Product picking is an integral part of the order fulfillment process. The faster you and your team can retrieve certain items from the shelf, the faster you can prepare these items for shipment and deliver them to your customers. Considering 36.8 percent of online sellers carry between 1,000 and 10,000 SKUs, you may need to rethink your picking strategy if you want to stay competitive and get your items out the door as soon as possible.

If you’re looking to improve productivity during the picking process, plastic organizer bins can help you keep your inventory organized, so your team can easily find and retrieve certain items instead of wasting valuable time looking for these items on the shelf. Learn more about how organizer bins can improve picking productivity. 

1. Easy to Organize and Categorize Dissimilar Items

If you keep dissimilar items in the same bin or container, your employees may spend several minutes going through this collection of items until they find what they’re looking for. This will slow down the picking process, which could delay the delivery timeline. 

Instead, use plastic organizer bins to separate these products according to their SKU, product type or some other distinguishing characteristic. Regardless of how you separate your items, your workers should be able to identify and grab the item they need in just a few seconds.  

You can also use color-coded plastic organizer bins and different types of containers to help your employees visually identify the items they’re looking for. 

2. Stackable for Concentrated Picking

Organizer bins are also completely stackable, so you can make the most of your storage space. You can stack these containers right on top of each other without having to add an extra shelf. When it comes to picking productivity, this helps your workers stay in one location as they retrieve different items at the same time. 

If your containers are stacked on top of each other, workers can quickly retrieve several different items without having to walk farther away from the loading dock. Try stacking and grouping similar items together, so your workers can quickly move from one area to the next. 

3. Easy Access for Fast Picking

You can also find warehouse organizer bins with open slats for easy access. Even if the containers are stacked on top of each other, your employees can still quickly reach inside and retrieve the item they need without having to open the container, reattach the lid or move one container out of the way. This simplifies the picking process, so your employees don’t accidentally knock a container over or spill fragile items onto the floor. 

Additional Picking Tips

If you’re looking to make the most of your organizer bins, try incorporating some of these picking tips into your order fulfillment strategy. 

Maintain Proper Slotting

Train your employees to maintain proper item slotting, which means putting items back where they belong. Label specific containers, bins and shelves according to the items they store, so your workers know how to put items back on the shelf. While fulfilling orders may be your first priority, putting items back in the wrong container can lead to confusion, slowing down the picking process later on. 

Use Zone, Batch or Wave Picking

Choose an order picking strategy that works best in your warehouse. Zone picking means designating certain zones of your warehouse for certain products. Every product will be labeled according to its zone, so your employees can quickly head in the right direction. Batch picking means picking up items in batches, so your employees don’t have to keep walking back and forth. Wave picking combines these two strategies. Your workers may pick up items in batches from a certain zone, so they use their time more efficiently. 

Set Up Pick-to-Light and Put-to-Light Indicators

You can also use pick-to-light and put-to-light indicators to help your employees find what they need. This means putting LED light displays next to your items, so your workers can quickly identify the container and the items inside instead of having to look at a piece of paper or spreadsheet. This improves picking productivity and reduces the chances of error. 

Organize Better with Bins

Improving picking productivity can help you better serve your customers. Having a disorganized warehouse can stymie productivity and force your staff to work harder as they complete the same tasks day in and day out. Organizer bins are a cost-effective way to boost picking productivity. Start reorganizing your warehouse with new storage containers today!