Pick an order
Every step of the pick, from pick list to picked tote, scan by scan.
Picking is the first hands-on stage of outbound. You batch a set of allocated orders into a pick list, then walk the warehouse and pull each item into a tote, scanning as you go. This guide follows the whole job from an empty cart to a finished pick list.
Everything here lives under the Picking section of the sidebar. It is operator-only, so a brand on a client account never sees any of it. For the screen-by-screen reference, see the Picking manual.
About the screenshots
These screenshots reflect the pick flow live in production today. Only the final completion screen is described in text rather than shown.
Before you start
You need three things in place, or the session will not start:
- Allocated orders for the client you are picking. An order has to be allocated (stock reserved) before it can be batched. Allocation happens on the Orders side.
- A specific warehouse selected in the top bar. Picking routes and bins are warehouse-specific, so if the top bar is set to "All warehouses" the session cannot resolve a location. Pick the warehouse you are standing in.
- An operator role. Client users cannot reach any of this.
Part 1 — Build the pick list
You start from Picking → Pick Lists. This is the queue of pick batches, each with a status, a strategy, a progress bar, and who it is assigned to.
Open Create Batch
Press Create Batch. The "Create Pick Batch" sheet slides in. If you are a tenant-wide operator, pick the client first, and the sheet shows how many allocated orders are waiting, with their priority (Rush, Expedited, Standard, Normal).
Choose a pick strategy
Pick one of three strategies. The sheet explains each as you select it:
- Seed Batch (Optimized) groups orders and sequences the walk for the shortest route. This is the default for a multi-order batch.
- Batch Pick (Priority) batches by priority order.
- Single Order builds a one-order pick list.
For a batch, set Max Orders in Batch (2 to 50). Single Order hides this.
Create the batch
Press Create Batch. On success you see "Pick list created successfully!" and a Start Picking button. You can start right away, or come back to it later from the Pick Lists table. The new list shows as Pending until someone starts it.
Resuming instead of creating
If a list already exists, find it in the Pick Lists table and press Start Picking (or Resume if it is already In Progress). Both drop you into the same pick session described next.
Part 2 — Run the pick session
Starting a list opens the Active Pick screen. The session moves through four phases, shown in the stepper at the top: Setup → Scan Totes → Picking → Complete.
Setup — start the session
The setup screen shows a "Start a Pick Session" card. Confirm the client, check that a specific warehouse is set, and review the available orders and their priority badges. Press Next: Scan Totes.
(When you resume an in-progress list, the session skips setup and takes you straight to wherever you left off.)
Scan Totes — load the cart
Now you assign a tote to each order and load them onto the cart. Scan each tote's
barcode. Each tote lands in the next open slot on the cart, and the slot after it
is highlighted as the next to fill. The counter tracks scanned / available.
Scan a tote by mistake? Tap it on the cart to remove it.
The cart fills one layer at a time. When a layer is full, press Next Layer and keep scanning. Once every order has a tote, the cart shows "All N totes scanned" and the Start Picking button lights up.
Press Start Picking. The app runs a quick stock availability check, locks in the totes, and moves you to the picking phase.
Picking — walk the route, one bin at a time
This is the core of the job. The app routes you bin by bin along the shortest walk. Each stop repeats the same three sub-steps, shown in a mini-stepper: Go to Location → Pick Items → Place in Tote.
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Go to Location. The screen shows the bin to walk to, with a live route map. Walk there and scan the location barcode to confirm you are at the right bin. Scan the wrong bin and it warns you "Wrong bin!". If a barcode will not scan, type it in and press Confirm location.
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Pick Items. It shows the SKU, its picture, the lot and expiry, and the quantity to pick. Scan the item once per unit. A progress bar tracks "Scanned X of N" when you need more than one. If the stock is not there, use Can't Find Stock (see Exceptions).
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Place in Tote. Drop the picked units into the highlighted tote and scan the tote again to confirm. The screen shows how many items are placed in that tote.
The app then routes you to the next bin and repeats. The top progress bar tracks your total picks and "Location X of N" across the whole list.
Complete — close the list
After the last tote confirm, the session lands on Complete. You see "All picks complete!" with the items-picked and orders totals, plus a summary of any short picks or unfulfillable orders. Press Complete Pick List. The picked totes are now ready for packing.
When stock is not there
If a bin is empty or short, press Can't Find Stock on the Pick Items sub-step. The Alternate Locations panel opens with three ways out:
- Pick from another bin. If the SKU sits in other bins, they are listed. Pick one and press Select to reroute the pick there.
- Short this line. Press Can't pick — short this line. It keeps anything already in the tote, flags the bin for a stock count, and sends the shortfall to the short-pick queue.
- Mark the whole order unfulfillable. Press Mark Entire Order Unfulfillable. You can report the stock discrepancies (system quantity versus what you actually found) as you do it.
Break-pack prompt
If the pickable quantity is short but there is sealed stock in reserve, the app may prompt you to "Open N cases" to break a sealed case down into pickable units. Confirm the prompt and it opens the cases, then returns you to the pick.
After the pick
Two follow-up queues pick up anything the session flagged:
- Short Picks (Picking → Short Picks) is where shorted lines get resolved. Per line you can Pick now from another bin, Backorder it, Cancel the line, or Abandon & re-queue the whole order (which returns the picked units to stock and releases the tote).
- Totes (Picking → Totes) lists every tote and its state. A tote that got flagged during a short or unfulfillable action shows as Flagged with a reason. Open it and press Clear Tote once it is empty.
Status reference
A few statuses you will see on the pick screens and tables. The full set is in the Picking manual.
| Where | Values |
|---|---|
| Pick list | Pending · In Progress · Completed · Cancelled |
| Pick line | Pending · Picked · Short · Partial · Skipped · Relocated |
| Tote | Available · In Use · Flagged |