Pick and Pack is a service that’s offered by most fulfillment centers. It is a common part of the fulfillment process. When an order is placed, that item or those items are picked up and then packed for delivery, hence “pick and pack.”
Pick and Pack is a type of order fulfillment that’s most often used by ecommerce retailers that receive orders that are shipped internationally.
Instead of preparing and shipping whole cases and pallets of goods, ecommerce retailers rely on workers who pull (pick) individual items from warehouses and then place them in boxes or envelopes (pack) addressed to customers for shipment. This specific process gives pick and pack staff easy access to items, which can save time, effort and money. This type of fulfillment can also limit freight charges and other costs, which is always ideal for companies (saving costs).
It sounds easy and so simple, right? Beware though, there’s a lot of coordination and organization that goes into this pillar of fulfillment.
Example Of Pick And Pack
In this scenario, let’s say that there’s a manufacturer of kitchen ovens that wants to set up a fulfillment program for their promotional products. The manufacturer wants a simple process put in that allows anyone to purchase these products.
The 3PL fulfillment company begins working with the manufacturer to get a Shopify ecommerce store up and launched. The Shopify store allows the manufacture to sell promotional shifts, hats, pants and small branded merchandise. The products will come in various colors and sizes.
Before the official launch, the manufacturer will send the fulfillment center products for product storage in a warehouse. If you can use a local fulfillment center or one like Thill that has operations across the United States, this can save you a lot of money.
In this example, since the manufacturer has multiple products, sizes and colors, a pick and pack program would be ideal in this situation. As orders come in through the manufacturer’s ecommerce store, the warehouse team will go to pick the items ordered and it will be sent to be packed, sealed and shipped.
Pick And Pack Benefits
Fulfillment centers that offer pick and pack services can help your company offer a wide range of products from online stores to your customers. When your customers have a wide range of products to choose from, they’re more likely to buy from you. As the fulfillment center receives orders, pick and pack workers will gather the needed items from the master cartons, package them and label them for shipping.
When done correctly, pick and pack is a fulfillment method that can seriously boost your customer satisfaction. Skilled pickers and packers can fill orders accurately with the proper items and make sure they’re shipped on time. Pickers and packers that are careful with product can help improve customer satisfaction also, no customer wants to receive a damaged product. The teams are skilled workers, they go through hundreds of products regularly, even thousands a day during busy seasons.
One of the main reasons companies use pick and pack fulfillment is because it’s cost-effective. Pick and pack processes are designed for orders of all sizes, in most cases, minimum order charges don’t apply. Pick and pack can also eliminate collecting items from different storage facilities and sending them elsewhere for packaging and labeling. The streamlined nature of pick and pack makes it more efficient overall, which keeps costs low.
Pick and pack is a way of life for eCommerce fulfillment. Pick and pack employees are key to fulfilling orders and meeting customer expectations, and organizations need to continually work to streamline operations to make sure their pick and pack work is done as efficiently, accurately, and cost-effectively as possible.
Coordination in your pick and pack service is key.
If you want to learn more about how pick and pack services can help your company, give our fulfillment experts a call. We’d love to explore the fulfillment and order management options you have. You can reach us during regular operating hours at 1-920-967-9201 or you can use our easy contact form by clicking here.
