Knowing all the crucial aspects of warehouse management is a must if you plan on achieving higher productivity and efficiency for your eCommerce business.
Right from Vendor Onboarding and Procurement, Receiving, Putaway, Picking, Packing, to managing returns and cancellations, warehouse operations are a collection of intricately handled tasks that require complete accuracy and effectiveness to produce profitable results and to scale up your services.
Our 5 part blog series has been designed to equip you with all the necessary information and right methods to achieve the same, and the 4th topic in the series is that of Packing and Dispatch!
Packing Process
Commencing with the process of Packing, your orders may not qualify for delivery or may even be a cause for returns when received by the consumer if your packing is not done in the right way.
The process of packing is highly critical as it not only assures the protection of your goods but when done in the right way, gives your business the edge over all others. What you pack and how you pack it, is what your consumers receive making it the first point of impression. With packing, you get to:
- Provide safety to your products
- Market your brand and business
- Capture the attention of consumers
- Give detailed insights about your services
The process of packing is based on a number of factors such as the size of the item to be packed, the type of the product, method of shipping etc., and for fragile items you need to be extra careful.
Depending on these factors, the process of packing can be done in the following ways:
- Manual packing – this is done for size and channel-based items where the warehouse staff picks up the item from its designated spot by mapping the SKU, and then hand packed. The method of manual packing is suitable for small businesses.
- Automated packing – Mostly done for medium to large-sized businesses, automated packing is done based on the properties of each item and is done using a machine making it faster, more efficient and cost-effective.
Although the processes are different, the steps of packing an item remain pretty much the same. To ensure a smooth and effective packing process, you need to make sure the below steps and techniques are followed:
Right Box for Happy Unboxing
The saying ‘One size fits all’ does not go well when it comes to eCommerce and rightly so because of the wide range of products available in the market. So choosing a well-sized box that can fit your product with an appropriate layer of other packaging material should be your first focus.
Choose the Right Packing Material
The right packing material will help you secure your products, ensure better deliveries and reduce any chances of returns due to damage. You can choose from a variety of options based on your product material, weight, dimensions and even provide the extra care fragile items may need such as bubble wrap, air cushions, foam., etc.
Weigh the Final Packed Item
Once the product is packed and sealed, the entire item needs to be measured and weighed to note the final package information and that data needs to be put into an order management software to create packing slips and invoices.
Find the Perfect Courier Partners
With a good courier partner, you get the assurance of safe and timely deliveries. Before the delivery process starts, the warehouse staff or dedicated packers take prints of shipping labels and invoices, attach them both to the sealed packages to be sent out at visible places and ready the shipment for dispatch.
Moving on to the next steps of warehouse operations, Dispatch!
Dispatch Process
Post the packing process is all done and you have finalized a reliable and efficient courier provider, the process of dispatch can be initiated.
The most effective way of dispatching orders is to align the process of packing to the schedule of transportation. The packers need to work on the clock to make sure a package is all set to be loaded in the vehicle well before its departure to avoid any late or missed deliveries.
This can be easily achieved by having an automated warehouse management system by your side that keeps track of each order, the picking and packing process and gives regular updates for dispatch and shipping.
As stated above, the shipping process begins once the right set of documents are printed and labelled on each shipment. These documents include:
- Order number
- Consignment number
- Weight and Dimensions
- Delivery address
- Transport details if necessary
While all these documents are generated for the use of courier providers, they also need to be updated within the ERP systems of your business for future reference.
Once all of this is done, the logistics partners integrated with your warehouse management software are informed via automated updation. For several orders to be dispatched together a manifest is also generated.
Once the logistics partner has picked up the consignments, they produce a proof of dispatch depending on the type of delivery :
- First Mile where the logistics partner transports the product from your warehouse to a local logistics station.
- Line Haul where the logistics partner connects local logistics stations to the customers via several mediums
- Last Mile where the logistics partner delivers the order right at the doorsteps of the customer.
You can make your dispatch process highly productive and cost-efficient by following the below methods:
Following these steps will ensure streamlined packing and dispatch processes, help you save time and money while enabling you to provide an overall good customer experience and all of this can be achieved with the robust warehouse management solutions offered by Unicommerce!
Unicommerce is a platform that empowers your business to accomplish all of the above and more with its fully automated and technologically advanced Warehouse Management System software.
With Unicommerce, you meet all your packing and dispatch requirements and simplify your warehouse operations.
Experience the true potential of your business with us today, click here to know more about our services or request a demo today!
Do read the other blogs to completely understand the Prerequisite of Warehouse Management:
- Prerequisites of Warehouse Management: Vendor Onboarding and Procurement.
- Simplifying Receiving and Putaway Operations of Warehouse: Prerequisites of Warehouse Management
- Enhance the Operations of the Warehouse with Order Picking: Process and Methods
- Warehouse Returns and Cancellations Management [Reasons, Problems and Solutions]