Order fulfillment at a basic level includes processes related to the picking, packing, and shipping of orders placed through an online or offline sales channel.
It can be easy to get started with order fulfillment. However, mastering the process and driving efficiency in order fulfillment is typically an ongoing process.
Some of the goals you can set to improve your order fulfillment process are;
Have great warehouse organization, so it’s easy to locate products during the fulfillment process. You can do this by running a WMS or warehouse management system.
Increase picks per hour by using a combination of different pick styles and wave patterns. You may want to get started with batch picking, pick to cart, discrete picks for larger orders, and other common pick workflows.
Reducing errors during the fulfillment process. You can do this during the picking and packing phases by implementing a QC or quality check process to make sure the correct items are going out to your customers. Systems like our WMS have these scan-based checks built into a mobile app for your warehouse team to use.
Reduce shipping costs and use the correct methods to get orders shipped out to your customers by or before their delivery estimate. Automated rate shopping and shipping rules software will help you do this pretty easily. We have one built-in which makes your shipping workflow smoother.
Some more advanced options include forecasting demand to ensure high stock availability, automating repetitive tasks like box selection or shipping label selection, creating special high flow areas or adding refillable pick faces managed by software, and integrating machine handling or packaging robotics.