Pick Pack and Ship Software: Features, Costs (2025 Guide)

• 14 min read

In the booming world of e commerce, getting orders out the door quickly and accurately is not just a goal, it is the entire game. Yet, while online sales have soared, many warehouses are still playing catch up. A surprising number of warehouses, roughly 80 percent, still run with little to no automation. This gap between customer expectations and manual operations is where pick pack and ship software becomes a true game changer.

This software is the digital brain of a modern warehouse, streamlining every step from the moment a customer clicks “buy” to the package landing on their doorstep. Let’s dive into what this technology is, who uses it, and how it can transform a chaotic warehouse into a model of efficiency.

What is Pick Pack and Ship Software?

At its core, pick pack and ship software is a tool that guides warehouse staff through the order fulfillment process. Think of it as a GPS for your inventory. It tells workers exactly what items to grab for an order (picking), where to find them in the warehouse, and how to package them correctly for shipment (packing).

This software usually functions as part of a larger Warehouse Management System (WMS) and connects to your inventory and order systems. It replaces messy paper lists and guesswork with clear, digital instructions, ensuring orders are fulfilled with speed and precision.

Who Uses Pick and Pack Software?

Any business that handles physical products can benefit from this technology. The primary users are:

  • E commerce and Retail Warehouses: These are the most common users, from small Shopify stores to massive online retailers. They need to process high volumes of direct to consumer orders fast.
  • Third Party Logistics (3PL) Providers: 3PLs are fulfillment experts who manage warehousing and shipping for other businesses. In fact, around 37 percent of e commerce companies outsource their fulfillment. This makes robust pick pack and ship software essential for 3PLs to manage multiple clients and diverse products efficiently.
  • Wholesale and Manufacturing: These businesses use the software to assemble large orders for retailers or B2B customers, ensuring pallets and cartons are packed correctly.
  • Growing Small Businesses: Even startups and small sellers on Etsy or eBay eventually hit a point where manual fulfillment becomes a bottleneck. They often start with basic versions of this software to bring order to their growing operations. For a quick primer, see our small business shipping guide.

The bottom line is simple: if you need to fulfill orders without errors, you need a system. With 62 percent of fulfillment issues stemming from human error in manual processes, this software is the best defense against costly mistakes.

The Pick, Pack, and Ship Process Explained

So, what does this workflow actually look like with software in place? It breaks down into a few clear steps.

  1. Order Receipt: An order from your online store is automatically pulled into the software. It instantly generates a digital picking list for warehouse staff.
  2. Order Picking: A warehouse associate, or picker, receives the list on a handheld scanner or mobile app. The software guides them along the most efficient route to collect items. For e commerce, this often involves piece picking, where individual items are selected to fulfill custom orders. Order picking is a huge part of warehouse operating costs, sometimes over 60 percent, so efficiency here is critical.
  3. Order Packing: The collected items are brought to a packing station. Here, a packer verifies the items, often using a scan to pack process where barcodes are scanned to ensure accuracy before boxing. The software then helps choose the right sized box, and a packing slip is generated.
  4. Shipping: The software generates a shipping label, often after comparing carrier rates to find the best deal (e.g., which is cheaper: UPS or USPS?). The package is handed off to the carrier (like USPS, UPS, or FedEx), and a tracking number is automatically sent to the customer.

This systematic process is vital because the delivery experience has a massive impact on customer loyalty. Nearly 98 percent of shoppers say it affects their decision to buy from a brand again. A slow or inaccurate fulfillment process risks losing customers for good.

Key Features of Pick Pack and Ship Software

Modern fulfillment platforms are packed with powerful features designed to optimize every corner of your warehouse. Here are the most important ones.

Order Management Integration

This feature connects your sales channels (like Shopify, Amazon, or your ERP) directly to your warehouse software. When a customer places an order, it appears in the picking queue instantly, eliminating manual data entry. This real time sync prevents overselling by keeping your website’s stock levels perfectly aligned with what’s on your shelves.

Order Prioritization and Rules

Not all orders are created equal. A good system lets you set rules to prioritize the picking queue. For example, you can create rules to automatically push orders with expedited shipping to the front of the line. You can also prioritize based on customer value, destination, or inventory availability, ensuring your most critical orders are always fulfilled first.

Inventory Tracking and Visibility

Effective inventory tracking means knowing exactly what you have and where it is. Good software updates inventory levels in real time as items are picked and received. It uses barcodes or RFID scans to maintain near perfect accuracy. While the average manual warehouse might have only 65 percent to 75 percent inventory accuracy, systems like these push that number to 99 percent or higher. This gives you a clear, centralized view of all your stock, which helps you make smarter purchasing decisions.

Warehouse Slotting

Warehouse slotting is the strategic organization of inventory to improve efficiency. The software analyzes data like picking frequency and seasonality to assign each SKU to an optimal location. Fast moving items are placed in easily accessible locations close to packing stations, while slow moving products are stored further away. This simple logic can dramatically reduce picker travel time, which accounts for over half of the picking process.

Picking Optimization

Picking optimization uses algorithms to make the picking process as fast as possible. Instead of one picker handling one order at a time, the software enables smarter strategies:

  • Batch Picking: A picker gathers items for multiple orders in a single trip.
  • Wave Picking: Orders are grouped into “waves” to be picked at specific times, helping to manage workflow and prevent bottlenecks at the packing station.
  • Zone Picking: Each picker is assigned to a specific area of the warehouse, and orders move from zone to zone to be completed.

These methods can supercharge productivity. An optimized warehouse worker can pick around 200 order lines per hour, a massive jump from the 50 lines per hour common in manual operations.

Mobile Picking Apps

Modern warehouses run on mobility. A mobile picking app on a smartphone or handheld scanner empowers workers on the floor. The app displays digital picking lists, shows product locations, and allows for barcode scanning to verify items. This eliminates paper, reduces errors, and provides managers with a real time view of picking progress.

Pick Path Optimization

This is a specific type of optimization focused on one thing: reducing walking. Travel time can account for more than half of a picker’s day. Pick path optimization calculates the shortest possible route to collect all the items for an order or a batch, eliminating wasted steps and backtracking. It’s like Google Maps for your warehouse aisles, turning a winding journey into a straight line.

Packing Assistance and Verification

The packing station is the last line of defense for quality control. Features like scan to pack provide a digital checklist where packers scan each item’s barcode before placing it in the box. The system gives an immediate confirmation if the item is correct or an error alert if it’s wrong, virtually eliminating packing errors.

Smart Packing and Cartonization

High shipping costs are a major headache for e commerce businesses. Smart packing and cartonization features help by automatically determining the smallest possible box for an order. Since carriers charge based on dimensional weight, using the right sized box prevents you from paying to ship empty air. In some cases, USPS Flat Rate boxes can beat dimensional pricing for heavier, compact items. This can significantly reduce your shipping spend and material waste.

Kitting and Assembly

Kitting is the process of bundling individual items into a single unit to be sold together. For example, a “starter kit” might include three different products. Pick pack and ship software manages this by creating workflows for assembling kits, tracking the inventory of both the individual components and the final bundled product. This streamlines fulfillment for promotions and subscription boxes.

Shipping Automation and Carrier Integration

This is where fulfillment meets the final mile. Software integrates with carriers like USPS, UPS, and FedEx to automate label and packing slip generation. It allows your system to “talk” directly to carrier shipping APIs to pull real time rate quotes, print certified labels, and validate addresses. You can set rules to automatically select the best shipping service based on weight, destination, or cost. This automation unlocks access to discounted postage rates, like USPS Commercial Pricing, which you cannot get at the post office counter. These discounts alone can often pay for the software itself.

Real Time Tracking

Once a package ships, the software automatically sends tracking information to the customer and updates the order status in your e commerce platform. This transparency improves the customer experience and reduces “Where is my order?” inquiries. Internally, it provides a clear view of where every shipment is in transit.

Analytics and Reporting

You cannot improve what you do not measure. Pick pack and ship software provides dashboards and reports on key metrics like orders picked per hour, error rates, and fulfillment costs. This data helps you identify bottlenecks and continuously improve your operations over time.

Aligning Software with Your Warehouse Layout

The most powerful software will underperform in a poorly organized warehouse. Before implementation, consider your physical space. The software should support your layout, whether that means guiding pickers through narrow aisles, managing multiple floors, or directing traffic in a large facility. Good software is flexible, allowing you to define locations, bins, and zones that match your real world setup. This synergy between digital instruction and physical organization is what creates a truly efficient operation.

How to Choose the Best Pick Pack and Ship Software

When comparing software options, consider these critical factors to find the right fit for your business.

The Integration Ecosystem (ERP, CRM, Accounting)

Beyond your sales channels, consider how the software connects to your other business systems. A strong integration ecosystem is vital. Does it connect to your accounting software (like QuickBooks) to streamline financial reconciliation? Can it link to your CRM to provide customer service reps with order status information? The more seamlessly it fits into your existing tech stack, the less manual work your team will have to do.

Flexibility and Scalability

Your business will grow, and your software should grow with it. Ask potential vendors how their platform handles increased order volume. Will it slow down during peak season? Can you easily add more users, warehouses, or sales channels? A scalable solution will support your business from a few hundred orders a month to thousands a day without requiring a costly and disruptive switch to a new system.

User Friendliness and Training

The best software is useless if your team finds it confusing. Look for an intuitive interface that is easy for warehouse staff to learn. Ask for a demo and imagine your team using it on a busy day. Also, inquire about the training and onboarding process. A vendor that provides comprehensive training will ensure a smoother transition and faster adoption.

Vendor Support and Service Level Agreements (SLAs)

When your fulfillment operations depend on a piece of software, reliable support is non negotiable. What kind of customer support does the vendor offer (phone, email, chat)? What are their hours? Ask about their Service Level Agreement or SLA, which defines their commitment to system uptime and support response times. A strong SLA provides peace of mind that help will be there when you need it most.

Evaluating Shipping Capabilities

A key factor in your total cost is the final shipping price. Does the software offer robust carrier integrations and rate shopping features? Using a free online shipping calculator can give you a solid baseline of carrier costs to better evaluate what different software platforms offer in terms of discounts and optimization.

The In House vs. Outsourcing Decision

Choosing software assumes you are managing fulfillment yourself. However, you also have the option to outsource to a Third Party Logistics (3PL) provider. Consider outsourcing if:

  • You lack space or expertise: Your core strength is product and marketing, not logistics.
  • Your order volume is unpredictable: A 3PL can absorb huge spikes in demand more easily.
  • You want to focus on growth: Offloading fulfillment frees up your time and capital.

Manage fulfillment in house if:

  • You require high touch customization: You have complex kitting or unique packaging needs.
  • You want complete control over the customer experience: You prefer to manage quality and branding directly.
  • Your order volume is stable and manageable: You have the space and staff to run an efficient operation.

For many businesses, using their own pick pack and ship software provides the perfect balance of control and efficiency.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What exactly is pick pack and ship software?
It is a digital tool that guides warehouse workers through the order fulfillment process. It provides instructions for picking items from shelves, verifying them, packing them into the correct boxes, and generating shipping labels.

2. At what point does a small business need this software?
A business should consider it when manual processes start causing problems. Common signs include rising shipping errors, delays in getting orders out, running out of stock unexpectedly, or spending too much time printing labels and managing orders instead of growing the business.

3. How does this software save money on shipping?
It saves money in several ways: by suggesting the most cost effective packaging to avoid dimensional weight fees, by allowing you to compare carrier rates in real time to find the cheapest option, and by providing access to discounted commercial shipping rates you cannot get at the retail counter.

4. Can pick pack and ship software integrate with platforms like Shopify?
Yes, most modern solutions offer pre built, one click integrations with major e commerce platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce, Amazon, eBay, and more. This allows for a seamless flow of order and inventory data.

5. What is the difference between a WMS and pick pack software?
A Warehouse Management System (WMS) is a comprehensive platform that manages all warehouse operations, including receiving, inventory management, picking, packing, and shipping. Pick pack and ship software often refers to the specific modules within a WMS that handle the order fulfillment workflow. Some standalone tools also focus just on these functions.

6. How does this software help with returns?
Many systems include returns management features. They can generate return shipping labels for customers, track incoming returns, and guide staff on how to inspect, restock, or dispose of returned items, keeping inventory counts accurate. If you’re drafting guidelines for customers, see how to write a clear return policy.

7. Is this type of software difficult to implement?
It varies. Cloud based software with pre built integrations can often be set up in days or weeks with minimal technical help. More complex, on premise systems for large enterprises can take longer.

8. How much does pick pack and ship software cost?
Pricing models vary widely. Some platforms charge a monthly subscription based on order volume or the number of users, with plans starting from a couple hundred dollars a month. Others have custom enterprise pricing. It’s important to factor in the potential cost savings from efficiency gains and shipping discounts when evaluating the price.