Your Guide to Pick, Pack and Ship Services

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by Stephen Gould
January 11, 2022
Hand holding a barcode scanner over a packing box
By Stephen Gould
January 11, 2022

Whether you’re serving B2B or B2C customers, Stephen Gould can create a custom Pick, Pack and Ship solution that implements the latest inventory management techniques and gives your customers peace of mind knowing that their orders will always be correctly fulfilled, every time.

Pick, Pack and Ship services are a convenient and cost-effective way to make order fulfillment more manageable. Though it seems simple from the outside looking in, setting up a Pick, Pack, and Ship process requires a great deal of planning and deep familiarity with warehouse operations.

How Pick, Pack and Ship processes work

At a high-level, the standard Pick, Pack and Ship procedure is organized in the following manner:

  • 1. Order received

    When a customer places an online order, the Warehouse Management System of the seller (oftentimes their 3PL provider) generates a packing slip.

  • 2. Order picked

    A warehouse worker locates the ordered items in the warehouse by scanning the barcode on the packing slip. Depending on the size of the business and volume of orders, different picking methods will be used to increase efficiency.

  • 3. Order packed

    Once items are picked, they are taken to a packing station where they are boxed and labeled for delivery.

  • 4. Order shipped

    The packed box is then taken to a loading station where it is sorted to the appropriate carrier who will deliver the order to the customer.

Orders with multiple items require a much more complex and detailed Pick, Pack and Ship strategy. Pick, Pack and Ship solutions also should implement measures for product safety and protection at every stage of the process.

Common Picking and Packing Strategies

There are four primary methods for organizing Picking and Packing:

  • Piece picking

    Picking and packing a single order at a time. Best for small businesses.

  • Wave picking

    This approach holds batches of orders and releases them in “waves” grouped by a common factor (e.g. item type, ship date, warehouse zone) to improve warehouse efficiency. The timing of waves is typically aligned with other warehouse variables like worker availability and transportation schedules. The advantage of wave picking is that it decreases bottlenecks and can increase on-time delivery.

  • Batch picking

    Grouping different items for different orders together by their location in the warehouse. The advantage of this approach is that it provides workers with a more efficient route to the items. It is also flexible enough to work for businesses of all sizes.

  • Zone picking

    In larger warehouses, workers can be assigned a zone and be responsible for picking SKUs only in their zone. Orders with multiple items across the warehouse are handed off to their counterparts in other zones until packing is complete. This is a more complex process that requires Warehouse Management System software to run smoothly.

Warehouse Management Systems

Software is crucial to improving the efficiency and accuracy of your pick, pack, and ship systems. A Warehouse Management System (WMS) can generate barcodes, batch orders, print labels and packing slips, and perform other inventory management tasks.

Stephen Gould can build custom warehouse inventory management systems that integrate with your existing operating platform. Implementing the right WMS for your business is ultimately an investment in a quality customer experience.

The Benefits of Outsourcing Ecommerce Fulfillment

Experienced 3PL providers working at scale can offer businesses a number of benefits:

  • Reduce shipping costs

    3PL providers can provide faster transit times and enjoy lower parcel rates, both of which pass along savings to their clients.

  • Save time and personnel costs

    As businesses grow, the increasing complexity of order fulfillment becomes an unnecessary burden for company staff.

  • Improve accuracy

    The inventory management systems and delivery tracking options that 3PL providers employ reduce human error and minimize risk.

  • Improve customer experience

    Quality fulfillment service reflects well on your brand and can help deepen customer loyalty.

Trust Stephen Gould with Your Ecommerce Fulfillment

Stephen Gould’s expertise serves as an extension to your team, helping you manage orders and warehouse inventory with unmatched service. We have the ability to pair experienced Pick, Pack and Ship capabilities with a custom Warehouse Management System that fits your company’s needs. The result is a turnkey process that provides you with detailed knowledge of your order fulfillment and inventory management that you can leverage to make your business stronger. As the largest independent custom product and packaging solutions provider in the US, our mission is to make order fulfillment simple and worry-free for businesses at every size and scale.

Contact us today to learn more about our Pick, Pack and Ship fulfillment services.