Picklists are a type of document often utilized by warehouse staff to guide the retrieval of items from inventory. Each worker at the warehouse goes down the picklist to know what order and where to pick items in the warehouse. Picklists help organize the overall warehouse operations and support the warehouse staff in doing their job and fulfilling orders. When an order is fulfilled accurately and efficiently, this leads to a faster overall shipping time and greater customer satisfaction. Both small businesses and large warehouses can benefit from using picklists to guide their daily operations.
Every picklist is filled with different categories of data regarding the products that will be picked, including product names, locations, quantities, descriptions, and stock-keeping units (SKUs). The picklist specifically bridges the gap between the customer’s order and the actual warehouse’s fulfillment process. One can also liken it to a shopping list for warehouse workers.
Types of Picklists
1. Physical Picklists
Physical picklists are printed forms of the lists and handed directly to warehouse workers, who manually refer back to the physical picklists to guide their paths through the warehouse to find the items that need to be picked. While fairly straightforward, these picklists cannot and do not provide real-time updates, unlike the digital picklists.
2. Digital Picklists
Digital picklists are the type of picklists utilized the most often by warehouses these days, and accordingly, they are generated and organized by internal warehouse management systems (WMS). Also, these types of picklists are far more accessible on computers, tablets, and mobile devices compared to physical picklists. And these digital picklists can provide product images and more real-time updates, even.
Key Parts of a Picklist
1. Order Number
This unique identifier links the customer’s order to the specific item in the warehouse, and the order number is used to track the product through the whole fulfillment process.
2. Product SKUs
Each Stock-Keeping Unit (SKU) distinguishes a product model, color, and/or size, which ensures that the right product is selected, and customers will be satisfied.
3. Product Location
This determines where in the warehouse a product is located and which direction a warehouse worker should head to in order to retrieve.
4. Quantities
This determines how many of each product is required to fulfill the order.
5. Product Descriptions or Images
A product description or assorted image will render a much easier time for the warehouse worker to successfully identify and retrieve the intended item necessary for fulfilling the order in the warehouse.
6. Priority Level or Urgency
While not applicable to all, there will be some cases where the product is actually highly time-sensitive, and it will need to be marked on the picklist as such, so that the order can be fulfilled in a more timely manner while satisfying the customer’s needs.
Sample Pick List
This is what a sample picklist for a warehouse may look like:
| Order Number | Product Name | Quantity | SKU | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 83757 | Blue T-Shirt (L) | 3 | AB-L-002 | Aisle 2A |
| 20484 | Red Jeans (M) | 2 | BJ-M-008 | Aisle 3B |
| 58372 | Black Shoes (10) | 1 | RM-9-008 | Aisle 7D |
By using a picklist such as this one, a picker or warehouse worker should be able to quickly retrieve and locate the items in the warehouse using the necessary information.
Common Picking Methods
The method used to pick items depends on the warehouse layout, staff availability, and order volume. Here are three common picking methods:
1. Zone Picking
In zone picking, each picker will be responsible for a different zone within the warehouse. This is most useful for the cases where there are warehouses with large layouts and large amounts of pickers. In practice, this looks like a picker gathering every item relevant to the order in their assigned zone before handing it off to the next picker in the next zone of the warehouse.
2. Pick-to-Order
In pick-to-order, each order is individually picked. This is most useful for small businesses or warehouses with not very high or a lower amount of order volumes. In practice, this looks like a picker receiving a picklist per order and completely fulfilling it before moving on to the next picklist.
3. Batch Picking
In bath picking, more than one order is categorized or lumped together, and commonly recurring items will be picked in bulk quantities. This is most useful for larger warehouses with extremely high order volumes. And in practice, this could look like 40 units of the same product being picked for multiple orders at the same time.
How A Picklist Is Created
- Enter Customer Order in Warehouse Management System (WMS) or Order Management System (OMS)
- Identify Required Items by Quantity, SKUs, and Description
- Locate Where Items Are in Warehouse
- Organize the Picklist Based on Warehouse Layout to Reduce Any Unnecessary Extra Movement for the Worker
- Choose For Picklist to be Print or Digital Depending on the Business Needs
- Assign the Relevant Picklist to Appropriate Warehouse Picker
- Update Picklist Status as Items are Picked and Track Overall Progress
Summary
Picklists help organize and optimize operations in the warehouse. Ultimately, they are the warehouse’s best guide in identifying and locating the items necessary to fulfill a customer’s order. Get A Quote Now and Save UP TO 70% on your next shipping order!
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