How to Speed Up Order Fulfillment with Batch Picking and Shipping

Batch picking and shipping

Most ecommerce businesses pick and ship their orders using the same general workflow. A warehouse manager may start by printing out paper pick lists for each order waiting to be shipped. This paper slips are then taken into the warehouse for order picking. Once each item in an order has been picked, it’s handed off to the shipping department. The shipping crew then packs and weighs the order, then prints a shipping label.

The warehouse management industry refers to this workflow as discrete order fulfillment. It’s a simple and easy to adopt way to fulfill orders of any amount. This makes it a clear choice for ecommerce businesses that are just starting out and growing. But businesses that are facing an increasing order demand need a way to speed up their order fulfillment. If this sounds like your business, batch picking and shipping may be the answer.

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Introduction to Serial Number Inventory Tracking

Serial number inventory tracking through barcode scanning

Inventory management is most often handled on a per-SKU basis. All units of a SKU are summed up into one large quantity. Sales, shipping, and receiving then deduct from that lump sum. This is the ideal inventory management solution for most online retail businesses. It’s fast, simple, and serves your warehouse’s needs without getting in your way.

But what if your business requires you to track individual units in your warehouse? This is something that even the most advanced inventory control workflows can struggle with. How can you track single units that are being lumped together under their shared SKU? The answer for many businesses is serial number inventory tracking:

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How (and Why) to Synchronize Inventory to POS and Online Channels

Synchronize inventory to POS software

Most ecommerce retailers don’t sell their goods exclusively online. Some have dedicated brick and mortar store space that they sell goods in day after day. Others only sell face-to-face on occasions like trade shows and local pickups. In any case, you need a way to keep inventory up to date regardless of how the sale was recorded. That’s why so many retailers are looking for a way to synchronize inventory to POS software and to their online sales channels.

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5 Warehouse Organization Tips for Ecommerce Retailers

Warehouse organization layout

Your warehouse is arguably your most valuable business asset. This is where your goods come in and orders go out, and the speed and efficiency in which these things happen is vital to your success. It makes sense, then, that you may be concerned about warehouse organization. Keeping this priceless asset tuned can make a huge difference in how your business runs. Let’s go over a few ways that you can take your warehouse organization to the next level:

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Leveraging FBA for Multichannel Fulfillment

Multichannel fulfillment by Amazon warehouses
Amazon fulfillment center in Madrid, Spain. Photo credit: Álvaro Ibáñez

Whether you’re new to selling or you’re an e-commerce veteran, you know how important efficient fulfillment is to your business. Today’s customers expect their order to arrive ASAP, and exceeding their expectations is your ticket to Repeat Order Paradise. However, multichannel fulfillment is no walk in the park; that’s why Amazon offers the services of its fulfillment centers to merchants processing orders from any sales channel.

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