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Picking Order Items

Table of Contents

Overview

In warehouse management and order fulfillment operations, picklists refer to a list of items or products that need to be picked, packed, and shipped to customers.

Picking, on the other hand, is the process of scanning the items listed on the picklist from their respective storage locations (i.e. bins) in a warehouse. Picking can be a time-consuming process that requires attention to detail to ensure accuracy and minimize errors. Efficient picking is essential for meeting customer demands and maintaining inventory accuracy. Working on picklists is possible through the Skustack app, while generating new ones, monitoring their progress, and exporting data can be done through the Skustack Admin.

Picking Modules

The PickList tab is where you can access all the modules designed to assist you in managing the process of picking items for orders. Learn more about the PickList tab here.

When an item is picked from a bin, it is automatically transferred to the warehouse’s Picking Bin. The picking bin is created by the system, with a unique picking bin for every warehouse. For example, Default Warehouse with ID “86” will have a picking bin named PickingBin Warehouse-86.

There are 3 ways you can pick products:

  1. Product Based – Recommended for picking single-item orders.
  2. Order Based – Recommended for picking multi-item orders.
  3. Kit Based – Recommended for picking kit-only orders.
Picklists must be generated by warehouse. This is controlled by the Enable Picklist Generation by Warehouse client setting in the Skustack Admin.

Ideally, orders should be sorted with filtered Saved searches by their item status (i.e. single-item, multi-item, kit) before your Picklists are generated. This means you should filter single-item orders and non-kits first, and then generate a PickList for these products. After that, do the same for multi-item and kits-only orders. The Picklists will then be able to be picked in full based on the selected options. Keep in mind that products will only be available for picking only if the order is paid and in process.

Skustack offers various Picklist settings that can be customized on the device, which can greatly enhance the picking process. Learn more here.
All picking modules will only return orders that have In Process and Charged statuses.

Kit-based picking

Kit-based picking streamlines the often complicated process of picking non-packaged kits. This module will provide the warehouse staff with all the components to pick. Learn more here.

Order-based picking

Order-based picking allows you to pick items on a picklist, order by order. This is an effective workflow for handling large orders with multiple items, as the order items can be picked and grouped together by the warehouse picker for packing. Learn more here.

Product-based picking

Product-based picking enables you to easily pick all units on a picklist. This option gives you an effective workflow for single-item orders. Learn more here.

Confirmation labels for every unit can be set to auto-print when units are picked. See Warehouse Management Settings.

Pick Order Items

Skustack offers three efficient picking modules to cater to various order types. Learn more about each module here and select the one that best suits your needs. The example below illustrates Product-based picking.

  1. Navigate to PickList > Product Based and open a picklist.
  2. All products and pick quantities in that picklist will load. Swipe down to see the number of picked units and the number of total units in the picklist.
  3. Swipe left on an item to reveal shortcuts to other actions:
    1. Bins – Displays all bins in which this item’s units are stored.
    2. Info – Directs you to the Product info module.
  4. To filter products by different parameters, tap the Filter icon at the top right. From there, you can filter by inventory availability, single or multi-item orders, rush or picked status, region, and more.
  5. Scan a Product ID/UPC barcode, or select a product manually. The product pick dialog will open.
  6. Enter the bin from which you are picking or select the suggested bin. The suggested bin may appear next to the Bin field. This suggestion is based on the following factors:
    1. The bin is sellable.
    2. The bin type is Normal or Temp.
    3. Primary bins will always be suggested first.
    4. The bin with the most or least quantity will be suggested based on the client setting PickList Bin suggestion sort qty by ASC Order.
  7. Scan units to add to the picked qty оr adjust the number manually.
  8. If the Lot Number workflow is enabled for your company and the product is set as expirable you must select a Lot Number before being able to pick it.
  9. Tap Pick to update the picked quantity.
  10. The quantity picked will be transferred to the Picking Bin and the picklist will be updated.
  11. Once an item is picked, tap the Printer icon to print a label or configure your Skustack settings to auto-print labels for every unit picked.

Unpick Order Items

Skustack’s Warehouse Management setting Allow Unpick must be enabled for this workflow!

There are several reasons why you might need to unpick items from a picklist, including incorrect quantities, damaged products, and more. To do that:

  1. Select the item that has been picked incorrectly.
  2. Select the bin that you are unpicking the items to and enter a negative value of how much you want to unpick. For example, if you want to unpick 10 units, enter -10 and tap Unpick.
    To switch between positive and negative movements for serialized products, tap on the green Arrow icon. Note that the arrow indicator must be red in order to unpick products with serial numbers.
  3. A confirmation message at the top will indicate that the product has been successfully unpicked.

Picklists

The Skustack Admin portal lets you easily search for existing picklists, generate new ones, monitor their progress, and export them to Excel.

When an item is picked from a bin, it is automatically transferred to the warehouse’s Picking Bin. The picking bin is created by the system, with a unique picking bin for every warehouse. For example, Default Warehouse with ID “86” will have a picking bin named PickingBin Warehouse-86.

There are 3 ways you can pick products:

  1. Product Based – Recommended for picking single-item orders.
  2. Order Based – Recommended for picking multi-item orders.
  3. Kit Based – Recommended for picking kit-only orders.
Picklists must be generated by warehouse. This is controlled by the Enable Picklist Generation by Warehouse client setting in the Skustack Admin.

Ideally, orders should be sorted with filtered Saved searches by their item status (i.e. single-item, multi-item, kit) before your Picklists are generated. This means you should filter single-item orders and non-kits first, and then generate a Picklist for these products. After that, do the same for multi-item and kits-only orders. The Picklists will then be able to be picked in full based on the selected options. Keep in mind that products will only be available for picking only if the order is paid and in process.

Generate a Picklist

  1. Navigate to the Skustack Admin portal at https://xx.skustack.com (replace “xx” with your server ID or team name).
  2. Enter your login credentials.
  3. On the left, select Orders > Manage Orders.
  4. Select your desired orders from the grid. Recommended filters are:
    1. Order Date Range — Preferred date range, the default value is set to Last 120 days.
    2. Shipping Status — Unshipped.
    3. Order Status — Processing.
    4. Dropship Status — Dropship None.
    5. Payment Status — Charged.
    6. Ship From Warehouse — Specific warehouse location.
    7. (Optional) Is On Picklist — Not In Open Picklist (typically used in combination with Client Setting Close all picklists at midnight).
    8. Picked — None or Partially Picked.
    9. Single Item Orders — Include Single or Multi-Item Orders.
    10. Kits — Include or exclude Kit Orders.
  5. Access the Actions menu > Generate Pick List.
  6. Title your Picklist and select the Warehouse you are generating it for.

Manage Picklists

To manage picklists:

  1. Navigate to Picklists > Manage Picklists.
  2. Configure your Default filters to make sure that the results display exactly what you need.
  3. Click Search. Each filter you apply gets highlighted. If a filter is gray or not displayed at all, it’s not active.
  4. To manage the columns in the grid, click the three dots icon on the top right and select Customize Columns. You can:
    1. Reorder columns by dragging them up or down in the list;
    2. Hide columns by clicking the Trash icons;
    3. Add columns by clicking Add column.
  5. To arrange the data in a different order, use the Sort by menu.
  6. To save your filtering and sorting options, click Save view, enter a Name, and click Save.
  7. Select a picklist from the grid and access the Actions menu at the lower right-hand corner to either
    1. Close Picklists
    2. Export to Excel
    3. View Orders In Manage Orders
    4. Export Via Plugin

    or click on a Picklist # to be directed to the Picklist Details page.

Split Picklists

When dealing with a high volume of orders, trying to load all the orders across every shipping station risks a system overload. To mitigate this risk you can split your picklists by a number of orders per shipper.

  1. Open your picklist > Products panel > Select items.
  2. Click the arrow icon in the upper-right corner to split the selected items into a new picklist.
  3. Click the link in the notification to view your queued job.
Picked or partially picked items cannot be split into a new picklist. For kit orders, all components must be selected.

Filter and Column Definitions

Picklists will generate with the following default columns:

  • SKU — An item’s unique identification number.
  • Item — Name of the product.
  • Qty — Quantity of units to pick to fill selected orders.
  • Location — Location of the item in the warehouse (if set on the product’s Home page).
  • Package — Shipping package type (if set on the product’s Shipping Preference page).
  • Inventory — The available quantity you have on hand to pick: Aggregate + Unshipped = Inventory. This is not necessarily the total physical quantity.
  • UPC — The item’s barcode.

Additional columns can be enabled from Client Settings:

  • Replacement SKU
  • Replacement SKU LOC
  • Weight 

The following filters can be used to filter SKUs and quantities on the picklist:

Filter Description
Has Available Inventory
  • All – Displays all items regardless of if there is inventory to fill the orders.
  • Yes – Displays products and pick quantity that can fill orders completely. For example, if Item A has a quantity of 5 and the picklist has one order for 6 units of that product, Item A will not display. If there are two orders for 3 units (2 x 3 = 6) then Item A will display in the grid with a pick quantity of 3 only, because there isn’t enough quantity to fill the second order. Older orders will take precedence over newer orders.
  • No – Displays products and pick quantity without enough inventory to fill the orders. For example, if Item A has a quantity of 5 and the picklist has one order for 6 units of that product, Item A will display. If there are two orders then Item A will display in the grid with a pick quantity of the unfillable quantity. Older orders will take precedence over newer orders
SKU Exists
  • All — Displays all SKUs.
  • Yes — Displays only products that have a corresponding product record in the Skustack Admin.
  • No — Displays SKUs that do not have a corresponding product record (e.g. unknown) in the Skustack Admin.
Single Item Order
  • All — Displays both single and multi-item orders.
  • Yes — Displays products that are in single item orders – one unit of one SKU.
  • No — Displays products that are in multi-item orders – more than one unit of the same SKU or multiple SKUs in one order. Please note that kit items are multi-item orders and can be affected by the Is Kit filter.
Rush Order
  • Rush Order — Displays products from rush orders.
  • Not Rush Order — Displays products from orders that aren’t rush.
Is Kit
  • All — Displays both kit and non-kit items.
  • Kit — Displays only kit items. Please note that kit items are multi-item orders and can be affected by the Single Item Order filter.
  • Not a Kit — Displays only non-kit items.
Is Picked
  • All — Displays both picked and unpicked products.
  • Yes — Displays only picked products.
  • No — Displays only unpicked products.

Instead of generating a picklist of all orders and then using the picklist filters, it may be more efficient to filter the orders first. For example, you may want to use the Back Order filter to filter out orders with items that are out of stock. To include orders like this in your picklist, go to Client Settings and check the Consider ReplacementSKU Qty in BackOrder Calculation box.

Unpick Order Items

  1. Open your desired order.
  2. In the Items panel, click on the arrows icon.
  3. Select an amount that you are unpicking and put in a negative value of how much you want to unpick (for example, if you want to unpick 10 units, put in -10)
  4. Select a bin and click Unpick.

Close PickLists at Midnight

Skustack allows you to automatically close all your open Picklists at midnight. To trigger this option, enable the Client Setting to Close all picklists at midnight.

SKUStackServices must be enabled for this workflow! Contact Sellercloud Support to ensure that this service is installed on your server.

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