Inventory and locations under control
You're not always sure how much stock you have or exactly where products are.
Always know how much you have, where it is and how much is on its way. Location numbers are the foundation for everything else.
What helps
- Keep inventory real-time, including what's on the shelf, what's reserved and what's still incoming.
- Give each product its own product code and each shelf or bin a logical location number.
- Keep free locations visible in your system, so new products can get a spot right away.
- Keep look-alike products apart and use location management to make picking simpler.
If you don't know exactly what you have and where it is, every warehouse process slows down. Customer service has to go and check, purchasing runs on gut feeling and pickers search too long. A grip on inventory and locations is basic work that saves you time immediately.
Always know your inventory
For each product you want to know at least three things: how many are on the shelf, how many are already reserved for open orders, and how many are still incoming from purchasing. With that information you never have to walk into the warehouse to answer a delivery-time question again.
Excel isn't enough for this. You can't sync it real-time with your online store, and the moment several people work at once, it falls apart. A system built specifically for e-commerce warehouses, like Picqer, keeps all of that, including the movements over time. That history makes it easier to trace inventory differences and make better purchasing decisions.
Number your locations logically
Treat locations like table numbers in a restaurant: unique, logical and usable by anyone right away. A location number like A.05.12.2.02 (zone, aisle, rack, shelf, bin) lets new employees pick quickly without asking around.
A few practical principles:
- Number aisles instead of racks. Number the racks within an aisle like house numbers: odd on the right, even on the left.
- Use leading zeros so numbers are always the same length. So
05, not5. - Show the full number on every sign, not just the last part.
- Have metal racks? Stick numbers on magnets. Then you can adjust the layout without peeling off stickers.
Just starting? Numbering aisles and racks is a good start. In most warehouses you can do that in a day.
Keep free locations visible
New stock needs somewhere to go right away. So track which locations are free and make sure your team can use those spots without asking around first. That way nobody has to improvise when a purchase arrives.
Keep look-alike products apart
Deliberately don't place products that closely resemble each other next to each other. With a clear pick route based on location numbers, they're still quick to find.
Common mistakes
Numbering locations too vaguely. If a number only makes sense to experienced people, you gain nothing. A good location code helps new colleagues, not just the person who came up with it.
Sticking product information on locations. A location can hold product A today and product B next month. So stick the location number on the rack and keep product information, inventory and barcodes in your system.
