Understanding and using picklist-based fulfillment

DirectShip Picklists tool is essential for sellers who receive a large number of orders, this tool w...

Picklist-Based Fulfillment is a structured, capacity-partitioned fulfillment workflow designed for Directship V2.0 sellers.

Instead of processing open orders one by one, picklist mode automatically groups pending customer orders—prioritized by nearest Expected Shipping Date (ESD)—into batch picking lists. This enables multiple warehouse workers to pick and pack items simultaneously in parallel without needing complex warehouse setups like bin locations or zone routing.

Idea: Before configuring the warehouse for the picklist configuration, you can refer to this article to learn how to create and manage the warehouse.

How to configure picklists in Seller Lab?

To activate the Picklist mode, configure your warehouse settings in Seller Lab.

Go to the Navigation menu, then click on Fulfilled by Partner, and then click on Warehouse.

Select the warehouse in which you want to activate the picklist and click Configure warehouse.

In the Warehouse settings, click on the Fulfillment Method tab.

Select Picklist-Based Fulfillment from the Fulfillment Method dropdown menu.

Select your Generation Mode, which can be either scheduled or periodic.

Scheduling Mode: Set specific daily run times (e.g., 8:00 AM, 1:00 PM, 6:00 PM) in 12-hour format with AM/PM. Minimum 1, maximum 3 run times per day can be configured.

Note: The time shown here is the local time as per the country of operations

Periodic Mode: Set a recurring interval in hours (e.g., picklists generate automatically every 4 or 9 hours). Set Maximum Items Per Picklist. Enter the numerical cap for the maximum number of items per picklist session.

Click Save changes. Changes take effect from the next scheduled generation run.

Note: In-progress picklists are unaffected when settings are updated.

How to locate picklists?

Depending on your role, you can access Picklists on both Seller Lab and the Mobile application.

On Seller Lab

To access the picklist on the seller lab you can follow these simple steps.

- In the left-side navigation bar, click on the Fulfilled by Partner and then click on Directship.

- Then click on the Picklists menu item. Select the picklist warehouse from the right-hand side drop-down. This opens the Picklist Dashboard, where you can monitor pending, active, and completed picklists, track worker sessions, and export reports.

Note: You can only view orders from the Seller Lab; however, you can process orders and create shipments only in the application.

On the Mobile application

A dedicated Picklist tab appears in the bottom navigation bar

The Home Screen also features a Picklist Quick-Access card showing pending picklist counts and open order counts.

Mobile App Fulfillment Flow (Step-by-Step for Pickers)

Step 1: Selecting a Picklist

On the mobile Picklist screen, picklists are divided into three tabs:

Pending Tab: Displays new picklists with Picklist ID, marketplace badge, created timestamp, order count, total items, and an ESD Countdown Pill (Color-coded: Blue = ample time; Orange/Red = urgent/critical).

In Progress Tab: Shows the picklist which are in progress, where the pickers are packing the orders.

Completed Tab: Shows history of finished picklists.

Step 2: Starting a Packing Session

Tap on a picklist from the Pending or In Progress tab.

Tap Start Picklist Session at the bottom of the Picklist Detail screen.

Enter your Session Capacity (the exact number of orders you want to pick/pack in this session) in the space provided. Click on Start Picklist Session.

You will be redirected to the orders within the picklist that you need to process.

Step 3: Picking & Packing Items

In the core Session Page, you will see a real-time progress bar (e.g., 10/10 items) and three session tabs:

Pending Tab: Tap any item card to open the Order Details page for the nearest-ESD order.
Order Details Page: View order details, creation date, items, and nearest ESD. Tap Start Packing. Select the item you are packing and click on Create Shipment.
Create Shipment Screen: Scan the Air Waybill (AWB) QR code using the camera icon and then click on Create Shipment. The shipment is successfully created.

If the app shows to scan a serial number

Note: Scan or input serial numbers (if asked) for items using the blue Scan button, then follow the same steps to create the shipment.

Note: You can refer to this article to understand how you can handover the packed shipments to noon.

Marking Items Out of Stock (OOS)

If an item cannot be found in the warehouse:

On the Order Details page, tap the "..." menu on the item.
Select Item out of Stock.
Review the warning ("Once taken, this action will update this SKU to 0") and confirm.
The item transfers to the Cancelled tab with an Out of stock badge, and warehouse inventory is automatically zeroed out.

Important: Any item marked out of stock or had a customer cancelation would automatically go to the canceled tab.

Pausing, Quitting, or Completing Sessions

Active Banner: If you navigate away from an active session, a persistent orange banner at the bottom of the app will show: "You have an active packing session. The session will automatically expire after 2 hours due to inactivity." Click Continue Session to resume.

Inactivity Auto-Close: Sessions with 2 hours of no action automatically expire, releasing unpacked orders back to the queue.

Quitting a Session: Tap the red exit icon (top-right) and confirm. All unpacked orders are released back to the queue for other pickers, while all already-packed shipments remain saved and unaffected.
Session Complete: Once you pack or resolve all assigned items, you will see a success checkmark.

That’s it!

Got questions?