Bulk Storage vs Pick Faces: Optimizing Your Warehouse for Multi-Channel E-commerce

Delivering on B2B and e-commerce fulfillment from a single warehouse can be easier than you think — with the right warehouse location optimisation set up in place. 

TL;DR: In this guide, you’ll find practical strategies for optimizing your warehouse for e-commerce, with fast order fulfilment tips on layout so your team can confidently manage both bulk storage and pick faces side by side.

Q: What’s the difference between bulk storage and pick faces?

A: Bulk storage is where you keep large quantities of stock (usually on pallets in high-density areas of the warehouse). This space can be used for holding reserve inventory that isn’t immediately needed for picking orders. 

Pick faces, on the other hand, are easily accessible storage locations designed for fast e-com order picking. These frontline, high-rotation spots let your team quickly grab products and easily replenish stock from bulk storage  — so your fastest-moving SKUs are always on hand and ready to go.

Q: What picking workflows do I need to set up for e-commerce? 

A: There are several go-to workflows that make high-volume e-commerce order picking fast and efficient in CartonCloud. Here’s how to choose the right workflow for each type of order:

• Split Pick and Pack Wave - Use this workflow when you have a large number of identical, single-item orders — such as after a sale, launch, or viral product spike. With this workflow, you can group all matching orders together, pick everything in one efficient warehouse run, and then bulk pack for super-fast dispatch.
• Split Pick and Pack Wave + Pack by SKU -  This workflow is ideal to use when you’re processing lots of single-item orders (but each order is for a different SKU, size, or colour). This workflow allows you to pick all items in one trip, bring everything to the packing station, and then simply scan each barcode so CartonCloud instantly marks the item as packed without any manual sorting.
• Pick to Tote - Pick to Tote is best for multi-item orders, bundles, or curated sets. For this workflow, you can use a tote trolley to pick items for multiple orders in one go, placing each order into its own designated tote. When it comes time to pack, you can scan each tote to keep every order together and error-free.

Check out our detailed explanation of the most effective e-commerce workflows in this webinar here!

Q: How do I balance bulk and pick face space for e-commerce?

A: Balancing your bulk storage and pick face locations is crucial for a smooth e-commerce warehouse setup — and with CartonCloud, it’s simple to get right from day one!

• Step 1: Start by using CartonCloud’s WMS inventory location reporting to identify your fastest-moving SKUs. This helps you allocate your pick face space to high-demand products, so your team can pick and pack orders quickly and efficiently.
• Step 2: Store overflow or less frequently picked stock in bulk storage areas, and then use CartonCloud to set up automated or just-in-time replenishment workflows so your pick faces are always topped up from bulk storage areas.

By having these distinct warehouse locations, you can seamlessly run both your B2B and e-commerce operations all from one warehouse — making your operation more agile and always ready to unlock new revenue streams across different industries.

Q: Why does multi-channel require special location setup?

A: Multi-channel fulfillment brings together orders from different sales channels — like B2B, retail, and e-commerce — all under one roof. Each channel can have its own order profiles, picking speeds, and handling requirements. For example, e-commerce orders often need fast, single-item picking in high-volumes, whereas B2B might require bulk picking or pallet dispatch.

To deliver fast, accurate order fulfillment across all channels, your warehouse needs a multi-channel fulfilment warehouse design that’s tailored to each workflow. This means creating dedicated pick faces and buffer zones for each channel so you can process high volumes without congestion or cross-channel mix-ups.

Using CartonCloud’s WMS, you can easily assign and adjust pick face locations — matching your physical space with ease to your WMS inventory tracking. This not only streamlines your operations but also reduces errors, improves picking speed, and empowers your team to handle multi-channel growth smoothly — all within one platform.

Mapping & Grouping Warehouse Locations for Faster Pick Paths

Getting the most out of your warehouse space isn’t about stacking inventory high — it’s about making every step count for your team! In CartonCloud, you can optimize warehouse layouts for picking, giving you the control to organize, rearrange, and fine-tune your storage locations to suit your e-commerce order flows.

To get started, it’s essential to create bulk storage and pick face locations in your warehouse. 

• Bulk storage is where you keep your deep reserves — like those pallets or boxes that aren’t needed right away for picking.
• The pick face is where the main action happens: it’s where your pickers go first for fulfillment and are necessary to keep order e-com fulfillment fast during peak periods.

“When setting up your warehouse locations, it’s helpful to create a numbered sequence that follows the best possible pick path for your warehouse by assigning each location to a corresponding number. Most teams use an ‘S’ pattern, moving down one row and then back up the next, ensuring a logical, efficient flow for picking.” — Olivia Trankina, North American Operations Manager, CartonCloud

Updating your location order in CartonCloud is simple: you can export your locations, adjust them in your preferred order, and then simply re-import the list — so your pick paths stay optimized as you add or change products or add new zones. 

“We recommend numbering locations in increments of 10 so you can slot in new locations later without redoing the whole sequence.” — Javier Hernandez, Implementation Consultant, CartonCloud

How to Allocate Warehouse Space & Set up E-commerce Locations for High-Volume Pick and Pack

Once you’ve mapped out your warehouse and defined your location types, the next step is making the most of your space by setting up dedicated e-commerce locations designed for speed and high-volume fulfillment.

CartonCloud’s e-commerce WMS makes this kind of optimization completely intuitive. Want to keep your pickers moving efficiently from one end of the warehouse to the other? Set up your pick faces along the main paths, close to packing and dispatch zones, and use your WMS to assign the fastest-moving products to the most convenient spots.

You can also streamline your picking process even further by sequencing pick locations in a certain order, aligning the pick path with the natural workflow of your team.

Q: What is the best way to set up warehouse locations for e-commerce?

A: The most effective way to set up your warehouse locations for e-commerce is by configuring the location efficiency of each location in your WMS, so the system automatically prioritizes stock in your most accessible spots. 

In CartonCloud, you can set up each warehouse location based on how easy it is to access, allowing the system to automatically direct pickers to the most efficient spot for each order. 

This means your team always takes the quickest route, cuts down on walking time, and keeps e-commerce fulfillment running seamlessly.

Q: How does warehouse layout affect e-commerce order speed?

A: Your warehouse layout plays a huge role in how quickly and accurately your team can fulfill orders. A well-designed layout — featuring clearly labeled pick faces, defined zones for different product types, and logical pick paths — means pickers spend less time searching for items and more time getting orders out the door. 

Learn more about how you can speed up your e-commerce orders with data-driven picking workflows here.

To help guide pickers to the right warehouse locations, high-volume warehouses like TNS Logistics use the CartonCloud mobile app to give their team clear directions for every pick — enabling them to process orders rapidly and offer reliable same-day dispatch for their e-commerce clients.

“[We use the CartonCloud app to] upload our client’s products, break it down onto different pallets into different locations, and then tell [our team] where they’re picking it from.” — Matthew Norton, Commercial Manager, TNS Logistics      

At Core Logistic Services, the right layout is essential for efficiently managing a variety of supplements that require both ambient and temperature-controlled storage. Using CartonCloud, their team tracks every product by location and expiration date, ensuring the right items are picked for each order.

“[CartonCloud] has so much capability of just making sure that we know exactly what's in the warehouse. It shows where everything is stored." — Cass Strunk, Founder, Core Logistic Services

To keep their pick faces constantly stocked and orders accurate, Core Logistic Services also leverages CartonCloud’s FEFO (First Expiring, First Out) workflow to guide pickers to the product that needs to be picked first — ensuring each pick face is always replenished with the most up-to-date inventory.

“CartonCloud is able to direct us when we are picking for orders to pick the right item. So if we have expiring products, it guides us to pick the first expiring product, so that we are always replenishing the products that we have.”  — Cass Strunk, Founder, Core Logistic Services

Using Inventory Data & WMS Reporting for Space Allocation and Picking Zone Optimization

Staying ahead in e-commerce means being able to quickly adapt to changes in order volumes and shifts in your fastest-moving products — so your pick faces are always set up to meet demand. 

Using real-time data and customizable reporting with CartonCloud, you can always see what’s happening in your warehouse at a glance — putting you in control to make informed decisions that keep your operations running smoothly.

Q: How can I use my WMS to optimize warehouse locations?

A: CartonCloud’s WMS provides real-time inventory visibility and in-depth data to help you identify bottlenecks, fine-tune your pick face and bulk storage setups, and keep stock exactly where it’s needed most.

For example, CartonCloud’s BI dashboard allows you to easily spot trends and volume shifts as they happen, so you can proactively adjust your warehouse layout before bottlenecks occur.

Plus, you can even generate a variety of reports to help you stay ahead, such as:

• Stock reports: Instantly check current inventory levels and know exactly what’s in your warehouse at any moment.
  
  
• Historic stock reports: See what your inventory looked like at any point in the past — ideal for auditing, planning, and spotting trends over time.

By having these WMS inventory location reporting insights at your fingertips, you can optimize every part of your warehouse to meet changing demand.

Key Takeaways

• Design your Layout for Flexibility - Strategically combining bulk storage and pick face locations in your warehouse gives you the agility to handle both B2B and e-commerce fulfillment side by side — without sacrificing speed, accuracy, or capacity.
• Let Data Drive Decisions -  Leveraging CartonCloud’s WMS reporting and live inventory data helps you spot trends, avoid bottlenecks, and keep your most popular SKUs in the right place for fast, accurate picking.

Want to know more?

Discover how CartonCloud can help you optimize every corner of your warehouse, from bulk storage to pick faces — so you can boost efficiency, reduce bottlenecks, and confidently handle both B2B and e-commerce fulfillment. Reach out for a personalized demo and chat with our friendly team to unlock the full potential of your warehouse today!