Fulfillment & Warehousing
How orders move through a warehouse, from receiving and putaway to picking, packing, and shipping, and how brands choose and work with fulfillment partners.
3PL OnboardingThe process of moving a brand's fulfillment to a new 3PL, including contract setup, system integration, SKU data, packaging specs, inbound inventory transfer, and test orders before go-live.B2B FulfillmentFulfilling orders for business customers such as retailers, wholesalers, or distributors, typically shipped in cases or pallets with retailer-specific labels, documents, and delivery appointments.Batch PickingA picking method where one picker collects items for several orders in a single trip, then items are sorted into individual orders.Buy Online, Pick Up In StoreBOPISAn order placed online and collected by the customer at a store, usually the same day.Case PickingPicking full cases or cartons rather than individual units, common for wholesale, retail replenishment, and B2B orders.Cluster PickingA picking method where one picker fills several orders at once by placing items directly into separate order totes or cart slots, so no later sorting step is needed.Cross-DockingUnloading inbound freight and loading it directly onto outbound trucks with little or no storage time in between.Custom PackagingShipping boxes, mailers, inserts, or tissue designed and printed for a specific brand, used to protect products and create a deliberate unboxing experience for the customer.Cutoff TimeThe latest time an order can be placed and still ship the same business day.Dark StoreA retail-style site closed to shoppers and used only to fulfill online orders.Discrete PickingA picking method where one picker picks one order completely, from start to finish, before starting the next order; also called single-order picking.Distributed InventorySplitting inventory across several fulfillment centers so orders ship from the location closest to the customer. Also called multi-node fulfillment.Distribution CenterDCA warehouse that receives bulk inventory and redistributes it in cases or pallets to stores, wholesale customers, or fulfillment centers.DropshippingA model where the seller does not hold inventory; a supplier ships orders directly to the customer.Each PickingPicking individual units rather than full cases or pallets, the most common picking type in DTC ecommerce; also called piece picking.Forward Pick ReplenishmentMoving inventory from reserve or bulk storage to forward pick locations so they stay stocked for order picking, triggered by min/max levels, demand, or scheduled waves.Fourth-Party Logistics4PLA provider that manages a brand's whole logistics network, including choosing and coordinating multiple 3PLs, carriers, and freight forwarders, rather than operating warehouses itself.Fulfillment by AmazonFBAAmazon's service in which sellers send inventory to Amazon fulfillment centers and Amazon picks, packs, ships, and handles returns.Fulfillment by MerchantFBMSelling on Amazon while the seller or its 3PL stores and ships the orders.Fulfillment CenterFCA warehouse built to process high volumes of small customer orders, as opposed to a distribution center that mainly ships full cases and pallets to stores.Hazmat StorageStoring products classified as hazardous materials, such as aerosols, flammable liquids, or lithium batteries, in areas and ways that meet fire codes and safety regulations.KittingAssembling multiple SKUs into one ready-to-ship unit, such as a gift set or subscription box, before orders arrive.Long-Term Storage FeeAn extra storage charge applied to inventory that has sat in a warehouse longer than a set period, used by 3PLs and marketplace fulfillment programs to discourage slow-moving stock.Micro-Fulfillment CenterMFCA small, often highly automated fulfillment site located inside or near a dense metro area to enable fast local delivery.Monthly MinimumA minimum amount a 3PL bills each month regardless of actual activity, charged as a top-up when a brand's fulfillment and storage fees fall below that threshold.Multi-Channel FulfillmentMCFUsing one inventory pool to fulfill orders from several sales channels. Amazon's MCF service ships non-Amazon orders from FBA inventory.Packing SlipA document placed inside a shipment that lists the items, quantities, and order number in the package, usually without prices, so the recipient can check the contents.Pallet PositionOne storage location in racking sized to hold a pallet; a common unit for pricing warehouse storage.Peak SeasonThe period of highest order volume, in US ecommerce roughly from late October through the end of December, centered on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.Pick and PackThe warehouse process of retrieving ordered items from storage (pick), then placing them in shipping cartons with packing material and a label (pack).Pick FaceThe front, accessible storage location from which pickers take units for orders, such as a shelf bin or flow rack lane, as opposed to reserve or overstock storage.Pick ListA list, printed or shown on a scanner, telling a picker which items, quantities, and storage locations to collect for one or more orders, usually sorted in walking order.PutawayMoving received goods from the dock to their storage location and recording that location in the WMS.Quality Control InspectionA check of products or orders against defined standards, done at receiving, before packing, or before shipping, to catch damage, defects, wrong items, or wrong quantities.ReceivingThe warehouse process of unloading inbound shipments, checking them against the purchase order or ASN, and recording the inventory.Same-Day FulfillmentPicking, packing, and handing an order to a carrier on the same business day it is received, provided the order arrives before the warehouse's cutoff time.Service Level AgreementSLAContracted performance targets between a brand and a logistics provider, such as same-day ship rate, order accuracy, and dock-to-stock time, often with penalties for misses.Ship-from-StoreSFSFulfilling online orders using inventory in physical retail stores.SlottingDeciding where each SKU is stored in the warehouse based on sales velocity, size, and which items sell together.Split ShipmentAn order shipped in more than one package or from more than one location.Subscription Box FulfillmentFulfilling recurring orders that ship on a fixed schedule, often as large batches of identical or near-identical boxes assembled from several SKUs at once.Temperature-Controlled StorageWarehouse space kept within a set temperature range, such as refrigerated, frozen, or climate-controlled ambient storage, for products that spoil or degrade outside that range.Third-Party Logistics3PLA company that stores a brand's inventory and picks, packs, and ships its orders under contract, usually charging per order, per pick, and per unit of storage.Value-Added ServicesVASOptional warehouse tasks beyond standard pick, pack, and ship, such as kitting, gift wrapping, labeling, bundling, inserts, relabeling, or product inspection, usually billed separately by a 3PL.Void FillPacking material such as kraft paper, air pillows, or packing peanuts used to fill empty space in a shipping box so items do not shift or break in transit; also called dunnage.Wave PickingReleasing groups of orders to the floor at scheduled times (waves), often grouped by carrier cutoff, shipping method, or zone.Zone PickingA method where each picker is assigned to one area of the warehouse and orders pass from zone to zone until complete.