reporting

For system administrators

Configure product categories before first use
Test barcode scanner with various product types
Monitor UPC database API usage to avoid rate limits
Back up product database regularly
Review user activity logs for unauthorized stock adjustments
Set up low stock email alerts (future enhancement)

For store managers

Audit physical inventory monthly and adjust quantities
Investigate discrepancies between system and physical counts
Train staff on proper barcode scanning technique
Review profit margins regularly and adjust pricing
Monitor category performance to optimize product mix

Troubleshooting

Barcode scanner not working in inventory

Symptoms: Scanned barcodes don’t appear in barcode fieldSolutions:

Click in the barcode input field first
Verify scanner is not in sleep mode
Check USB connection is secure
Test scanner in a text editor
Ensure scanner sends Enter key after barcode

UPC database returns no results

Symptoms: Click “Find” but product info doesn’t populateSolutions:

Verify barcode format is correct (12-13 digits for UPC/EAN)
Check internet connectivity
Try manual search at upcitemdb.com to verify barcode exists
Some products may not be in UPC database - add manually
Check browser console for API errors

Product images not displaying

Symptoms: “Image” placeholder shown instead of product photoSolutions:

Check image URL is valid and accessible
Verify CORS headers allow image loading
Test image URL in browser address bar
Try different image URL from UPC database
Check browser console for CORS/404 errors

Stock quantities incorrect after sales

Symptoms: Physical count doesn’t match system quantitySolutions:

Review recent sales in Sales History
Check for manual stock adjustments in User Activity logs
Verify all sales were processed through POS (not external)
Look for failed transactions that may have partially updated stock
Perform physical inventory count and adjust as needed

Cannot edit or delete products

Symptoms: “Save” button disabled or delete failsSolutions:

Verify you have Inventory or Manager role permissions
Check product is selected (blue border on card)
Ensure all required fields are filled
Check for validation errors (barcode already exists, etc.)
Try refreshing the page and re-selecting product

Sales processing - How inventory affects POS
System settings - Configure categories and stock alerts
User activity - Audit stock adjustments
Reports and analytics - Inventory value and low stock reports

Get Started

Core Features

Configuration

Advanced Features

Security

Development

​Overview

Barcode scanning

UPC database integration

Stock level tracking

Category management

​Product catalog

​Product information

​Product grid view

​Search and filtering

​Adding products

​API endpoint

​Editing products

​API endpoint

​Deleting products

​API endpoint

​Barcode scanning

​Scanner detection

​Barcode search workflow

​UPC database integration

​Automatic product information

​Image selection logic

​UPC database limitations

​Stock level management

​Current stock

​Low stock alerts

​Stock adjustments

​API endpoint

​Low stock products

​Category management

​Configuring categories

​Using categories

​Product images

​Image sources

​Image display

​Image URL validation

​API endpoints

​Inventory reports

​Stock value calculation

​Potential revenue

​Profit margin per product

​Best practices

​Troubleshooting

​Related documentation

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Product catalog

Product information

Product grid view

Search and filtering

Adding products

API endpoint

Editing products

API endpoint

Deleting products

API endpoint

Barcode scanning

Scanner detection

Barcode search workflow

UPC database integration

Automatic product information

Image selection logic

UPC database limitations

Stock level management

Current stock

Low stock alerts

Stock adjustments

API endpoint

Low stock products

Category management

Configuring categories

Using categories

Product images

Image sources

Image display

Image URL validation

API endpoints

Inventory reports

Stock value calculation

Potential revenue

Profit margin per product

Best practices

Troubleshooting

Related documentation