.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
By: Aaron Rubin, Founder & CEO at ShipHeroWhile seeing into the future of your supply chain may be impossible, predicting what may happen can be estimated by looking at the past. When a company wants to know how their finances, supply chain, and marketing may perform in the future, they often examine how things went in previous years.Historical business data can help you successfully estimate things like seasonal trends and product success. One of the processes for looking at this data in the supply chain world is called demand forecasting.
Demand forecasting is the practice of looking at a company's historical data for things such as finances, marketing, and supply to understand likely future trends. Demand forecasting methods end up within one of three categories, either qualitative forecasting, time-series analysis, or casual models. Forecasting can include looking at different lengths of time, using statistical methods, or looking at external influences on your future business.
Businesses use forecasting in many ways to help gain an advantage over the competition. From inventory and supply chain management to cash flow and spend, there are many areas where you can use demand forecasting within your planning.
When preparing your budget, demand forecasting helps you get a glimpse into your company's needs during an upcoming season or year. By knowing positive (and negative) trends, your business is better able to reduce risk and plan through data-backed decision-making. Whether it be inventory needs, staffing, or cash flow, you will be able to estimate your budget more accurately when forecasting.For example, in the ecommerce industry, the holiday shopping season is one of the busiest times of the year. Ecommerce merchants use past holiday shopping data to forecast how much inventory they’ll need for the holiday season.
One area that demand forecasting is extremely useful for is production management. Through analysis of your past seasonal demand, your company can better prepare for needed production before running out. Ramping up production only when needed means customers get items when they want them, and you don't have to put in guesswork and waste money by overproducing.
Warehouse stock needs can be hard to predict, which is why demand forecasting for inventory can help identify your future needs. Looking at inventory needs of the past and rising or falling demand trends, you can better gauge how much stock you will need throughout the year. Like production, having enough to continue providing services and goods is necessary, while having too much inventory can cost you unnecessary storage fees.
External and internal forecasting are two of the many ways to garner insight into the market and potential areas of business growth. Looking at the competition and trends in the historical market, you can better price your items advantageously in relation to rising and falling trends.
There are different types of demand forecasting methods, all using unique forecasting techniques and statistical methods to examine potential future demand. Understanding which demand forecasting you should use is vital to gauge possible trends and future customer demand accurately.
Passive forecasting is the most straightforward when looking for a basic, non-nuanced prediction. In this type of forecasting, you look at historical data from your sales in the past to estimate future sales. Unfortunately, this model doesn't take into account variables, such as retailers that will have seasonal fluctuations. Passive forecasting models often can only be accurately used for analytics with businesses that are highly steady in sales and have robust historical sales data.
The active demand model is most commonly used for businesses that are either very new or have aggressive growth within their marketing campaigns. Because your company may not have the past sales data to have accurate demand forecasts, active forecasting often looks at other resources such as market research, economic data, and supply chain management data.
In the short-term forecast method, insights such as seasonal demand, cyclical patterns, and other similar anomalies are included in the trend projection, making this a great way to examine your inventory management and supply chain. You can also use short-term forecasts to think about new products and their performance. The time span that the short-term method looks at is from three to 12 months.
Compared to short-term projections, long-term forecasting looks quite a bit further out from one to four years into the future. Rather than thinking about recent data sets and sales trends, future projections look at long-term demand, potential business decisions, business growth planning, and marketing planning.
When examining your company’s goals, sometimes you will want to look at how outside forces may affect your forecast accuracy and sales channels. Whether you look at competitor and market trends or other outside factors, external macro forecasting can help you look at some complex factors that may affect your goals. Using external forecasting is excellent if you have concerns about your supply chain, are thinking about expansion, or are concerned about risk mitigation.
If you are looking to create accurate forecasts on your internal operations, such as your sales, a specific product, or a manufacturing division, internal business forecasting is ideal. Internal forecasting is excellent if you need an expert opinion on how things such as your warehouse distribution, purchases, cash flow, or profit margins are trending.
Examining your current trends and predicting future possibilities makes demand forecasting important for any company. Even just using the most straightforward methods can help a company of any size gain insight into how to follow their goals and which goals to set.
Using methods such as short-term forecasting, you can closely examine seasonal trends around your products. By predicting and understanding your customer demand spikes, you can better know how to handle your supply chain and inventory needs. Knowing your seasonal trends can also reveal markets and niches you have yet to tap into during your slower months.
Examining your past cash flow and comparing it to future predictions can help you better understand where your cash flow is going and how much you will have to invest in the future. Having a better understanding of your potential financial health in the future can help you make crucial decisions and goals.
Looking at demand trends, especially seasonal spikes, can help you better plan your supply chain needs. Rather than running out of inventory during your peak seasons, you can invest in more from your suppliers before these higher-demand periods. Knowing when your lulls are in demand for certain products, you can better plan your marketing strategy and only stock as much inventory as is needed during these periods.
External macro forecasting gives you an in-depth look at how outside factors can influence your product performance, sales, marketing, and supply chain. As you understand how different risks may harm your suppliers, products, or business, you can appropriately prepare for changes in external markets to better protect your company. Looking at outside influences can also help your company become more flexible and robust to react to these changes and take advantage of them quicker.
Predictions are a great way to gather data about potential future trends for your company. From threats that you need to prepare for to new markets you should break into, forecasts can help your company make big moves for the future. Whether changing your marketing strategies or reinforcing your supply chain, different forecasts will help you make decisions across your business to bring future success.
ShipHero makes demand forecasting simple, helping you easily gain insight into fulfillment operations, products, shipments, and returns. Our data reporting helps you see everything going on in your warehouse operations to help you make educated and data-backed decisions.We facilitate day-to-day actionable reporting to help keep your team organized while streamlining the process, actionable shipping reporting, and individual team member stats. ShipHero tracks:
Demand forecasting and data analysis help your company make big decisions to give you an edge over the competition. From inventory analysis to marketing initiatives, your company will be able to reduce risks for new endeavors and make profitable decisions. Programs like ShipHero can help.Schedule a meeting today with our experts to learn more about our WMS software built for ecommerce brands & 3PLs looking to run their best warehouse and how ShipHero works to ensure that organizations invest in the solutions that match their needs, to improve productivity, revenue, and success.Click HERE to Schedule a Meeting TodayAaron Rubin, Founder & CEOShipHeroAbout the author: Aaron Rubin is the Founder & CEO of ShipHero. He is responsible for planning and executing the overall vision and strategy of the organization. Rubin’s greatest strengths are leadership, change management, strategic planning and a passion for progression. He is known for having his finger on the pulse of ShipHero’s major initiatives, his entrepreneurial spirit, and keen business acumen. His leadership of ShipHero is grounded in providing excellent customer service that drives improved business operations. His passion for ShipHero comes from the culture and his ability to have an impact on the lives of employees, customers, partners, and investors.Follow Aaron on Twitter&LinkedIn.
.webp)
One missed check can cost you thousands of dollars. You may have a damaged pallet, a missing fire extinguisher, or a skipped safety step that can put your team at risk.
Warehouse daily checklists serve as a pilot’s pre-flight checklist. Before takeoff, every switch, lever, and system is checked. Why? Because skipping one step can lead to serious problems. The same goes for your warehouse.
Without a solid checklist, you risk delays, missed shipments, or worse, accidents and safety violations. A checklist ensures your team follows the right procedures and nothing falls through the cracks.
Here’s everything you need to include in a warehouse daily checklist, its definition, and templates you could use to get started fast.
A warehouse daily checklist is a structured form that helps warehouse staff systematically inspect, verify, and record essential tasks on a daily basis. It covers all the daily to-dos that keep your warehouse operations running smoothly and safely, such as inventory tracking and forklift inspections.
The warehousing and storage industry reported an injury rate of 4.8 per 100 full-time workers, nearly double the national average of 2.7. Following a daily warehouse checklist ensures the right procedures and safety protocols are followed and nothing important gets missed.
A great warehouse daily checklist supports the safety of your warehouse, reduces errors, and keeps your workflow on point. Here’s how to make a checklist that your warehouse workers will actually use and benefit from.
Every component of your checklist ensures your facility, staff, and inventory remain safe, compliant, and productive.
Common components include:
Instructions should be clear and structured to help your team move through inspections efficiently and consistently.
Your daily warehouse checklist doesn’t have to be very detailed and complicated. It needs to be thorough, practical, and easy to follow.
Here’s how to build a great one:
When your checklist comprehensively details the tasks in a concise manner, it becomes a tool that delivers massive impact. This ensures your warehouse operations run smoothly, safely, and efficiently.
Ready to skip the setup and just get started? Feel free to copy our Warehouse Daily Checklist Template to your Google Docs or Microsoft Word document. It’s accessible, user-friendly, and 100% customizable to your needs.
Simply plug in your specific details, and you’re set. It’s built to save time, support compliance, and help you manage your daily workflow like a pro.
ShipHero’s Warehouse Management System (WMS) boosts warehouse efficiency by automating key processes like inventory tracking, order picking, and shipping. By streamlining these workflows, it reduces manual labor, minimizing errors and delays.
The system’s real-time data updates allow staff to make quick, informed decisions, improving overall productivity. Customizable features enable businesses to adapt ShipHero to their specific operational needs, further enhancing efficiency. With ShipHero, warehouses can achieve faster turnaround times, reduced costs, and improved accuracy.
Review a warehouse daily checklist, weekly, or monthly to maintain accuracy and relevance. Frequent reviews help align the checklist with workflow changes, new safety protocols, or operational updates.
Yes, you can customize a warehouse daily checklist template. Most templates are designed to be modified based on team size, warehouse layout, and operational goals. Customization improves relevance and usability across different warehouse environments.
Yes, basic instruction and simple training on how to use the checklist ensure employees understand how to follow the checklist, report issues, and meet safety or performance standards. Training improves consistency and accountability across shifts.
.svg)
While your team is still walking aisles, your competitors are cutting pick times in half with automation. Guess who’s shipping faster and stealing market share?
Automation isn't the future anymore. It's the present. For growing eCommerce brands or fulfillment centers under pressure to deliver faster, cheaper, and more accurately, automated warehouse picking systems are no longer a luxury. They're a necessity.
In this guide, you'll learn how automated picking systems work, the types available, how to choose the right one, and how ShipHero can help you streamline fulfillment processes with confidence.
Automated warehouse picking systems use software, robotics, and real-time data to locate, retrieve, and prepare items for shipment, without relying solely on human labor. Instead of employees walking long distances and manually selecting items, automated systems bring items to workers or direct them with tools like lights, voice commands, or mobile robots.
For example, in the eCommerce space, brands use Goods-to-Person (GTP) systems to increase operational efficiency and efficiently handle large catalogs of SKUs. In retail, where seasonal order surges can overwhelm manual processes, automated solutions help companies double their picking speed and maintain consistent fulfillment even during peak demand.
The process is surprisingly seamless:
This flow is driven by smart software that integrates with warehouse management systems and supports key warehouse processes, including picking, packing, and tracking real-time inventory.
Want a deeper look at the tech behind it? Read this guide on warehouse automation software.
There’s no universal solution for warehouse automation. The best picking system depends on your space, order volume, and the variety of products you offer. Some work better for high-SKU, high-volume operations; others are ideal for smaller, more focused setups. Below, we break down the top systems and which warehouse types they’re best suited for.
GTP systems deliver inventory directly to a stationary picker, eliminating walking marathons. This setup enhances inventory management, reduces physical strain on workers, and improves worker safety.
It also optimizes order accuracy by minimizing human error. By minimizing walking time and keeping pickers in one place, GTP systems significantly boost pick rates while also cutting down on labor fatigue.
Pick-to-Light is an automated solution that uses LED light bars to guide workers to the right location for picking items, enhancing accuracy, speed, and efficiency while reducing errors.
When paired with Pack-to-Light and Receive-to-Light, your entire workflow is streamlined. Pack-to-Light ensures precise packing, while Receive-to-Light optimizes inventory storage and retrieval. Together, these technologies simplify inventory management, reduce labor costs, and accelerate fulfillment.
At ShipHero, we offer all three solutions, Pick-to-Light, Pack-to-Light, and Receive-to-Light, under one roof, seamlessly integrating with your existing systems to optimize warehouse operations. The combination can help boost efficiency by 20% while also cutting costs by up to 30% for batches of 10 to 30 orders.
Pickers wear headsets and follow voice commands to locate items, like a GPS for your warehouse. This hands-free approach automates repetitive tasks, shortens training time, and reduces picking errors, even in noisy environments. It also improves accuracy, even in noisy environments where traditional methods might fall short.
AMRs, or autonomous mobile robots, navigate the warehouse floor independently, delivering items or bins to human workers or packing stations.
Unlike fixed systems, AMRs offer greater flexibility and adapt to varying warehouse sizes, support scalable operations, and offer the flexibility to grow without major infrastructure changes. They’re also highly scalable, which makes them a smart choice for warehouses looking to grow or adjust operations without major infrastructure changes.
These are high-tech racking systems equipped with robotic cranes or shuttles that automatically store and retrieve inventory. They’re especially well-suited for large warehouses with high inventory turnover, where speed and space efficiency are critical.
Businesses that need to maximize vertical storage find these systems invaluable, and industries such as pharmaceuticals, automotive, and electronics often benefit the most from their precision and scalability.
Still not convinced? The real-world benefits speak for themselves. Automation significantly reduces human error, particularly in fast-paced warehouse environments where accuracy is crucial. It also speeds up fulfillment, often cutting pick times in half or more.
By streamlining operations, businesses can lower labor costs by either reducing headcount or reassigning team members to more valuable tasks.
By transitioning to automation, companies often see dramatic improvements in efficiency and cost savings. For example, automation can reduce warehouse labor costs by up to 60%, allowing businesses to reallocate resources and scale more effectively.
It’s not always smooth sailing when implementing automated picking systems. One of the biggest hurdles is the high initial investment, as hardware, software, and integration can come with a steep upfront cost.
Staff training is another challenge, as teams need time to learn how to use the new technology effectively. There can also be short-term disruption; installation and onboarding may temporarily slow down operations. But the long-term gains are often worth it.
For example, James Enterprise struggled with paper-based picking and processing delays before switching to ShipHero’s Warehouse Management System.
The transition required workflow changes and staff training, but with proper planning, such as going paperless, reorganizing their layout, and utilizing smart pick paths, they boosted productivity by 38%. New hires cut their pick time from 55 to 34 seconds in just five days, proving that smart automation pays off.
Finding the right automated picking system starts with understanding your specific needs. Warehouse size plays a big role, as larger spaces often benefit most from solutions like AMRs or AS/RS that can cover more ground efficiently. If your business manages a high variety of SKUs, systems like GTP or voice picking can offer the flexibility and accuracy you need.
For those working with tighter budgets, starting with light-based or voice-guided systems can provide a solid foundation without breaking the bank. Regardless of your starting point, scalability is crucial; your system should be able to grow in tandem with your business. Partnering with ShipHero ensures you get expert, customized guidance and future-proof solutions designed specifically for your operation.
Implementing warehouse picking automation isn’t just about installing new tech; it’s about doing it strategically. To get the most out of your investment and avoid common pitfalls, follow these proven best practices:
Best Practices for Successful Warehouse Picking Automation
For example, Black Wolf Nation and its 3PL arm, ONE23 Fulfillment, partnered with ShipHero to scale their operations. By adopting ShipHero's warehouse management software, they increased their order volume from 10,000 to over 25,000 per month in less than a year. This strategic implementation allowed them to efficiently manage growth and expand into the 3PL space.
Most companies see a return on investment within 12 to 24 months, depending on the system and order volume.
Yes. Many automated systems are designed to be scalable and cost-effective, which makes them ideal for small warehouses. Solutions like Pick-to-Light and voice picking can start small and expand as your operation grows.
Yes. Advanced systems feature adjustable grippers, sensors, and packaging logic to safely handle delicate or irregularly shaped products.
Warehouse management systems make daily warehouse operations efficient. And wave planning is at the heart of it.
As part of the supply chain industry where efficiency is of utmost importance, the fast-paced environment of warehouse management requires every aspect of operations to work on schedule. This is where wave planning comes into play and brings efficiency to the table.
It integrates with warehouse management systems and streamlines end-to-end warehouse operations to meet customer expectations of fast shipping and real-time updates.
Wave planning batches orders for optimized picking routes, shipping, and priority. It supports operational workflows and integrates with warehouse wave picking strategies to maximize productivity, reduce errors, and improve overall daily warehouse output.
This turns warehouse operations into an organized process of handling and systematizing hundreds of orders a day.
Applying the best practices for wave management allows for maximum efficiency in managing daily warehouse operations. Start with these:
Not all orders need to be shipped at the same time. Some can wait, others can’t. Strategic planning means prioritizing orders based on shipping deadlines to ensure they are shipped out and delivered on time. This increases customer satisfaction and overall operational efficiency. To better understand the core workflows that make this strategy effective, explore how we have explained the six key warehouse processes.
Accessing real-time data allows you to monitor every wave that’s happening, from orders getting picked up to those that are delayed. This lets you take action accordingly, especially when spotting issues as they are happening.
Downtimes are red flags in wave management. They are equal to unproductivity and possible shipment delays, both affecting operations to meet quotas and customer satisfaction.
Reduce idle time in operations with these methods:
High-demand periods like holidays, promotions, and occasional spikes can cause chaos, especially if you don’t have a plan in place. That chaos can overwhelm your normal operations and lead to delays and unsatisfied customers.
Avoid this by ensuring scalability for peak periods with effective wave planning:
If you’re preparing your warehouse for high-volume fulfillment, it may be worth exploring how automated warehouse picking systems can make wave execution more efficient and adaptable.
Warehouses have different zones to which pickers are assigned.
Having specific picking zones gives structure to the picking process, making it easier to execute even through high-volume orders.Having defined picking zones helps:
Wave management gives you the flexibility to adapt quickly when an unexpected change occurs during operations.
A common issue often faced in wave management is the sudden changes in order volume. This disrupts the flow of current waves and may have an avalanche effect on the whole operation if not solved immediately.
Here’s how wave management adjusts operations to meet demand fluctuations:
A warehouse management system creates an overall plan that controls the flow of a warehouse's production. Using tools and automation, a WMS simplifies and streamlines wave management to execute warehouse operations from fulfillment to packing and delivery.
The main difference between wave planning and wave management is that the former is where the strategizing happens, while the latter is the execution and overseeing that the plan takes place.
Wave planning is the strategic part of grouping what orders should be fulfilled together, setting the time for wave releases, and adjusting them based on warehouse capacity and labor availability.
Wave management is the main operational part where the production happens. It tracks the real-time progress of wave execution to ensure things are running smoothly according to plan.
The main difference between digital and wholesale waves lies in their order size, wave planning, and operational goal. Due to their differences, each wave type requires different planning and strategy.
Digital waves service the B2C channel, are high in volume, and often have small, single-item orders that require urgent or same-day deliveries. The wave strategy used is frequent and short for flexibility. For this wave type, warehouse managers use WMS-integrated mobile devices for tech support
Meanwhile, wholesale waves are for bulk orders, often for retail distribution, resellers, or B2B supply chains. Wholesale waves have a lower order volume with large shipments and more flexible timelines.
Yes, it can be used if they have large volumes of orders per day, orders with time-blocked pickups, or group orders with shipping deadlines.
Yes. eCommerce and retail, grocery and food distribution, healthcare and pharmaceutical, industrial supply, and consumer packaged goods industries are industries that benefit from wave planning. These are industries with high order volume, delivery sensitivity, and high operational complexity.
Yes, wave management is designed to make warehouse operations, including same-day shipping, possible. Wave management creates a structure that speeds up the order fulfillment, speeding up the process for all warehouse operations, such as same-day shipping.
.svg)
.svg){kind=logo}
