What causes mispicks in the order fulfillment process?
Mispicks usually happen due to a mix of human and system errors during the pick-and-pack phase. The most common causes include:
- Human error – Misreading or misinterpreting pick lists
- Inventory mismatches – Discrepancies between what's in the system and on the shelf
- Product mislabeling – Incorrectly tagged items cause confusion during selection
- Poor warehouse organization – Inefficient layouts make mistakes more likely
How do mispicks impact customer satisfaction and operations?
Incorrect shipments frustrate customers and cost you time and money. Here’s how mispicks create downstream issues:
- Customer churn – Frustrated buyers may not return
- Negative reviews – Errors can damage brand reputation
- Return costs – Additional handling and shipping eats into profit
- Delayed fulfillment – Fixing mispicks slows everything else down
What does it cost to fix a mispick?
The real cost of a mispick goes far beyond the item itself:
- Time and labor for re-picking and re-shipping
- Return shipping and packaging expenses
- Discounts, refunds, or appeasement costs
- Lost revenue from customer dissatisfaction
How to reduce mispicks in your warehouse
Avoiding mispicks takes proactive strategy and simple tools:
- Use barcode scanning at picking and packing
- Train staff on picklist interpretation and quality control
- Optimize storage layout for clarity and flow
- Perform routine audits to catch stock and label issues
