In ecommerce, packaging and shipping tend to steal the show, but the real action starts long before the box gets taped shut. Order picking is the quiet workhorse of order fulfillment. Itâs often overlooked, but itâs one of the most critical steps in making sure your operation runs on time, on budget, and without errors.
Get your picking process wrong, and everything downstream (packing, shipping, returns) starts to wobble. Thatâs why a clear, well-structured pick list isnât just helpful. Itâs essential.
In this guide, youâll learn:
Think of a pick list as your warehouseâs version of a grocery list. Itâs a document, either printed or digital, that tells your team exactly what items need to be pulled from the shelves to complete an order. Before anything gets packed or shipped, pickers use this list to grab the right products, in the right quantities, from the right spots. Without it, fulfillment turns into a guessing game, and thatâs how mistakes happen.
Most pick lists include:
The fastest-growing ecommerce brands arenât walking around with clipboards. Theyâre running streamlined operations powered by smart, digital pick lists. These arenât just glorified shopping lists either. Theyâre generated by Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) that do the heavy lifting: optimizing pick routes, syncing with platforms like Shopify and Amazon, and flagging errors before they cost you money.
If youâre managing TikTok Shop fulfillment, shipping out curated subscription boxes, or dealing with orders across multiple channels, automated pick lists are non-negotiable.
It only takes one wrong item to throw your entire fulfillment process off course. A bad pick list leads to delays, unhappy customers, return headaches, and wasted labor. And it adds up⊠fast. In 2023, U.S. retailers saw $743 billion in merchandise returns with a significant portion tied to fulfillment errors. The good news? Most of it is preventable with a better picking system in place.
Hereâs what a great pick list can help you avoid:
And hereâs what it can help you gain:
Whether youâre working off a clipboard or a shared spreadsheet, the layout of your pick list can seriously impact how smoothly your warehouse runs. And if you havenât made the leap to a full Warehouse Management System (WMS) yet, a thoughtfully designed manual pick list is the next best way to keep errors in check and fulfillment moving.
Hereâs what a strong, foolproof pick list should always include:
The order number is the anchor that holds your fulfillment workflow together. From picking and packing to shipping, tracking, and returns, it keeps every step connected and accountable.
Including customer details like name and shipping address might seem like overkill for pickers, but it pays off. It adds a quick verification point before the order moves on to packing and final review, especially helpful for subscription box fulfillment or custom DTC orders where mistakes can get expensive fast.
Working with a 3PL like ShipBots? These details help ensure handoffs between your team (or ours) are seamless, accurate, and easy to trace.
Some orders can wait. Others canât. If someone orders at 9 a.m. with next-day shipping, it shouldnât sit in line behind a standard order from the afternoon. Including both the order date and the shipping speed or priority on your pick list helps your team sort and prioritize with confidence.
This matters even more if your brand offers same-day fulfillment or express delivery, where minutes, not hours, can make the difference between a glowing review and a support ticket.
SKUs are the language your pick and pack warehouse runs on. A clear SKU lets your team grab the exact product needed, match it to inventory, and move fast. But SKUs alone donât catch every mistake, especially when youâve got similar products or packaging in play.
Thatâs where a short, clear product description pulls its weight. Something as simple as âMenâs Hoodie â Black â XLâ helps confirm that your picker has the right variant before it hits the packing table. Itâs a small addition that can save you thousands in returns, especially if youâre sending out complex kits or curated boxes.
Every extra step a picker takes is time and money lost. Including the precise location of each item (down to aisle, bin, and shelf) speeds up the entire process and keeps pickers from zig-zagging all over the warehouse.
If your brand relies on multi-location fulfillment or operates near hubs like the Port of Los Angeles, clear internal mapping helps reduce misroutes, ease restocking, and make onboarding new team members a breeze.
Pro tip: Use standardized bin codes (like B3-A7-04) and consistent signage to keep navigation intuitive.
Barcodes are your frontline defense against picking errors. When each item on your pick list includes a scannable barcode or QR code, your team can instantly verify it with a handheld scanner or mobile device. No guesswork. No manual entry. Just a fast, accurate confirmation that the right product is headed to the right box.
If youâre still relying on visual checks or typing in SKUs by hand, youâre just asking for mistakes. Barcode-based picking is simple to implement, easy to scale, and a crucial step toward full warehouse automation.
And if youâre thinking about scaling? Adding barcode infrastructure now sets the stage for smooth WMS adoption later. Whether youâre managing DTC orders, B2B pallets, or TikTok Shop fulfillment, itâs a future-proof upgrade you wonât regret.
When items look alike, same packaging, different sizes, itâs easy for even experienced pickers to make mistakes. Thatâs where product images come in. Adding thumbnail photos to your pick list gives your team a fast, intuitive way to double-check theyâve grabbed the right item before it moves on to packing.
A study by Kardex backs this up: pickers who can visually match the item in hand with an on-screen image make fewer errors. Itâs a small detail that delivers a big boost in accuracy, especially valuable in fast-paced environments like TikTok Shop fulfillment, where speed and precision go hand in hand.
The best pick list in the world wonât save a poorly designed picking process. Here are the three most common strategies ecommerce brands use, and how to know which one is right for you:
Most fast-growing brands evolve through these phases as order volume scales. A 3PL in Los Angeles like ShipBots can handle all three, using a dynamic WMS that adjusts picking logic based on order flow.
Manual pick lists are fine⊠until they arenât. They donât scale well, theyâre prone to human error, and they make batching or optimization nearly impossible. Switching to digital pick lists allows you to:
With ShipBots, your pick lists are both digital and intelligent. Our WMS connects with Shopify, Amazon, BigCommerce, and TikTok, enabling real-time syncing across every fulfillment action.
Ready to stop stressing over fulfillment errors?
ShipBots is a modern 3PL partner built for fast-moving ecommerce brands. Whether you're shipping single DTC orders, subscription boxes, or palletized B2B shipments, we make sure your pick lists are fast, accurate, and scalable.
Hereâs what you get when you partner with ShipBots:
Whether you're still manually picking orders or growing too fast to keep up, ShipBots can help you take the next step.
Request a custom quote and find out how our pick list automation and 3PL services can help your business ship faster, smarter, and with fewer mistakes.
