Shopify pick lists: sort by bin location and walk less

# A packing slip and a warehouse pick list have different jobs

A packing slip describes what belongs in the parcel. It usually follows the order and makes sense at the packing bench. A pick list is for the walk before that. It should group work by the warehouse that will fulfill it, show a physical bin for every line, and arrange those bins in a sequence the picker can follow.

Shopify's native bin field and printed lists can work for a small catalog where every variant has one permanent home. The trouble starts when order lines print in customer order, bin names do not sort in walking order, or one SKU has stock in a pick face and an overstock bin. The article on showing bin locations on Shopify packing slips explains why adding a field to a Liquid template only solves the first layer.

# Make bin names sort the way people walk

A bin code should move from the general part of the address to the specific one. A-02-03 can mean aisle A, bay 2, shelf 3. Whatever scheme you choose, print it on the rack and use the same punctuation everywhere. If the code exists only in Shopify, staff have to interpret a note instead of reading an address from the rack.

Zero padding matters. Shopify's own bin-location guidance recommends names such as A-01 rather than A-1 so alphabetical sorting produces a sensible pick list. Without the zero, A-10 can appear beside A-1 and before A-2. Ten minutes spent choosing a naming convention saves a surprising amount of manual list editing later.

Number bins in walking order, not in the order the racks were purchased. If the picker snakes down one aisle and back up the next, the priority sequence can follow that route. Keep the scheme plain enough that a new worker can hear A-04-02 and walk to it without opening a map.

# Choose what to optimize when a SKU has several bins

With one bin per variant, selection is easy. With several bins, the system needs a rule. The right rule depends on whether the warehouse cares most about fewer stops, following a fixed route, or clearing awkward leftovers.

BinTech's Priority strategy follows the order assigned to the bins, starting with the lowest priority number. Use it when the shelf sequence already describes the normal walking route. Prefer single bin first looks for one bin that can supply the full line quantity, then falls back to priority. That avoids visiting two shelves for the same SKU when a deeper bin can cover the line.

Pick to empty starts with the smallest suitable bin quantities. It may not produce the shortest walk, but it clears partial bins and gradually gives shelf space back. A small warehouse with overflow stock often cares about that more than a mathematically perfect route. The strategy applies to new pick lists and can be changed for a pending list before work begins. The pick-list documentation has the exact behavior and lifecycle.

# A second bin needs its own quantity

Typing A-01 / O-12 into one Shopify field gives the picker two possible places and no reason to choose either one. If the order needs six units, the list still cannot tell whether A-01 has enough. A useful multi-bin record stores the quantity of the variant inside each bin.

Suppose Shopify shows 40 units at the warehouse. The pick face has 7 and overstock has 33. A six-unit line can come from the pick face in one stop. A ten-unit line may need the overstock bin or a split across both. Reservations matter too: the seven units in A-01 are not free for a second order if an active pick list has already claimed six of them.

This is the boundary of Shopify's native model. It keeps the Location total and one bin name per variant at that Location. A multi-bin layer keeps the physical split while the bin quantities continue to reconcile to Shopify. The guide to one Shopify SKU in multiple bins covers that model in detail.

# Keep each pick list scoped to its fulfillment Location

Shopify decides which Location will fulfill an order. The warehouse list should respect that decision rather than quietly sending a worker to another building. An order routed across two warehouses needs two pick lists, each containing only the lines and bins for its own Location.

BinTech creates a Location-scoped list when Shopify assigns the fulfillment. A picker can reassign a short line to another bin holding the same variant at that Location, but cannot borrow from a different warehouse. Shopify has to reroute that fulfillment first. This keeps shelf decisions from turning into invisible commerce decisions.

Unbinned lines should remain visible. Hiding them makes the list look tidy while the worker discovers the problem halfway through the aisle. BinTech marks a line without a usable assignment so somebody can find the item, fix the bin record, or investigate a stock mismatch.

# Use the list on the device already in the aisle

Paper is quick to start and difficult to update. If an order changes, a bin is empty, or two people grab the same last unit, the sheet has no way to know. A mobile list can hold reservations, accept a bin reassignment, and show which lines are already complete.

BinTech pick lists work on a phone and can be shared through a public pick link for warehouse devices that do not have Shopify access. The phone camera can scan product barcodes and bin labels. A handheld scanner that types into the focused field can work too. The scanning guide explains the supported codes and what happens when one barcode matches several lines.

Scanning does not repair a bad address scheme. Get the labels and bin quantities right first. Then use scans to confirm that the picker is standing at the intended bin and handling the intended variant.

# Measure the walk before buying more software

Time ten ordinary orders from the moment picking starts to the moment the items reach packing. Note the number of shelf stops, any backtracking, and every line the picker could not find. Repeat the same sample after sorting by bin. A modest warehouse does not need a simulation model to see whether the route improved.

Failed picks deserve their own tally. A fast list that sends workers to empty bins is not fast once searching and recounting are included. Recurring misses usually point to receiving, unrecorded moves, or a stale bin count. Run a targeted cycle count instead of teaching the picker to search nearby shelves by habit.

Stay with Shopify's native bin and printed list while each variant has one stable home and the team can walk it without backtracking. A multi-bin pick-list layer earns its place when variants spill into overstock, active orders compete for the same shelf quantity, or Location-scoped picking has become hard to coordinate. BinTech has a free plan for testing that workflow with a small catalog; the current limits are on the pricing page .