BoxHero Glossary

Add-ons raise a Business Plan team's usage limits beyond what the plan includes. Teams can add members, items in blocks of 1,000, and locations in blocks of 10 under Settings > Billing. Add-ons aren't available on the Personal Plan.

Add via Excel registers many new items at once from an Excel file. The downloadable template already includes the team's custom attributes and a quantity column for each location, and blank SKU and barcode cells can be generated automatically during upload. Partners and bundles have their own Excel import options.

Additional Charges are costs beyond the item price, such as shipping, handling, or packaging fees, added to a purchase or sales order. Select + Add Charge on an order, or save frequently used charges under Settings > Orders > Additional Charges so they appear on new orders automatically. Charges are added after the item subtotal, and taxes don't apply to them.

Learn more: Purchases & Sales

Adjust Stock is an inventory transaction that sets an item's on-hand quantity to a new value, used to correct discrepancies or account for loss, damage, or counting differences. Unlike Stock In and Stock Out, the quantity entered replaces the current quantity rather than adding to or subtracting from it. Submitting an Inventory Count also records its results as an Adjust Stock transaction.

Learn more: Inventory Transactions

An Admin is a team role with full access to all features and settings, including inviting and removing members, managing roles, team settings, and billing. The team creator is automatically an admin, and any number of members can be given the Admin role. Some actions are admin-only, such as submitting inventory counts, creating inventory links, and adding custom formulas in inventory reports.

Learn more: Members

The AI Assistant builds custom reports from questions typed in plain language, such as "top 10 items by revenue last month." It writes and runs the query, then shows the results as a table that can be charted, saved, or exported. It is part of Custom Analytics.

An API (Application Programming Interface) lets other software read and write data in BoxHero. The BoxHero API can manage items, attributes, locations, partners, transactions, bundles, purchase orders, sales orders, returns, and price lists for a single team. API tokens are issued under Settings > Integrations and are tied to the team they were created in. Teams use the API to connect BoxHero with e-commerce platforms, accounting systems, and internal tools.

Learn more: Developers

Attributes are custom fields that add details to items, such as brand, category, size, color, or expiration date. They apply to all items in the team. Supported types are Text, Number, Date, Barcode, and File, which can hold extra photos or documents. Deleted attributes can be restored from Recently Deleted.

Learn more: Attributes

A barcode is a machine-readable code that identifies an item. Existing barcodes can be entered by scanning or typing, or BoxHero can generate a new 13-digit barcode for items without one. Barcodes can be scanned to look up items, record Stock In, Stock Out, Move Stock, and Adjust Stock transactions, and perform inventory counts.

Learn more: Barcode Scanning

Barcode Labels is the menu for designing and printing item labels. It includes Print Items, for printing labels from saved designs, and Print Links, for letting people outside the team print labels. Labels can include barcodes, QR codes, item details, and images, and can be printed on standard printers with label sheets or on thermal label printers.

Learn more: Barcode Printing

A barcode printer is a printer used to produce barcode labels. BoxHero works with most standard office printers and label printers, including direct thermal printers, which heat thermal paper directly, and thermal transfer printers, which use a ribbon for more durable labels.

Learn more: Guides

A barcode scanner is a device used to read barcodes quickly and accurately. On a computer, BoxHero supports USB and Bluetooth scanners. On mobile, teams can use the phone's built-in camera or a Bluetooth scanner.

Learn more: Barcode Scanning

Bundles are fixed groups of items, each with a set quantity, that are bought or sold together as a single unit, such as gift sets, kits, or combo offers. Bundles are created under Data Center > Bundles and can only be used in purchase and sales orders, not in regular inventory transactions. Inventory is always tracked for each component item, so processing a bundle updates the quantities of the items inside it.

Learn more: Bundles

Cost is an item's default unit purchase price. It is filled in automatically on new purchase orders and used in reports such as Inventory Reports and Sales Reports to calculate metrics like inventory value and profit. Reports always use the item's current cost, so changing it recalculates past report figures.

Learn more: Items

Custom Design builds a barcode label from scratch, with full control over layout and content. Teams first choose a label format: Label Sheet, Thermal Label, or Custom Size. Labels can include text, item variables, 1D barcodes, QR codes, Data Matrix codes, fixed images, and each item's photo. For faster setup, teams can start from a pre-designed template instead.

Learn more: Barcode Printing

A customer is a type of partner who receives items from inventory. Customers can be linked to Stock Out transactions and to sales orders.

Learn more: Partners

The Data Center is the central menu for managing a team's core data: Items, Attributes, Locations, Partners, Bundles, and Price Lists. It also supports bulk actions, such as editing or deleting many items at once, importing and exporting Excel files, and uploading item photos.

Learn more: Getting Started

Discounts reduce the amount on purchase and sales orders, either as a percentage (for example, 10% off) or as a fixed amount (for example, $5 off). They can be added while creating an order or saved in advance in the team's order settings. When both discounts and taxes apply, discounts are calculated first.

Learn more: Purchases & Sales

Edit History shows every change made to an item's name, SKU, barcode, cost, price, photo, and custom attributes, including the values before and after, when the change happened, and who made it. It's also available for bundles.

Edit via Excel updates the details and quantities of existing items from an Excel file. Teams download a file of their current item data, change only the cells that need updating, then upload it.

Export to Excel downloads team data as an Excel file for analysis, backups, accounting, or reporting. It's available for items, bundles, transactions, orders, and reports, and teams can export all columns or only specific ones. Column selections are saved for each export type and applied automatically the next time.

GS1 GTIN Scan is a setting that reads only the Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) from GS1 barcodes that also contain data such as expiration dates or serial numbers. This lets BoxHero recognize the same product even when its barcode changes from batch to batch. Turn it on under Settings > Team > Barcode Scanning > Enable GTIN Scan.

Learn more: Team Settings

Import from Excel uploads data from an Excel file instead of entering it by hand. In a transaction, it adds many items at once using two columns: barcode (or SKU) and quantity. Under Data Center > Items, it is the menu that contains Add via Excel, Edit via Excel, and Update SKUs via Excel.

Learn more: Inventory Transactions

Inventory refers to the goods or materials a business holds for sale, production, or internal use. In BoxHero, inventory includes every item a team tracks across all of its locations.

Inventory Count is the process of physically counting stock and updating BoxHero to match. An admin creates a count for one location, selects the items to include, and assigns Task Sheets to team members, who count by searching or scanning barcodes. Once every sheet is complete, the admin reviews the results and submits the count, which updates quantities through an Adjust Stock transaction.

Learn more: Inventory Count

Inventory Link shares real-time inventory information with people outside the team, such as clients, suppliers, or other stakeholders, without a BoxHero account. Admins create links under Other Features > Inventory Link, choosing which items and details are visible. A link can be turned active or inactive at any time, and link viewers don't count toward the team's member limit.

Learn more: Inventory Link

Inventory management is the process of organizing, storing, tracking, and adjusting inventory across a business. BoxHero supports it with barcoding, inventory transactions, multi-location tracking, low stock alerts, order management, and reporting.

Inventory Reports calculate metrics such as inventory value, turnover, profit, and days of stock for each item over a selected period. Teams add formulas with Quick Add, which offers ready-made metrics, or Custom Formula, which uses BoxHero's variables, item attributes, and functions.

Learn more: Inventory Reports

The Item List shows every item in the team, along with its current quantity. Teams can search items, group them into folder-style categories with Group by, sort by name or quantity, filter by location, and check In Stock to show only items with stock. Selecting an item opens its details and transaction history.

Learn more: Items

Item Variants add every version of a product, such as each size and color combination, in one step instead of one by one. Go to Item List > Add Item > Add Item Variants. Each variant is saved as its own item and counts toward the team's item limit.

Items are the individual products, materials, or goods tracked in BoxHero. Each item requires a SKU and a name, and can also have a barcode, photo, cost, price, custom attributes, and quantities in each location. Each item counts toward the team's plan limit.

A label sheet is a sheet of pre-cut adhesive labels used to print many barcode labels at once on a standard office printer. BoxHero includes preset sizes for common brands such as Avery, Formtec, and Printec, and teams can enter custom dimensions if their sheet isn't listed.

Learn more: Barcode Printing

Locations are the places where inventory is stored, such as warehouses, shelves, stockrooms, or retail stores. They can also separate stock by condition, such as ready for sale or defective. Items are shared across all locations, with a separate quantity tracked in each.

Learn more: Locations

Low Stock is the status of an item whose on-hand quantity is at or below its Safety Stock level. On the Low Stock Alerts screen, these items show their Shortage, or how far below the safety stock level they are.

Learn more: Low Stock Alerts

Low Stock Alerts notify team members when items fall to or below their safety stock level. Go to Other Features > Low Stock Alerts to set safety stock levels and review items grouped as Low Stock, Running Low, or Overstock. Under Alert Settings, each recipient can choose their own alert times and receive alerts by push notification, email, or both.

A Member is a team role that can view and modify inventory data, such as items, transactions, and orders, but can't access admin-only settings like billing or member management. The term also refers to anyone who belongs to a team. Each member's access can be fine-tuned with custom roles, and every member counts toward the team's member limit.

Learn more: Members

The memo field is a space for notes on transactions and orders, such as the reason for a stock change, payment terms, or delivery instructions. Memos can include file attachments, such as receipts or invoices, and tags for grouping related records. Memo text is searchable in Transactions, Purchases, Sales, and Returns.

Move Stock is an inventory transaction that transfers items from one location to another within the same team. It requires at least two locations.

Learn more: Inventory Transactions

An order number is the unique identifier assigned to each purchase order, sales order, and return. It is used to search for and reference orders, and appears on printed and emailed orders along with a scannable order number barcode that opens the order in the BoxHero mobile app.

Learn more: Purchases & Sales

Overstock is the status of an item whose on-hand quantity is more than 3 times its safety stock level. It helps teams spot items that may be tying up storage space or capital. On the Low Stock Alerts screen, these items show their Buffer, or how far above the safety stock level they are.

Learn more: Low Stock Alerts

Partners are the Suppliers and Customers a team works with. Teams can store each partner's name, contact details, a memo, and the language used on documents sent to that partner. Partners can be added one at a time, in bulk via Excel, or on the spot while recording a transaction, and are used to filter transactions, orders, and reports.

Learn more: Partners

Past Quantity shows each item's on-hand quantity as of the end of any past date, such as the last day of a month or year. Results can be filtered by location and exported to Excel, which is useful for closing accounting periods.

Learn more: Past Quantity

Price is an item's default unit selling price. It is filled in automatically on new sales orders and used in reports such as Inventory Reports to calculate metrics like revenue and profit. Reports always use the item's current price, so changing it recalculates past report figures. Price Lists can apply different prices for specific customers or promotions.

Learn more: Items

Print Layout controls how purchase orders and sales invoices look when they're printed, saved as PDFs, or emailed. Under Settings > Orders > Print Layout, teams can add a company logo, rename document labels, and choose which details appear, including the order number barcode, item photos, SKU, barcode, pricing, memo, expected date, and selected item attributes. A custom footer can also be added for notes, standard terms, or a signature line.

Learn more: Purchases & Sales

Purchases is the section of Purchases & Sales for creating and managing purchase orders. Orders move through the statuses Draft, Ordered, Partially Received, and Received; Draft orders can still be reviewed and edited, and Received means every item on the order has been added to inventory. Items can be received all at once with Receive All or in batches with Partially Receive, which records a Stock In. Orders can be searched and filtered by date, status, partner, memo, and more.

Learn more: Purchases

Purchases & Sales is the main menu for managing orders from purchasing and receiving to selling and shipping. It includes Purchases for purchase orders, Sales for sales orders, and Returns for customer returns. Inventory is updated as items are received or shipped against each order. Orders support bundles, price lists, taxes, discounts, additional charges, custom fields, and multiple currencies, and can be emailed to partners, printed, or saved as PDFs.

Reports is the main menu for analyzing inventory and sales data. It includes Summary, Past Quantity, Inventory Reports, Sales Reports, and Custom Analytics, and most reports can be filtered and exported to Excel.

Returns record items sent back by customers and are always linked to an original sales order. A return can be created from Purchases & Sales > Returns by entering the sales order number, or from the sales order itself. Returned items are stocked back into a selected location, and each return moves through the statuses Requested, Partially Received, and Received. The refund amount is calculated from the return quantity and refund price, and is reflected in Sales Reports based on the return date.

Learn more: Returns

Running Low is the status of an item whose on-hand quantity is above its safety stock level but no more than 1.2 times that level. It serves as an early warning before an item reaches Low Stock.

Learn more: Low Stock Alerts

Safety Stock is the minimum quantity of an item a team wants to keep on hand to avoid running out. It is set under Other Features > Low Stock Alerts > Safety Stock Settings, either for all locations combined or for each location separately, and can be set for many items at once with Import from Excel. Items at or below this level are flagged as Low Stock and trigger Low Stock Alerts.

Learn more: Low Stock Alerts

Sales is the section of Purchases & Sales for creating and managing sales orders. Orders move through the statuses Draft, Confirmed, Partially Shipped, and Shipped; Draft orders can still be reviewed and edited, and Shipped means every item on the order has been removed from inventory. Items can be shipped all at once with Ship All or in batches with Partially Ship, which records a Stock Out. Sales orders can be emailed to customers as invoices, printed, or saved as PDFs.

Learn more: Sales

Sales Reports analyze purchasing and sales performance using data from purchase orders, sales orders, and returns, excluding drafts. The Profit Analysis tab shows metrics such as average sales price, revenue, net profit, and margin, while the Sales Summary tab compares purchase and sales amounts and gross profit. Amounts are converted to the team's display currency.

Learn more: Sales Reports

A SKU (Stock Keeping Unit) is the unique code that identifies each item. BoxHero can generate SKUs automatically, or teams can enter their own using letters, numbers, and special characters. Each SKU must be unique within a team and isn't case-sensitive. SKUs can be changed in bulk with Update SKUs via Excel.

Learn more: Items

Stock In is an inventory transaction that records items entering inventory, such as new purchases or returned goods, and increases their on-hand quantity. Items can be added manually, by scanning barcodes, or with Import from Excel, and a supplier can optionally be selected. Receiving items against a purchase order also creates a Stock In. All transactions are logged in Transactions.

Stock Out is an inventory transaction that records items leaving inventory, such as sales, shipments, or disposals, and decreases their on-hand quantity. It is the counterpart to Stock In, and a customer can optionally be selected. Shipping items against a sales order also creates a Stock Out.

Summary is a report showing how inventory moved over a selected period, with the total In, Out, Move, and Adjust quantities for each item and its on-hand quantity at the end of the period. The Overview tab totals the whole period, while By Date breaks the figures out day by day. Results can be filtered by location, partner, or tag and exported to Excel.

Learn more: Summary

A supplier is a type of partner who provides items to inventory. Suppliers can be linked to Stock In transactions and to purchase orders.

Learn more: Partners

A Task Sheet is a counting assignment within an Inventory Count. An admin can create several sheets per count, such as one per person or storage area, and assignees enter quantities by searching or scanning barcodes. Each sheet moves through the statuses Not Started, In Progress, and Completed. When the count is submitted, quantities from all sheets are added together.

Tax refers to VAT, sales tax, or similar taxes applied to purchase and sales orders. Taxes can be inclusive, already included in the item price, or exclusive, added on top. They can be added while creating an order or saved in advance in the team's order settings, where a default tax can also be set.

Learn more: Purchases & Sales

A team is a shared workspace where members manage inventory together in BoxHero. Each team has its own items, locations, partners, transactions, and members, and nothing is shared between teams. Subscriptions are billed per team, so most businesses use a single team.

Learn more: Team Settings

A thermal label is a label printed on a direct thermal or thermal transfer printer. Direct thermal labels are low-cost but can fade over time, while thermal transfer labels use a ribbon and last longer, making them better for long-term storage, outdoor use, or humid conditions. BoxHero supports preset and custom thermal label sizes.

Learn more: Barcode Printing

Transactions is the menu showing the full history of a team's Stock In, Stock Out, Move Stock, and Adjust Stock activity. This history is also what BoxHero uses to calculate current stock. Records can be filtered by date, type, item, location, partner, member, memo, or tag, and can be printed, downloaded as PDFs, or exported to Excel. Edited transactions keep earlier versions, which can be restored.

Learn more: Inventory Transactions

A Viewer is a team role with read-only access. Viewers can see items, transaction history, and reports, and can print barcode labels, but can't add or change data. Viewers count toward the team's member limit.

Learn more: Members

A webhook automatically sends data from BoxHero to another system the moment a specific event occurs. BoxHero sends events when inventory transactions are created, edited, or deleted, and when items are added, edited, or deleted. Webhooks are registered under Settings > Integrations.

Learn more: Webhooks