Industry playbook
Mobile phone & accessories shops
How mobile shops automate IMEI tracking, billing and GST with hisabkitab
Think of a mobile phone and accessories shop in a busy market, with two counters and a small service desk. It sells new handsets from several brands, hundreds of accessory SKUs, and a good share of phones on consumer finance, billing 30 to 60 invoices on a weekend day.
See hisabkitab for Mobile phone & accessories shops →
The challenges
The headaches every mobile retailer knows
The IMEI is the product
Every handset is unique. Warranty claims, theft reports, returns and distributor audits all ask for the IMEI. If it lives on a box sticker or a scribbled register, finding which customer got which handset turns into an hour of searching while the customer waits angrily.
Hundreds of tiny accessory SKUs
Covers, tempered glass, chargers, cables and earphones each come in dozens of models and colours, with small margins. Without barcodes, staff guess the price, mix up models and stock goes missing without anyone noticing until the shelf is empty.
Finance sales and split payments
A large share of phones are sold on EMI through finance companies, with a down payment in cash or UPI. Tracking what the financier still owes, net of their charges, is messy, and settlements arrive days later in a lump.
Price drops and distributor schemes
Brands cut prices without warning and offer sell-out schemes and price protection that come back as credit notes weeks later. Without linking them to the units sold, the owner cannot see the true margin on a model.
Fast-moving models, fast-aging stock
A handset launched six months ago can lose value quickly. Holding too many units of a slowing model hurts, but the owner rarely has a clear model-wise view of stock age and sell-through.
A day in the life
A day before vs after hisabkitab
Before
Staff copy IMEI numbers into a register by hand, often after the customer has left.
Accessory prices are remembered or read from a handwritten sticker; stock is checked by eye.
Finance company dues are tracked on a separate sheet and matched to the bank once a month.
Scheme credit notes from distributors are filed but never connected to model margins.
With hisabkitab
IMEI is scanned into a custom field on the invoice, so any handset is traceable in seconds.
Accessories carry printed barcode labels; scan, thermal-print and hand over.
Finance company dues sit in their own ledgers, and outstanding reports show what each owes.
Scheme credit notes post against the distributor, and item-wise profit shows real model margins.
Solutions
How hisabkitab solves it
Untraceable handsets
Custom Field (Item / Transaction level) + Serial No Tracking Report
Capture IMEI 1 and IMEI 2 on the purchase and sales bill. On Boost the IMEI prints on the invoice and is searchable; on Advanced the Serial No Tracking Report traces each handset from supplier bill to customer.
Accessory chaos
Print Barcode + Price List + Thermal print
Print barcode labels for every accessory SKU, keep a retail price list, and bill on a thermal printer at the counter. Pricing becomes consistent and stock reduces automatically.
EMI and split payments
Receipt vouchers + financier ledgers
Record the down payment from the customer and the financed amount as receivable from the finance company's ledger. When the settlement lands, the receipt clears it and the outstanding report stays accurate.
Price drops and schemes
Credit Notes + Item-wise Profit Report
Post price-protection and scheme credits from the distributor as credit notes. The Item-wise Profit Report then shows the real margin per model after schemes.
Slow-moving models
Top / Least Selling Items Reports + 4-level grouping
Group Smartphones → Brand → Model → Variant. On Advanced, Top and Least Selling Items reports show what moves and what sits, so re-orders follow data, not distributor pressure.
Invoice sharing and reminders
Auto-WhatsApp
Send the invoice with IMEI to the customer on WhatsApp automatically, which also helps them with warranty and insurance claims later.
Inside the software
Built for your books
Custom formula example
4-level grouping
Items: Smartphones → Brand A → Model X → 8 GB/128 GB Blue. Accessories: Accessories → Tempered Glass → Brand B → Model X.
Reports you’ll use
Serial No Tracking Report · Stock Summary · Item-wise Profit Report · Top Selling Items Report · Least Selling Items Report · Customer Outstanding Report
Compliance notes
Mobile phones and most accessories are generally taxed at 18% GST; confirm the HSN for chargers, cases and other accessories. Recording IMEI on every sale also helps with police and warranty queries. Business customers buying phones in bulk need their GSTIN on the invoice to claim credit, and shops crossing the e-invoicing threshold must generate an IRN for B2B bills.
Recommended plan
The plan that fits
Advanced
₹6,999/year, exclusive of 18% GST (or ₹13,999 for 3 years)
The Serial No Tracking Report that traces every handset, barcode-scanner billing at the counter and Top/Least Selling reports are on Advanced, alongside IMEI custom fields, barcode printing, price lists and thermal print. A very small store that only needs the IMEI printed on the bill can start on Boost.
FAQs
Frequently asked questions
Can I record both IMEI numbers of a dual-SIM phone?
Yes. Create two transaction-level custom fields, IMEI 1 and IMEI 2, and capture them on the purchase and sales bills. Both print on the invoice and both are searchable later, so whichever number a customer, insurer or police officer gives you, the matching bill comes up immediately.
Is serial-number tracking available on Boost?
On Boost, IMEI and serial numbers are captured as custom fields and appear on invoices. The dedicated Serial No Tracking Report, which shows each unit's journey from supplier bill to customer invoice, is part of Advanced. Many single-store retailers start on Boost and move up as volume grows.
How do I account for phones sold on EMI?
Record the customer's down payment as a receipt and the financed amount as receivable from the finance company's ledger. When the financier settles, possibly net of their charges, record the receipt and book any charge as an expense. Outstanding reports always show what each financier still owes.
Can I print barcode labels for accessories?
Yes, Print Barcode is included from Boost. Create labels for every accessory SKU and stick them on the packs; scanning them at the counter needs Advanced. Combined with a retail price list and thermal printing, staff bill accessories quickly and at the right price, and stock reduces with every scan.
Will distributor price-drop credit notes affect my margins report?
Yes. When you post the distributor's price-protection or scheme credit note against the purchase, the Item-wise and Bill-wise Profit Reports reflect it. You see the real margin per model after schemes rather than the margin on the original purchase price.
Every IMEI, every accessory, every rupee traced
Book a demo and see a handset travel from distributor bill to customer invoice with IMEI captured, barcode-billed accessories and a finance split, on your own sample data.
