Package Parcel's Faster With an Effective Picking & Packing List

What’s your process for packing orders?

Do you carry around a giant yellow legal pad with all the products you need to collect handwritten in the order you need to grab them?

Maybe you print off each order directly from the website and carry the stack of papers while searching for items. Some business owners create their own versions of picking and packing lists to make it simple to fulfil orders.

Finally, there is an easier way.

Now, all you need to do is tick a box in Interparcel’s Shipping Manager and click the Picking list or Packing list box to download your documents.

In this article, we’ll run through what picking and packing lists are and the benefits of incorporating them into your fulfilment operations. We’ll even walk you through the steps to download them from Interparcel's Shipping Manager.

Let’s begin.

What Is a Picking List?

When a massive volume of orders comes in, do you stress how long it will take you to fulfil these orders?

Picking lists can provide the sweet relief you’re looking for.

To help you gather all the items you need for multiple orders, you can create picking lists so you know what items need to be collected before you start packing. This list will include the following information:

• Quantity: The number of items to collect.
• SKU: The arrangement of stock-keeping units in your warehouse.
• Description: The name and colour of the product.
• Date: The date you downloaded the picking list.

All you need to do is collect all the items found on the picking list and bring them over to your designated packing table, or a table you can use to begin the packing process.

The Benefits of Using a Picking List

If you’re not using picking lists in your ecommerce business, here are some good reasons why you should start.

• It makes order processing more efficient, particularly when handling large orders.
• Picking lists reduces the chance of human error as you can check off products as you collect them.
• They improve your supply chain management processes as they maintain accurate stock levels.
• It reduces operational costs as it aids in the precise picking and packing of products.

Adopting this simple strategy can revolutionise your picking process, enabling you to pack your parcels faster and more accurately.

What Is a Packing List?

A packing list is a detailed document that accompanies your shipments and provides a comprehensive summary of the items included in an order. It serves as a checklist, helping both your fulfilment team and your customers to verify the contents of a package.

Key components of a packing list typically include:

• The order date
• The order number
• The customer's name and address
• An itemised list of the order
• The product information, including quantity, weight and SKU
• Your business name and contact information

The primary purpose of a packing list is to ensure accuracy in order fulfilment. It helps your team pack the correct items and quantities, which reduce the risk of shipping errors, which can lead to customer dissatisfaction and costly returns.

Customising Your Packing List

To further enhance the functionality of packing lists, you can customise them with various features tailored to your specific needs:

Customer Notes

By toggling on 'customer notes', you can include any special instructions or information that customers leave at checkout. This could be preferences about not using a specific courier or relevant details about the shipment. Including these notes ensures that customer preferences are respected and enhances their overall experience with your service.

Courier Service

Including the selected courier service on the packing list can streamline the shipping process. It helps business owners organise parcels for different couriers, making it easier to manage pickups when the courier arrives. Additionally, it keeps the customer informed about which courier was used for their delivery, providing greater transparency and enhancing their trust in your service.

Footer Message

Adding a personalised footer message to your packing list is a great way to thank your customers for their purchase. This message can be customised or generated using AI, allowing you to add a personal touch to every order. A simple thank-you note can go a long way in building customer loyalty and encouraging repeat business.

The Benefits of Using a Packing List

Incorporating packing lists is beneficial for you and your customers. This is why you should include them in every order.

• For packers, it verifies the items to be sent and is a final check before a courier collects it.
• Packing lists are essential for split shipments as they determine which products go in which boxes.
• For customers, it makes it easier to identify items missing or damaged.
• It serves as a confirmation of the order for businesses and customers.
• Packing lists assist customs officers in the clearance of parcels.

Make sure to print your packing list so its by your side, and then simply tick off each item as its packed into your parcel. Leave the packing list in your parcel after you're done so the customers can double check that all the items in their order were correctly placed in their package.

Consider adding the personalised note at the bottom to boost customer loyalty and make them feel appreciated for their order.

How to Create Picking and Packing Lists in Shipping Manager

We’ve made creating picking and packing lists as easy as possible. In fact, you can download these documents in just five simple steps.

1. Login to your Interparcel account or create one for FREE.
2. Head to Shipping Manager.
3. Fetch your orders.
4. Tick the box in the left-hand corner of the orders breakdown to select all of them, or manually tick the orders you want to create picking and packing lists for.
5. Click Picking List or Packing List to start downloading the documents.

Get Started Today

As an ecommerce business owner, you need to constantly find ways to streamline processes and shave time off tasks so you can focus on growing your business.

Picking and packing lists make it faster to find products to ship, reduce the risks of human error when packing items and decrease operational costs by ensuring only the correct objects are chosen from shelves.

They also benefit customers. Packing lists allow them to easily confirm if all items are in the parcel or arriving in a separate shipment. It’s also simpler to identify products missing or damaged.

It’s now easier than ever to create picking and packing lists. Sign in to your Interparcel account, head to Shipping Manager and import your orders to discover how simple it is.