How does picking with Pickware work in Shopware 6?
How does picking with Shopware 6 work? Is Pickware the right solution? And how does it work? Find it out in our article!
Anyone who runs a shipping business knows the problem with picking. Manual handling, packing lists and finally the picking process. All this can stretch out the tasks pretty well.
Apart from the fact that specially people, who are quickly confused with a high amount of orders also get one or even more number errors very quickly.
By the way, there is also often unused potential here, because there are also ways to save resources. Besides this point, there are different ways of picking, each offering advantages and disadvantages.
But what is the best way to optimize the whole process and what solutions does Shopware 6 offer? In this article you will learn everything you need to know for your picking process. Let's start with the different picking strategies.
Picking strategies
Although picking itself has nothing to do with your e-commerce business but knowing the different strategies is important for your success. After all, choosing the right strategy can save you time and money. There are three types of picking.
The collective picking means the collection of several orders and a subsequent collective picking of these. In this case, the "picking" of the products is started and only then each product is assigned to the respective order.
Individual order picking is very time-consuming. However, this method is particularly useful for large orders, as fewer errors occur here due to this method.
Roll picking is the last picking strategy. This is a mixture of the two previously mentioned. Several orders are taken directly to the warehouse and packed into boxes at the same time. In this case, one box is one order. This method is one of the most time-saving, because it eliminates some walking distances.
With the Pickware tool you have the possibility to select such strategies in advance and, for example, to have the suitable paths displayed directly. Through If, then functional you also have the possibility to combine different strategies. So let's start directly with more information about Pickware in the next paragraph.
Pickware WMS for Shopware 6
With a WMS (Warehouse Management System) you have the possibility to administratively manage your inventories and additionally to overview your warehouse and shipping processes.
By the way, mobile barcode scanners are a particularly smart option. Through these, you can easily scan the packed goods, your stock, from the warehouse to keep up to date. And exactly these possibilities are offered by Pickware for your Shopware 6 Store.
By the way, Pickware offers you more than just this one advantage. Pickware also saves you a lot of time. Through automatically generated packing lists, Pickware also recognizes when you scan in the wrong product. This avoids packing errors.
How exactly Pickware works?
Well, sounds tempting, doesn't it? But surely you need some more information before you decide to use this WMS system. That's why we explain below how Pickware is actually handled.
1. Choose order
If you use Pickware's WMS system, then you also have their mobile scanner. On this scanner you can see all open orders.
You know how it is: an order comes in and it was ordered by express. So it is very time-critical and more important than other, older orders. Pickware does not ignore this point either.
On the scanner, you can see which order you should process first by sorting by relevance. We think this is a super handy feature.
2. Picking
The digital packing list in Pickware saves you valuable time. You can see at a glance which products have been ordered and can pick them up specifically. In addition, the direct barcode scanner helps you to immediately notice if you have packed the wrong product.
So if you happen to scan the wrong product, you will be notified about it directly.
By the way, another cool feature of Pickware: You can specify routes to the individual products. This means: No more long searches for the right products and additionally smart walking suggestions to always choose the shortest way.
We would particularly like to highlight the suggestions for route optimization at this point. After all, large, confusing warehouses and new employees are often the culprits for a lot of wasted time. This is where this function helps significantly.
By the way, here would also be a good point to think about the right storage space system. Be sure to analyze your storage space and make the best use of it. An example of this can be to place products that are not frequently needed in rather impractical places, while frequently ordered products are very easily accessible.
A distinction is made between dynamic and static warehousing and a combination of both methods. Further down in this article, we explain the individual inventory methods.
3. Prepare for shipment
Everything ready so far? Congratulations! Now you can easily print all documents. Yes, that's right. All documents like delivery bill, shipping label and invoice will be created automatically, you just have to press print and attach them to your package.
So remember: Here, too, you save time. Because the manual comparison, the order with the associated papers and the printing normally costs a lot of time.
4. Ready!
Woohoo! 🥳 All done and packed. Now take the package to the shipping company and use the mobile scanner to scan the shipping label.
Scanning the shipping label notifies the customer that the package is on its way to the shipping carrier. All other important information is now transmitted as well. This includes the tracking link, for live tracking of the order, and the shipping confirmation. Fully automatically, of course.
What we have not mentioned so far: To use Pickware WMS, you need Pickware ERP. You can download Pickware ERP from the Shopware Shop. Pickware WMS, on the other hand, can be purchased directly from the Pickware homepage.
Pickware ERP Starter for Shopware 6
The methods of storage
Dynamic warehousing means a constantly changing storage location. Here, the storage location is always where there is space at the moment. This method is recommended for companies with frequently changing products. However, a well-functioning inventory management system is highly recommended here.
Static warehousing, that is virtually the opposite. Each item is assigned a fixed place and is stored exclusively there. This method is recommended for companies with a constant product portfolio.
The combination of both is usually the case in practice. Here, the decision is made individually for each product.
Conclusion on picking with Pickware
Picking can be quite simple and work without any confusion. Pickware is a special solution for Shopware 6.
Even large companies, or especially these, can benefit greatly from Pickware. Through intelligent route optimization, the automatic printing and sending of the necessary documents and the "simple" picking, a lot of time is saved and errors are avoided. Are you still looking for the right WMS system for your company? - Maybe ask Pickware and try it out!
Ps: Are you still thinking about, if Shopware is the right e-commerce platform? If so, we have here an interesting article for you.