Picking in ShipHero is configured at the warehouse level. Before your team can begin fulfilling orders from the mobile app, you need to set up your inventory locations as pickable, choose a picking method, and configure your batch settings. This article walks through each setup step in order.
Before You Begin
- You must have Admin or Warehouse Manager permissions to configure picking settings.
- Your inventory locations must exist before you can set pick priorities on them. If you haven't set up locations yet, start with How to Create and Manage Locations in ShipHero.
- Inventory must be assigned to pickable locations before orders can enter a picking batch.
For an overview of the available picking methods and when to use each, see Overview: Picking Methods in ShipHero.
Table of Contents
- Step 1: Confirm Your Locations Are Set Up for Picking
- Step 2: Set Pick Priorities on Your Locations (Optional)
- Step 3: Configure Batch Picking Settings
- Step 4: Set the Required Ship Date Filter (Optional)
- Step 5: Set Up Custom Picking Workflows (Optional)
Step 1: Confirm Your Picking Locations Are Set Up in ShipHero
ShipHero distinguishes between pickable and non-pickable locations. Inventory in non-pickable locations — such as overstock bins, staging areas, and pallets — is excluded from order batches. For an order to enter a picking queue, all required inventory must be in at least one pickable location.
Common non-pickable location types include:
- Non-sellable bins — locations flagged as non-sellable. See How to Use Non-Sellable Bins.
- Hospital locations — locations flagged during picking due to a stock issue. These are cleared by a manager once the problem is resolved.
- Staging and overstock locations — locations you designate for non-pick storage.
Important
If inventory exists only in non-pickable locations, the order will not appear as pickable and cannot enter a batch. Move inventory to a pickable bin or use replenishment before attempting to pick those orders.
To review your location setup and pickability settings, go to Inventory > Locations.
Step 2: Set Pick Priorities on Your Picking Locations in ShipHero
Pick priority controls the order in which ShipHero directs pickers to locations when fulfilling an order. By default, ShipHero routes pickers to the location with the least available inventory for that SKU — a "pick-down" strategy that consolidates stock and reduces partially full bins.
You can override the default by assigning a numeric pick priority to individual locations. Lower numbers are picked first. Use this to:
- Direct pickers to primary pick face bins before overstock bins
- Enforce a picking aisle sequence that matches your warehouse layout
- Reserve high-priority locations for fast-moving SKUs
See How to Use Pick Priorities on Locations for step-by-step instructions.
Pro-Tip
Your warehouse location naming scheme directly affects how efficiently ShipHero routes pickers. A consistent aisle-row-shelf naming format (for example, A-01-03) allows ShipHero to create optimized pick paths. See Optimizing Your Warehouse Layout with a Naming Scheme.
Step 3: Configure Batch Picking Settings in ShipHero
Batch settings determine how ShipHero groups orders into a picking batch — including batch size, order sort order, and whether MIB or SIB is used. These settings are warehouse-specific.
Go to Settings > Warehouse and review the following:
| Setting | What It Controls |
|---|---|
| Batch size | Maximum number of orders included in a single MIB or SIB batch. Match this to your picker's cart capacity. |
| Order sort order | Controls which orders are prioritized when building a batch — by ship date, order date, or a custom priority. |
| Pick optimization | Controls how ShipHero sequences locations within a batch to minimize picker travel. Requires a consistent location naming scheme to be effective. |
For full details on each setting, see How to Optimize Batch Picking and Order Sorting Settings.
Step 4: Set the Required Ship Date Filter in ShipHero (Optional)
By default, ShipHero includes all pickable orders in a batch regardless of their required ship date. If your warehouse only picks orders due today or earlier, enable the ship date filter to prevent future-dated orders from entering the queue prematurely.
When enabled, MIB and SIB batches will only include orders with a required ship date of today or earlier. This setting is warehouse-specific.
See How to Only Pick Orders with Today's Required Ship Date or Earlier.
Step 5: Set Up Custom Picking Workflows in ShipHero (Optional)
Custom workflows let you add steps to the pick/pack/ship process for orders that need special handling — such as gift wrapping, embroidery, or QA inspection. Each workflow is a series of stops and workstations that the order moves through before shipping.
Custom workflows are assigned at the product level. When an order includes a product with a workflow assigned, ShipHero routes that order through the additional steps automatically.
See How to Create Custom Workflows — Customization Picking Flows.