The warehouse management system identifies every SKU by its barcode at each step — receiving, put-away, picking and shipping. Scanning is what keeps the right item and the right quantity matched to the right order, in the same way a convenience-store cashier scans every item at checkout. Almost all retail products already carry an international barcode (EAN/GS1). Each distinct product or variant needs its own unique barcode; the same code must not be shared between different items, otherwise the system cannot tell them apart and mis-picks become likely.