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Improving a warehouse picking process doesn’t always require a major automation project. Address one bottleneck at a time and expand capabilities as your needs evolve. How to Improve Your Warehouse Picking Process During Peak Seasons and Returns
By Allie Collier Growth Strategist Engineering Innovation Inc. sales@eii-online.com
eii-online.com 765-807-0699
A warehouse picking process that works well one month may struggle the next. Seasonal peaks, flash sales, and return cycles place different demands on warehouse operations, making it essential to maintain both productivity and accuracy as priorities shift. One week the focus is shipping outbound orders. The next it’s inspecting, sorting, and routing returned products. No matter how demand changes, customers still expect fast, accurate fulfillment. Overcoming Common Bottlenecks When warehouse leaders look for ways to improve productivity, they often focus on labor. The process itself is frequently the bigger constraint. Think about how much time is lost when an operator must stop and verify a location or retrace their steps after a picking error. Those moments may only take a few seconds, but multiplied across hundreds or thousands of picks each day, they quickly become a significant drain on throughput. High turnover can compound the issue. New employees need time to learn facility layouts, product locations, and establish workflows. During busy periods, experienced workers often become trainers instead of focusing on their own responsibilities, reducing overall productivity even further.
or other applications as operational priorities shift. For facilities that experience changing demand, flexibility often delivers greater value than building separate processes for every scenario. Preparing for the Next Volume Surge Improving a warehouse picking process doesn’t always require a major automation project. Many organizations achieve meaningful results by addressing one bottleneck at a time and expanding capabilities as their needs evolve. As you evaluate your operation, consider these questions: • How long does it take a new
These challenges become especially noticeable during peak shipping seasons, promotional events, or periods of heavy returns, when consistency is just as important as speed.
Building a More Flexible Warehouse Picking Process
Rather than relying on employees to memorize locations or constantly reference printed pick lists, many operations are introducing technologies that make each task easier to complete correctly the first time. Light-directed systems are one example. Illuminated indicators guide operators to the correct location, reducing search time and helping them move confidently through each assignment. The technology supports the employee instead of replacing them, making it easier to onboard new team members while helping experienced workers maintain a steady pace. This approach is valuable because it can support multiple workflows throughout the year. During peak outbound periods, the system may direct order picking or parcel sortation. Later, those same visual cues can assist with returns processing, kitting, manufacturing,
employee to become productive?
• Where do operators spend
the most time searching for or verifying information?
• Will today’s improvements continue to support future changes in demand? A well-designed warehouse picking process gives employees the information they need at the right moment, reducing unnecessary decisions and helping operations stay productive through peak seasons, returns, and whatever comes next.
August 2026 • Inbound Logistics 19
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