Batch picking

How batch picking works

The system groups several orders, adds up the quantity of each SKU, and produces one pick list sorted by the route. The picker walks once, collecting the total for each location. Then the items are sorted into orders, either at a sort station or at the packing bench.

For example, 12 orders each include one phone case CASE-114, and 8 of them also include a screen protector. The batch list says: take 12 from A-01-02, take 8 from A-03-01. One trip instead of 12, followed by a quick sort.

Pick-then-sort vs sort-while-picking

There are two common ways to run a batch.

• Pick-then-sort: pick totals into one tote, then sort into orders at a station. Simple on the floor, but needs sorting time and scanning to avoid mix-ups.
• Sort-while-picking: the picker carries a cart with one tote per order and drops each item into the right tote at the shelf. No sort step, but slower at each location.

When batch picking pays off and common mistakes

Batch picking suits e-commerce operations with many one- to three-line orders and a fairly concentrated set of popular SKUs. It pays off less for large B2B orders, where each order already fills the route, and there discrete picking is simpler.

Common mistakes: batches too large to sort accurately, mixing orders with different cut-off times in one batch, and sorting without scanning, which puts the right items in the wrong box. Keep batches small enough to sort in a few minutes. The picker staffing calculator helps model how many pickers a given volume needs.

How NextStock handles batch picking

NextStock supports batch pick-then-sort: orders are grouped, the pick list is sorted by walk sequence, and items are sorted into orders afterward with scan verification. Formal wave picking, which releases planned groups of orders on a schedule, is on the roadmap and not available yet. See order picking.