Pick and Pack: Mistakes to Avoid, Improvements to Implement

Your inventory and shipments always up to date, your customers happy receiving exactly what they ordered with flawless speed, and errors conspicuously absent. That can happen in an ideal world, but in the real world there is more than one thing to consider when we talk about efficiency and avoiding mistakes that, however small they may seem, trigger a series of extra costs for your e-commerce operation.

Pick and pack is one of the backbones of your sales process—without it, your product practically never reaches your customers. If you are just getting started with pick and pack, or if you have been doing it for a while but want to fine-tune your processes, this article will show you the most common mistakes, confirm your fundamentals, and share best practices for your online store

What Is Pick and Pack?

It is the name given to an inventory management process that consists of 3 steps within a supply chain. Literally as it sounds—Pick—Pack—without forgetting the first step, which is receiving the order in your system. Below we share the definition of these processes:

1. You receive the order: With an inventory management system you control your warehouse with your store, so your inventory is "live" and connected to your store. Thus, when a customer places an order, the inventory system in the warehouse is notified and generates a list to perform the picking

2. Picking: This is when you collect items from your inventory—a member of your team takes the list with the order and searches for the items in the warehouse to process the order

3. Packing: This refers to the process of packing the product—the collected items are taken to the packing station in the warehouse. We recommend confirming that the items are correct before proceeding with packaging, and once completed, having the package ready for the carrier that will deliver it. 

Remember that your warehouse and process often depend on how much you sell and the stock you have, but this process is key for any store. ‍

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How Does Picking Work for Your Products?

It depends heavily on how your inventory is distributed—for example, whether it is high volume, from your physical store, you are just starting out, among other factors. Based on these points, picking can be done in various ways, which is why we will explain the types so you can choose the one that matches your current logistics operation:

‍Piece picking:

If your e-commerce is growing or you have a medium shipping volume, piece picking is ideal for your business. Due to its strategic function, in this process you select the order and pick the necessary items from inventory—the key is to select one order at a time!

Batch picking:

Maybe doing it one by one is already a headache—if so, it is time to use batch picking. Items from more than one order are selected together, either by their location in the warehouse or because they need to be packed in a certain way. 

💡 #CubboTip The ideal approach is to use it when you already have a high volume of orders, and the best way to use this picking method is to have software that helps you or a Fulfillment logistics partner
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🚀 #CubboHack By using batch picking you can optimize collection times for each order and take advantage of your inventory layout, plus your team will have a better sense of where to go and what to pick with an organized picking list

With these basic concepts in mind, you surely wonder which option is best for your e-commerce and your current process, but to decide, let us understand the main errors that can happen to you.

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Picking Errors

It is not just the economic cost—your e-commerce's reputation is at stake, which is why we list the bad practices that can affect your operations and, of course, your sales:

- Cost of sale: Instead of retaining and potentially adding another product, you will have to work harder to generate sales

- Warehouse costs: Your team already invested hours in the process and you will have to invest them again in inventory counting to correct the error

- Returns: In case of a return, you must document and process each order. This reverse logistics process implies extra shipping cost due to the return label

- Customer service: It is not just that your customer service team will have a bad time—the time invested costs you 

- Lost sales: As if cart abandonment were not enough, with these experiences, customers will surely look for another brand

It hurts to read it, and if it has happened to you, you know how complicated it is to deal with this situation, especially when these are things that surely could have been avoided. So the question here is: What led your pick and pack team to make these errors?‍

In these cases, the human factor is always present and it is not something that stops happening, but there are other factors that complement and explain the error, for example:

1. Not prioritizing and planning the picking session

2. Having too many people and locations will reduce process efficiency

3. Picking an item with a different identifier/code than the one marked

4. Selecting the wrong product in the correct location—in other words, you may have disorganization in the warehouse

5. Omitting order details

6. Ending the picking session leaving orders incomplete

Do not overwhelm yourself if you saw a couple that have happened in your store—even the best make mistakes. What matters here is to take action and in your day-to-day leverage every order so it becomes a great experience for your customers. ‍

‍🚀 Remember that the first purchase is only the beginning of a long relationship between your buyers and your brand. ‍

Best Practices in the Picking Process

We share these #CubboTips so you can implement them with the goal of improving your processes and standing out in your customers' shopping experience:

• Use an inventory management system that allows you to keep your inventory always synchronized
• Add safeguards to confirm the picking session... psst at Cubbo we have 4 logic checks
• Organize your inventory to avoid human errors—work on the nomenclature and product codes to avoid confusion with your team
• Remember that unboxing is a whole experience—if you can, include this for your customers
• Do not miss the opportunity and add a promotional insert. Repeat purchase is key and these details make the difference
• Offer same-day deliveries—your customer wants it, and if your pick and pack process is efficient, this will be a breeze

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Do not forget! If your operational capacity has been exceeded by the number of shipments and you need a hand, it is surely time to think about having a logistics partner like Cubbo that will help you with logistics processes so you can be more efficient throughout the entire Fulfillment process