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7 Warehouse Order Picking Methods For Accuracy and Efficiency

Animated image emphasizing the order picking process, showing an oversized scanner pointed to a box while a worker holds a list on a tablet.
Last Modified: November 1, 2024
The right order picking strategy can make a big difference in your fulfillment capabilities. Check out seven basic methods and the best times to apply them to help your business.
Natalie Kienzle
November 1, 2024
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Between the high demand for home delivery options and the ever rising ecommerce industry, effective warehouse order picking strategies are critical. Whether you’ve got a peak season frenzy coming up, or your company has suddenly gone viral, let’s go over what methods could work for you. 

Key Takeaways

  • The best order picking process for a business is dependent on factors such as product variety and order frequency. 
  • High-volume, high-variety fulfillment is possible with zone, wave, and batch picking.
  • Single order picking and cluster picking are typically ideal for small to medium businesses with lower daily volumes. 
  • Proper implementation ends up being the greatest determiner of whether a picking method will be successful. 

Today, I’ll go over the seven core methods behind all order picking and the circumstances in which they are best applied. 

What is Order Picking?

Order picking refers to the process of collecting items for packaging and fulfillment at a distribution center or warehouse. 

As the ecommerce industry continues to evolve, there has been a need to fine-tune the picking process. Of course, it’s not a one-method-fits-all situation. 

A furniture business and a fitness clothing vendor are going to have different picking needs. The same is true of a business that processes 500 orders a day versus one that does 15 a day. 

Best Picking Methods for Fulfillment Services

To choose the best picking method for a business, there are a few factors to consider. 

  • Product type
  • Product variety
  • Average order size
  • Order frequency
  • Available technology

We’ll go over seven order picking methods currently in use by various logistics professionals. I’ll walk you through the pros and cons of each to see what would be a good fit for your business and circumstances. 

To keep things clear, all products will be referred to as stock keeping units (SKUs) to indicate they are part of warehouse inventory.

Related: How to Handle Shipping for Your Ecommerce Business

Batch Picking (Multi-Order Picking)

Batch picking, also referred to as multi-order picking, is used when pickers are gathering the SKUs for more than one order at a time. To enable this, there must be a warehouse management system (WMS) in place capable of grouping orders by SKU and then providing a sorting list. 

The goal behind this method is to save time when multiple orders of the same or closely related items are frequent. The SKUs are then sorted by order after multiples have been collected. 

Pros

  • Reduces travel time between orders for pickers, making them more efficient
  • More orders are gathered in less time, improving productivity
  • Allows for pickers to focus on high-demand SKUs during peak seasons

Cons:

  • Increased sorting time after picking as SKUs are matched to individual orders
  • Pickers tend to slow down if there is too much product variety, which also slows sorting 
  • Training new pickers will take a little longer to ensure they are familiar with the sorting process.

Zone Picking

Warehouses set up for simultaneous zone picking keep SKUs organized into sections, with pickers assigned to each. When an order comes in, pickers gather what matches from their section and then take them to a central packing location. Other workers will sort and pack, so pickers can go grab the next set.

Pickers stay in their designated areas, allowing them to become familiar with everything there. Zone-style picking is also commonly combined with other strategies, particularly batch picking.

Pros:

  • Minimizes travel time by pickers 
  • Helpful for high-variety inventories
  • Allows pickers to become specialized in an area

Cons:

  • SKUs from bins still need to be combined and sorted into the correct orders
  • Sections that have higher demand SKUs may face bottleneck situations during peak times.

Wave Picking

A wave picking strategy is commonly used in warehouses that manage frequent and high-volume orders. Picking is on a timed schedule according to how orders are sorted. Consider the following possibilities: 

  • Customer location
  • Order frequency
  • Order type
  • SKU zone
  • Delivery method

Whichever sorting method is used, each one becomes a ‘wave’ that is given a designated time. For example, let’s say that a high-volume auto parts fulfillment center separates orders by customer location according to geographic region. Each region’s orders would be filled during a set time frame in the day. 

Pros:

  • Allows pickers to more effectively handle complex, large scale orders
  • Warehouses gain the ability to align picking with outbound delivery schedules
  • Schedules can be easily adjusted during low and high demand seasons

Cons:

  • An advanced WMS is a must, which is costly and requires significant training to implement correctly.
  • Mismanaged time schedules can result in ‘idle time’ potentially creating bottlenecks as the day passes.
  • Changes are slow and require accurate forecasting, making urgent or rush orders harder to process. 
  • Mismanagement of time schedules can also result in delays if one wave is set to start while another has yet to finish, causing everything following to also be delayed. 

Single Order Picking (Discrete Picking) 

Single order picking is exactly that – one complete order at a time getting picked by a single worker. This can be for a single item or for multiple SKUs within the same order. It’s also referred to as discrete picking since it’s all handled by the same person. 

This method is most useful in small warehouses with low order volumes and limited product diversity.

Pros:

  • Simple to manage and train new employees for
  • Reduced risk of errors due to individual handling 

Cons:

  • Poor overall efficiency during high volume order peaks
  • Increases travel time for pickers, lowering productivity

Pallet Picking

This method is most common among B2B companies or bulk distributors that are more likely to ship out entire pallets of supplies for restocking purposes. Large scale manufacturers are also likely to use pallet picking.

Workers are mostly equipped with pallet jacks or forklifts to retrieve orders and can typically only gather one pallet at a time. 

Pros:

  • Useful for warehouses managing bulk fulfillment orders
  • Promotes efficiency when managing large order quantities

Cons:

  • Limited application outside of wholesale/large scale distribution centers
  • Requires equipment suitable to moving large pallets easily

Cluster Picking

Cluster picking is when pickers select the SKUs for multiple orders at a time, but they sort them as they go. In cases where the warehouse is still on the smaller side, but orders are coming in more frequently, this method can improve a picker’s productivity levels. 

Provided they’re equipped with a means to easily sort and move multiple items, it’s a good next step from single-order picking as a business scales up. 

Pros:

  • Sorting during picking saves time, so shipments are prepared faster
  • Provides a productivity boost for growing businesses

Cons:

  • Carts must be carefully labeled to avoid sorting mistakes during picking
  • Pickers must have access to technology that allows them to complete multiple lists simultaneously 

Pick and Pass

This is actually a sequential form of zone picking. Like zone picking, workers are assigned to specific sections of the warehouse. However, instead of taking the bin to a central area after gathering the right SKU, they simply hand it over to the next section. 

For orders with high variety, and therefore multiple zones, SKUs can be gathered quickly and be sorted already by the time the bin gets to the end of the process. 

Pros:

  • Minimal picker transit time improves productivity
  • Sorting happens while picking, which saves time in packing and shipping prep

Cons:

  • Busier sections may need additional pickers to avoid bottleneck situations
  • Bin handoff procedures need to be clear to avoid skipping any zones

Choosing A Picking Method 

Any of the order picking solutions I’ve discussed here could be best for your business. Many of them can be further streamlined through advanced technology like robotics or voice controls. 

However, even taking into account the number of orders you need to fulfill or the type of products, there is one major factor that makes all the difference. 

Proper implementation. 

If you’re trying to get your own fulfillment warehouse up and running, this will be the biggest hurdle no matter what method you choose. It means investing time and money on the right WMS, equipment, personnel, and training. Even after getting started, you may realize that the method you tried to implement isn’t quite working. 

Related: How Are Warehouses Organized To Maximize Efficiency?

If that’s a hassle you’d rather avoid so you can focus on your actual business instead, then consider outsourcing to a third party logistics company that offers fulfillment and distribution services. Having more experience and already being set up, they can implement the best possible strategy for your business. 

Want a fulfillment solution your customers can brag about?  R+L Global Logistics can help make it happen. Reach out today. 

Choose Fulfillment and Distribution For Picking That Meets Your Business Needs

The right order picking strategy will have a trickle-down effect for the rest of your business, especially customer satisfaction. Get it right from the start by partnering with Fulfillment and Distribution for your business needs. 

Our attention to detail and trained staff will work to find the ideal solutions for your business and customers. We offer various services in logistics, including:

  • Reverse Logistics for returns 
  • 3PL Warehousing
  • Pick and pack services
  • Bulk item fulfillment

Give us a call at (866) 989-3082 or complete an online request for specific services. Get started today and keep building your business to new heights.

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