The key rules to better organise your e-commerce warehouse | RAJA

When managing an e-commerce warehouse, there is so much to do: organising stock, managing the flow of operators, ensuring optimal packaging of orders, monitoring incoming and outgoing stock… The task can seem daunting, especially when you’re just starting your business on the web.

The goal of any warehouse manager becomes clear: to increase operator productivity, while closely following the key rules for optimising the customer experience related to packaging, and limiting the risks for his operators.

To this end, our RAJA experts have put together this practical guide to the key rules for organising your e-commerce warehouse: from the most important storage methods, to concrete advice on how to optimise each phase of order preparation, to the equipment you need: you’ll find it all here!

1. Which storage method for your e-commerce warehouse?
2. How to optimise the flow of operators in the warehouse?
3. How to organise your packing station?
4. What essential equipment do you need?

Which storage method for your e-commerce warehouse?

A well-organised e-commercestorage warehouse is above all a rational storage method, adapted to your business, even if you are just starting out. Several solutions exist for storing your products: which one should you choose to gain in efficiency?

If you sell perishable products

If you want to store and ship products that have a sell-by date or use-by date, you need to choose a method that allows you to remove the oldest products from stock first.

This is exactly what the FIFO method offers: store products with the closest expiry date as close as possible to the packaging space so that operators can select them in a privileged way when preparing orders.

For any other type of activity

For any other type of e-commerce activity, it is recommended to implement the ABC storage method, based on Pareto’s law which states that 80% of orders concern 20% of stored products, which consists of storing products in the warehouse according to the stock turnover, over a specific period of time.

Here’s how to do it:

• Start by calculating your turnover rate: this is the ratio between the products that leave your stock and your average physical stock.
• Choose the products you want to classify into categories A (the 20% of products that represent 80% of stock removals), B (30% of products for 15% of removals) and C (50% of products for only 5% of removals).
• Organise them in the warehouse, positioning the A products as close to the packing area as possible and the C products as far away as possible.

This method of storage will allow you to limit the number of movements of your operators, and to significantly optimise the flow in your e-commerce warehouse.

If you store on pallets

Pallet storage is particularly practical for B2B warehouses that deliver by the pallet or store many goods of the same reference.

In this case, you can apply ABC or FIFO storage methods, depending on your product type.

However, to save space and reduce pallet truck accidents, there are other interesting systems available, such as accumulation racking with a pallet shuttle or stacker crane system.
With this system, the operator can place the pallet directly on a plate at pallet truck height, which then raises the pallet to a height via a remote control.
This system can be automated or not, depending on your budget or needs

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If you have a mixture of different types of goods

Some e-commerce warehouses have both a BtoC business, with small orders, and a BtoB business, requiring pallet storage.

The objective, if this is your case, is tooptimise the different spaces, by separating them well..

• Storage of archives
• Storage of light loads, which only require manual handling
• The storage of heavy loads or pallets, requiring handling by machinery

In short, the storage method for your e-commerce warehouse must reflect both the flow required for your operators to pick up the goods, and the types of products you store.

If you need to know more, take a look at our guide to the main storage methods, which will give you the keys to organising your e-commerce warehouse.

How to optimise the flow of operators in the warehouse?

The second key to better organisation of your e-commerce warehouse is to optimise the flow of your order pickers. This is necessary, especially when your stock starts to grow, to gain in productivity, but also to reduce the rate of order errors when selecting products to be shipped (the so-called “picking” phase).

So what are the key rules for optimising this famous e-commerce picking phase?

First of all, if your business requires it, think about specialising certain operators in particular tasks.
For example, if your e-commerce warehouse mixes BtoB and BtoC orders, it may be interesting to separate these tasks between different groups of pickers. Similarly, if certain orders require the use of handling equipment and others do not, the specialisation of your teams will help you gain in overall productivity
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But the picking methods themselves may differ depending on the size of your warehouse:

• Ifyou have a small e-commerce warehouse, preparing a few dozen orders per day, choose the “pick and pack” method: the operators pick all the products in the same order, before moving on to the next one.
• Ifyou have a larger warehouse with a higher throughput, you can choose the “put to light” or “pick by light” methods, where light signals indicate to the operators which products to select for several orders at the same time. These processes are more complex to set up, so don’t hesitate to consult our complete guide on logistics picking, which will give you more details.

In any case, it is important to provide your operators with the right information on orders, so that they know quickly which products to pick, in what quantity, and where to bring them into the warehouse.
While some e-commerce warehouses decide to digitalise their stocks by installing a Warehouse Management System (WMS), warehouses with smaller budgets are content with creating effective picking lists, to be printed or distributed on tablets for operators.

Finally, don’t neglect the safety of the flows in your warehouse! To do this, it is necessary to install signage, such as safety mirrors, signs indicating the passage of handling machines on the lanes specifically dedicated to these machines…
All these elements, to be positioned in the blind spots or at-risk areas of the warehouse, will prevent accidents or collisions during movement



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Think about the hygiene and safety of your warehouse! Since the Covid-19 pandemic, warehouses have had to comply with strict hygiene and employee protection regulations So don’t forget to equip your e-commerce warehouse with elements that will help protect them, such as.. Plexiglass screens or cardboard dividers to divide up the various workstations Marked stickers on the floor, to indicate the safety distances to be respected at any place Single-use wipes, individual tissue boxes, and hydroalcoholic gels at the entrance to the warehouse and at each order picking station To find out more about all the equipment needed to ensure the protection of your operators during this health crisis, go to our article dedicated to the subject.

How to organise your packing station?

The packing station is a key area of an e-commerce warehouse: it’s where operators do a final check of the products included in the order, protect the goods before shipping, and enhance the customer experience by properly packing the products.

For optimal packaging and shipping, your packing stations must be streamlined and optimised to increase operator productivity, while limiting the risk of Musculoskeletal Disorders.

Do you need a packing station, or just a packing table? As the name suggests, a packing table is a simple flat space on which to pack packages. But many e-commerce warehouses, concerned about the productivity of their operators, are setting up real packing stations, equipped with various accessories (tools, unwinders, shelves on different levels, etc.). So how do you choose? If your operators prepare heavy or large orders, choose a simple packing table that is adapted to the weight and size of your parcels and allows them to be easily positioned on it. If you also prepare smaller orders and have some space in your warehouse, it is a good idea to also install an optimised packing station, which will really simplify your operators’ task.

If you want to start designing an optimised packing station for your e-commerce warehouse, here are some key steps to follow.

Selecting the tools to put on the station

Your order pickers regularly use a number of tools when picking parcels, so it’s important to first classify them according to how often your operators use them.

This will allow you to determine which tools should be..

• Within easy reachat the packing station: this is often the case for tools that are used on a recurring basis, such as the parcel labelling devices, the various packaging materials, the waste bin, or even your cushioning materials.
• Not far from the operator: here you will place tools used less frequently, such as adhesive refills, or cushioning for certain specific products (fragile, isothermal, etc.).
• Further away from the operator: here you will find tools that are used occasionally, such as very specific packaging, or the cutter.

Think ergonomics!

The packing station is one of the places where operators can eventually develop serious Musculoskeletal Disorders, so it is crucial when designing your packing station to think about the strain your employees face for each task… and to reduce it as much as possible.

Typically, a packing station will have different parts:

• A shelf above the station, to store the different types of packaging flat, and feel free to use dividers between the different sizes, to help the operators to see them well.
• An intermediate shelf, on which you can install storage bins for the various tools and cushions, or the label printer.
• The packing table itself, where the most frequently used tools are placed, but also the computer where your pickers have to enter the orders.
• Unwinder spindles, within reach or under the table, to put dunnage rolls if you use these materials frequently.

If you would like to try your hand at designing your own customised packing station, visit the RAJA 3D Modeller and start optimising the productivity of your packers now!

What essential equipment do you need?

There are a lot of things to think about when it comes to organising your e-commerce warehouse, aren’t there? So that you don’t miss any of the steps in your optimisation, here are the key materials you can get.

To organise your warehouse storage:

• Shelving and rackssecure, capable of handling the load of your products
• Beaker bins or sorting bins in different colours, to store bulk products in a rational way
• Labelsfor your shelving, racks and bins to help your operators find their way around the e-commerce warehouse

To help your operators move around the warehouse:

• Hand trucks to transport bulky or heavy boxes
• Pallet trucks to move pallets without risk of RSI
• Forklifts to transport heavy loads safely

And why not think about installing an automated conveyor system on part of your picking process, if your warehouse and business allow it?

To pack your parcels efficiently:

• A well-optimisedpacking station
• Unwinders for your cushioning materials
• Efficientscissors and cutters

To keep your warehouse clean :

• Wiping rolls to be placed in key areas of the warehouse
• Daily cleaning materials (including Covid-19 virucide)

To ensure the safety of your order pickers:

• Protective gloves adapted to their needs
• Sturdy safety shoes
• Comfortable and protectivework clothes
• An anti-fatigue mat per workstation, to limit MSDs linked to standing postures
• Key signage in the warehouse: labels on racks and shelves, safety mirrors, etc

Well done: you have now reached the end of this short guide to better organising your e-commerce warehouse. You will have increased productivity, fewer order preparation errors and less work in the warehouse!