By first creating a digital map of a store that logs exactly where all items can be found, aisle by aisle, the wave picking software employs a special algorithm that will automatically group and reorder a shopping list in a way that it follows the layout of the store.
This determines the order in which the items that have been ordered can be picked most efficiently. It also makes it much easier for the picker to combine several orders into a single pick and then follow a simple route around the grocery store to collect all the items in one go.
emporix’s wave-picking solution will combine all picked items into an order cycle to streamline the process. We have also developed a mobile application for smartphones or Zebra scanning devices to assist pickers. This means that errors in picking are significantly reduced by scanning item barcodes as they are picked.
By streamlining the picking process like this, wave picking also minimises disruption to any instore customers that are shopping at the same time.