← Back to glossary Category: Logistică Picking Quick answer: The process of retrieving products from warehouse locations to fulfil an order — the most costly warehouse activity. Key takeawaysDiscrete (order picking) — one operator picks a full order end to endBatch picking — several orders picked at once for the same SKUZone picking — each operator covers a zone; the order moves between zonesWave picking — orders grouped into planned waves (routes, carriers, deadlines) What picking is Picking is the activity where operators retrieve products from storage locations to assemble an order. It accounts on average for 50-65% of a warehouse's operating cost, making it the primary optimisation target. Picking strategies Discrete (order picking) — one operator picks a full order end to end Batch picking — several orders picked at once for the same SKU Zone picking — each operator covers a zone; the order moves between zones Wave picking — orders grouped into planned waves (routes, carriers, deadlines) Why it matters A poorly optimised picking route means kilometres walked needlessly in the warehouse. Cutting travel distance by 20-30% directly means more orders shipped per day with the same staff. How Azuvio helps The Azuvio WMS generates route-optimised picking lists, guides operators via RF scanning, and validates each pick by SKU/batch, eliminating shipping errors that drive returns and chargebacks. Frequently askedWhat is the most efficient picking method?It depends on the order profile. Batch picking suits many small orders with common SKUs (e-commerce), zone picking suits large warehouses, and wave picking suits operations with route/carrier deadlines. A good WMS combines them.How do I reduce picking errors?By scanning at each step (location, product, quantity) and validating in the WMS. Pick-to-light or voice picking further cut error rates below 0.1%.What is an optimised picking route?The sequence of locations that minimises total distance to pick all lines of an order or batch. The WMS computes it automatically from the warehouse layout. Where Azuvio fitsSoftware WMSWMS Fulfillment e-commerceSoftware OMS Related termsWMS (Warehouse Management System) — The system orchestrating physical warehouse operations: receiving, putaway, picking, packing, shipping.Wave picking — Grouping orders into planned waves to sync picking with routes, carriers and shipping deadlines.Batch picking — Picking several orders in one warehouse pass, grouped by common SKUs.Putaway — The process of storing received goods in optimal locations immediately after receipt. Last updated: 2026-07-06