How should you design your picking process? There is no universally right answer – the best method depends on your warehouse size, order volume, product type, and level of technical equipment.
Tip: You can also combine different modes in parallel using a picking profile – e.g. cluster picking for B2C, single picking for B2B, and single item orders picking for bestsellers.
Single picking
Single picking
One user processes an order completely before moving on to the next one. This is the simplest and least error-prone method – with no sorting step at the packing table.
Advantages
High accuracy, no sorting required at the packing table
Flexible to use, short training time
Also suitable for very large and bulky products
Disadvantages
Long walking distances, time-consuming with high order volume
Inefficient during order peaks
🎯 Ideal for:
Small warehouse (< 500 m²)
Few orders (< 30/day)
Large or bulky products
B2B pallet shipping
Recommendation in Pickware:
With WMS App + scanner (recommended): Scan the products directly in the app – stock bookings and optional label printing happen automatically once you finish. → How does single picking work in the WMS App?
Without a scanner, using a picklist: Create one picklist per order in the Pickware Admin and pick manually. Suitable as a starting point without hardware. → How do I pick orders using the Pickware Admin?
Single item orders picking
Single item orders picking
A special mode for orders with only one line item. These orders are picked in bundles on a daily basis – without assigning a box to each order. In Pickware, it is managed as its own picking mode and can be evaluated separately in the Picking Dashboard.
Advantages
Extremely fast with a high share of single item orders
Minimal walking distances, no effort for box allocation
Combines well with other modes via picking profile
Disadvantages
Only worthwhile with a genuinely high share of single item orders
🎯 Ideal for:
High share of single-item orders
E-commerce / B2C with bestsellers
Daily bundled processing
Recommendation in Pickware:
With WMS App + scanner (recommended): Start single item orders mode in multi-step picking. All products from the retrieved single item orders are picked together and then allocated to the orders one by one by scanning at the packing table. → How can I pick single item orders with the WMS App?
Without a scanner, using the Admin: In the Admin, filter specifically for single item orders and pick them manually in bundles. → How do I efficiently pick identical single item orders using the Pickware Admin?
Cluster picking
Cluster picking
A picking cart with numbered containers (one box = one order) is moved through the warehouse – usually with 6 to 9 orders at the same time. Picking and sorting happen in one step – the most commonly used mode in practice. This method is also known as box picking.
Advantages
Significantly shorter walking distances than single picking
No sorting step required at the packing table
A WMS is not strictly required
Disadvantages
Only for handy, small to medium-sized products
Requires wide, level aisles
🎯 Ideal for:
Medium-sized warehouse
20–100 orders/day
Compact, handy products
Orders that fit into one box
Recommendation in Pickware:
With WMS App + scanner (recommended): Start cluster picking directly in the WMS App. The app guides you through the warehouse product by product, and each box is allocated to one order. → How does cluster picking work in the WMS App?
Without a scanner, using a picklist: Create a combined picklist in the Admin and allocate the items to the boxes manually. Less error-proof, but usable without any hardware requirements. → How do I pick orders using the Pickware Admin?
Batch picking
Batch picking
Several tasks (up to ~20) are collected at the same time. Unlike cluster picking, all products are picked into one shared container. At the packing table, a second user then allocates the items to the individual orders.
Advantages
Strong reduction in walking distances
High throughput, efficient with overlapping items
Disadvantages
Sorting step required at the packing table
A second user (packer) is recommended
🎯 Ideal for:
Many identical items across different orders
100+ orders/day
Small, handy products
E-commerce / B2C
Practical tip for drops: For short-term order peaks (1,000+ orders), we recommend batch picking without box allocation, prioritizing single item orders.
Recommendation in Pickware:
With WMS App + scanner (recommended): All items for several orders are picked together. In the second step at the packing table, you scan the items and allocate them to the orders. → How does batch picking work in the WMS App?
Without a scanner, using a picklist: Create a combined picklist via the Admin and sort the items manually at the packing table. Higher risk of errors without scanner support. → How do I pick orders using the Pickware Admin?
Overview
Process | Orders/day | Warehouse size | Products | Packing table sorting |
Single picking | < 30 | Small | All sizes | No |
Single item orders picking | Variable (high share of single item orders) | Any | Any | No |
Cluster picking | 20–100 | Medium | Small to medium | No |
Batch picking | 100+ | Medium to large | Small, handy | Yes |
If you are unsure which process fits your warehouse, or you want to combine several modes using a picking profile, our support team will be happy to help you with the setup.