In this article, we’ll take you through the techniques you need to ensure smooth handling and circulation within your e-business storage facility.

You’re getting ready to launch your e-commerce business. The first deliveries from suppliers will be arriving any day now. It’s time to think about storing your goods in your warehouse. Before we go into detail about the possibilities you have for storing your goods, the first thing to do is to make sure that your storage room is suitably equipped.

The essentials for organizing your e-commerce storage space

It must include :

  • one or more vents, ventilation ;
  • an electrical installation that complies with compliance regulations, a climatic installation;
  • Storage equipment in perfect condition: cupboards, racks, shelves;
  • perfectly unobstructed traffic lanes, for the free movement of your order pickers, pallet trucks and self-propelled forklift trucks.

Warehouse layout: the choice of shelving and the type of mezzanine or storage platform will depend on the company’s activity and the type of products sold:

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  • How loads are stored: by the unit, by the case or by the pallet. There are shelving systems specially adapted to the storage and handling of each type of packaging.
  • The shape and weight of loads, which place particular demands on the structure.
  • The size of the storage compartments also depends on the handling method. For manual handling, a few centimetres are sufficient for gripping, whereas with the help of a machine, a clearance of 7.5 cm in width and 10 cm in height is required.

Optimize your storage space

Goods warehousing must have a clear objective: to rationalize order-picking times. There are several methods of analysis. The ABC method or Pareto’s Law is a 1st basis for this reflection. The aim is to assess the turnover rate of loads, and to organize storage spaces accordingly.

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  1. Class A: the 20% of items representing approximately 80% of the total stock value;
  2. Class B: the following 30% of items which represent approximately 15% of the total stock value;
  3. Class C: the remaining 50% of items representing around 5% of the total stock value.

Other warehouse layout methods :

There are also methods for managing traffic in e-commerce storage spaces and optimizing flows. These warehouse layout methods are also determined by the nature of the goods.

It’s a question of determining whether priority should be given to the removal of older goods – in the case of food products, for example – or, on the contrary, to rapid access to newer goods. These two types of flow are known as LIFO (Last in – First out) and FIFO (First in – First out) systems, and require either two-way or one-way handling.

In conclusion, the smooth running of your business depends in part on the layout of your storage areas, which must be optimally organized.

To help you improve your logistics, use Shippingbo’s features to manage your e-commerce logistics.

The best solution for managing your e-commerce inventory