Datascan Review: Retail Inventory Software Built for Global Accuracy

Inventory chaos slowing down your operations again?

If you’re searching for better inventory software, it’s probably because manual counts and out-of-sync numbers are costing your team way too much time, energy, and money.

And let’s be real—every hour lost chasing mismatched inventory puts massive stress on your day, and means you can’t focus on what actually drives growth.

Datascan fixes this with a unique mix of barcode and RFID technology, mobile app options, real-time analytics, and flexible staffing—all designed to bring control and clarity to your inventory management, without forcing you to start from scratch.

In this review, I’ll break down how you can finally get reliable, actionable inventory data—and make confident decisions without second-guessing your numbers.

You’ll find out, in this Datascan review, how their hardware, software, pricing, and support actually work in real retail and warehouse settings, plus how they compare to other competitors.

Read on for the features you need to feel absolutely confident before scheduling a demo or trial.

Let’s dive into the analysis.

Datascan Overview

Datascan has been deep in the inventory business since 1970. Based in Carrollton, Texas, their entire mission is turning raw count data into manageable, meaningful information you can act on.

They’re laser-focused on retailers, dealers, and warehouses that can’t afford the high cost of inaccurate physical counts. What I find most compelling is their dedicated self-scanning inventory technology, letting your own staff achieve professional-grade accuracy and efficiency.

Recent developments, like showcasing new RFID capabilities and unveiling the DataScan360 suite, show they are actively innovating. We’ll explore the impact of these moves through this Datascan review.

Unlike broad ERP platforms where inventory is just one small module, Datascan is purpose-built around the physical counting process itself. This focus results in a solution that feels designed by people who truly understand the operational grind of taking stock.

You’ll find them working with a huge spectrum of organizations, supporting everyone from single-store businesses to some of the largest global retailers that operate across more than 50 countries.

I see their strategy centers on blending purpose-built hardware, intuitive software, and on-demand supplemental staffing. This comprehensive approach is designed to give your business inventory data that is finally reliable and truly actionable.

Now let’s examine their core features.

Datascan Features

Struggling to get accurate inventory counts without disruption?

Datascan features are designed to streamline your inventory counting and management, giving you precise, real-time data. Here are the five main Datascan features that make a real difference.

1. Barcode and RFID Inventory Counting

Manual inventory counts are slow and error-prone.

Relying on traditional methods can lead to inaccurate stock levels, causing costly overstocks or frustrating stock-outs.

Datascan offers both barcode and RFID-based counting, letting you choose what works best for you. What I found impressive is how RFID significantly boosts efficiency and accuracy, integrating without changing your existing systems. This feature means faster, more reliable data capture.

This translates to more accurate inventory records, helping you avoid lost sales or excess carrying costs.

2. Fit-for-Purpose Scanners

Are your team’s hands aching after inventory day?

Using generic devices for long hours of counting can lead to fatigue, errors, and slowed productivity.

Datascan’s ergonomically designed, pre-programmed scanners are built for multi-hour counts, reducing staff fatigue. These scanners use latest imaging technology for enhanced productivity, uploading data via WiFi or mobile routers, which is very convenient.

So your team stays productive longer, saving valuable labor hours and improving overall count quality.

3. DART Connect System (Mobile App & BYOD)

Want to cut costs on specialized hardware?

Purchasing and managing dedicated devices for every inventory count can quickly become a significant expense.

The DART Connect system lets your team use their own Android devices, offering the same speed and accuracy as dedicated scanners. This is a game-changer for reducing hardware costs and simplifying logistics. You can even monitor counts in real-time from anywhere.

This means you can leverage existing technology, making inventory management more accessible and cost-effective for your business.

4. SaaS Portal for Management and Reporting

Losing track of your inventory count progress?

Without a central hub, managing large-scale inventory counts can become chaotic, leading to missed targets and poor visibility.

The fully configurable SaaS portal acts as your central command for executing, monitoring, and reporting on counts. From my testing, the real-time data visibility and automatic highlights truly shine, updating information within 10 seconds.

This gives you immediate insights into crucial data, patterns, and trends, helping you make informed decisions on the fly.

5. Enhanced Data Analytics and Reporting

Struggling to turn inventory data into actionable insights?

Raw inventory numbers alone don’t tell the full story, making it hard to optimize operations and prevent losses.

Datascan’s advanced reporting provides valuable insights, from real-time sales across locations to inventory turnover rates. What I love is the customizable reports and dashboards with key KPIs, helping identify fraud and optimize labor. This feature gives you a unified business view.

Ultimately, you gain deeper business intelligence, empowering you to optimize stock, prevent losses, and improve customer engagement.

These Datascan features work together to create a complete inventory management system that improves accuracy, cuts costs, and boosts operational effectiveness.

Datascan Pricing

What will Datascan actually cost your business?

Datascan pricing is not publicly listed and operates on a custom quote model, meaning you’ll need to contact their sales team for specific figures tailored to your needs.

1. Pricing Model & Cost Factors

Understanding Datascan’s cost structure.

Datascan’s pricing is not transparent online, focusing instead on tailored quotes that reflect your specific inventory needs. What I found regarding pricing is that they rent equipment directly to retailers, covering hardware maintenance and software customizations. Costs vary if you keep equipment year-round versus seasonal use, or use your own devices.

This means your final quote is highly customized, reflecting your operational scale and chosen hardware strategy.

2. Value Assessment & ROI

Is this an investment worth your budget?

Datascan focuses on optimizing inventory accuracy and operational efficiency, which translates into significant cost savings on lost stock and labor. From my cost analysis, their focus on tailored solutions reduces upfront waste, ensuring you only pay for what your business truly needs. This contrasts with generic, often oversized, software packages.

What you pay for directly impacts your bottom line by reducing manual efforts and improving data insights.

3. Budget Planning & Implementation

Consider your total cost of ownership.

Beyond the core rental and software fees, you should factor in the benefit of not needing to purchase or maintain your own scanning hardware, as Datascan handles this. What impressed me is how they offer a 7-day free trial for their barcode solution, letting you test functionality before committing.

Budget-wise, this approach helps you avoid large capital expenditures on equipment and focuses on service-based inventory management.

My Take: Datascan’s custom pricing model makes it suitable for retailers of all sizes seeking flexible, integrated inventory solutions that scale with their specific operational demands, avoiding fixed costs for unused features.

The overall Datascan pricing reflects a service-oriented approach that aligns with your specific needs.

Datascan Reviews

Do Datascan reviews reflect real experiences?

This section dives into Datascan reviews, analyzing actual user feedback to provide balanced insights into what customers truly think about the software. You’ll get a clear picture of real-world user experiences.

1. Overall User Satisfaction

User sentiment is generally positive.

From my review analysis, Datascan users frequently express satisfaction, particularly regarding efficiency gains and accuracy. What I found in user feedback is how the system consistently saves time and streamlines processes, leading to high overall ratings.

This suggests you can expect a reliable tool that genuinely improves operational effectiveness.

2. Common Praise Points

Users consistently love efficiency and accuracy.

Customers repeatedly praise Datascan for significant time savings and real-time, accurate data. From the reviews I analyzed, the system makes inventory auditing remarkably efficient, helping prevent common stock issues and improving decision-making.

This means you can expect better control over your inventory and reduced manual effort.

3. Frequent Complaints

Some integration and support delays emerge.

While largely positive, a few reviews mention challenges with integration flexibility and occasional customer support delays. What stands out is how interface aesthetics are sometimes noted as needing improvement, though this seems less frequent for inventory solutions.

These issues appear to be minor inconveniences rather than critical deal-breakers for most users.

The overall Datascan reviews reveal strong satisfaction driven by tangible benefits, with minor improvement areas.

Best Datascan Alternatives

Which Datascan alternative is right for you?

The best Datascan alternatives include several strong options, each better suited for different business situations, budget considerations, and operational scales.

1. SAP Inventory Management

Seeking a truly integrated, enterprise-wide solution?

SAP Inventory Management excels when your business requires a complete, end-to-end ERP suite beyond just inventory, including finance and HR. From my competitive analysis, SAP offers a much broader and deeper suite for comprehensive business process integration, though it typically involves significantly higher costs.

Choose SAP when your large enterprise needs an integrated ERP with inventory as one component.

2. Cin7

Running a complex omnichannel retail or wholesale business?

Cin7 provides a more comprehensive solution for omnichannel businesses, offering robust integrations for e-commerce platforms and POS systems. What I found comparing options is that Cin7 offers strong multi-channel inventory management and sales functionalities, though it might not offer Datascan’s specialized physical counting services.

Consider this alternative if your primary need is integrated inventory across various online and offline sales channels.

3. RF-SMART WMS

Need a full-fledged warehouse management system?

RF-SMART WMS is ideal when your business requires comprehensive warehouse operations management, including receiving, picking, and shipping, integrated directly with your ERP. Alternative-wise, RF-SMART provides a full warehouse management system beyond just counting, though it might not offer Datascan’s specialized physical inventory staff.

Choose RF-SMART WMS for complex warehouse operations that demand deep ERP integration.

4. Fishbowl

Using QuickBooks for your small to medium-sized business?

Fishbowl is a strong alternative for small to medium-sized manufacturing or distribution businesses using QuickBooks, needing integrated inventory, warehouse, and manufacturing features. From my analysis, Fishbowl offers comprehensive manufacturing and warehouse management integrated with QuickBooks, though Datascan specializes in physical counting services.

Choose Fishbowl if you’re an SMB using QuickBooks and need an integrated solution for production and inventory.

Ultimately, the best Datascan alternatives depend on your business size, integration needs, and specific inventory focus.

Datascan Setup

Concerned about complicated software setup and training?

This Datascan review examines how the solution is deployed, focusing on straightforward implementation and minimal disruption to your existing operations. I’ll set realistic expectations for your Datascan setup.

1. Setup Complexity & Timeline

Ready to scan within minutes?

Datascan aims for immediate ROI, shipping scanners pre-loaded and ready, or allowing you to use existing devices. What I found about deployment is that Datascan minimizes traditional implementation hurdles, often requiring no lengthy setup or training.

You’ll appreciate the focus on quick deployment, enabling rapid utilization without significant pre-planning.

2. Technical Requirements & Integration

Minimal infrastructure changes required.

Your existing ERP or WMS systems can integrate seamlessly as Datascan exports data in common formats like CSV or Excel. From my implementation analysis, Datascan is system-agnostic, reducing integration complexity by avoiding API development or extensive infrastructure overhauls.

Prepare for basic connectivity setup (WIFI/Cellular) and ensure your Android devices (4.4+) meet the minimum processor and storage specifications.

3. Training & Change Management

User adoption is remarkably smooth.

While Datascan claims “no learning curve,” customized training is available to optimize software usage and improve inventory workflows. What I found about deployment is that the intuitive design simplifies user adoption, focusing on practical application rather than steep learning.

Your team will quickly grasp the system, benefiting from efficient, tailored sessions if needed, ensuring smooth integration into daily tasks.

4. Support & Success Factors

Reliable support underpins successful deployment.

Datascan offers 24/7 global help desk support through regional call centers, covering 47 countries. From my implementation analysis, responsive and helpful support is a consistent praise point from customers, ensuring issues are quickly resolved during and after setup.

Plan to leverage their comprehensive support network, a critical factor for maintaining operational effectiveness and maximizing your inventory efficiency.

The overall Datascan setup emphasizes speed and simplicity for rapid ROI, making it an attractive option for businesses prioritizing efficient deployment.

Bottom Line

Should you choose Datascan for your inventory needs?

This Datascan review shows a highly specialized solution delivering exceptional value for businesses focused on optimizing physical inventory counts and related auditing processes.

1. Who This Works Best For

Retailers and warehouses prioritizing inventory accuracy.

Datascan excels for retail, automotive, grocery, convenience, and warehouse sectors that struggle with manual inventory and need efficient physical counting and auditing. From my user analysis, businesses with large or complex physical inventories achieve significant time and cost savings from its specialized tools and services.

You’ll find success if your primary goal is to improve inventory data accuracy and streamline auditing without overhauling existing systems.

2. Overall Strengths

Unmatched accuracy and efficiency in inventory counting.

The software succeeds by providing purpose-built scanning hardware, flexible system-agnostic integration, and real-time data visibility through its SaaS portal. From my comprehensive analysis, Datascan’s full-service inventory systems are 45% faster than competitors, while offering 24/7 global support and extensive customization.

These strengths translate directly into more accurate stock levels, reduced auditing time, and more informed business decisions for your operations.

3. Key Limitations

Specialized focus might limit broader WMS needs.

While highly effective for inventory counting, Datascan’s specialized focus means businesses needing comprehensive Warehouse Management System (WMS) or ERP functionalities might find it limited. Based on this review, some users reported challenges with integration flexibility despite the system-agnostic approach, and occasional support delays.

These limitations are manageable if your core need is physical inventory optimization, but they’re deal-breakers if you require a broader supply chain suite.

4. Final Recommendation

Datascan earns a strong recommendation for specific needs.

You should choose this software if your business prioritizes precise physical inventory counts, efficient auditing, and seamless integration with existing ERP/WMS solutions. From my analysis, your success depends on Datascan aligning with your specific inventory challenges rather than broader operational demands.

My confidence level is very high for companies seeking to optimize physical inventory, but lower for those needing a full WMS.

This Datascan review shows excellent value for targeted inventory optimization, while also providing important context for specific business needs and system integration.