A picking method where warehouse workers collect items for multiple orders simultaneously during a single trip through the warehouse, rather than picking orders one at a time. The picker carries a cart or container with separate compartments or bags, each designated for a different customer order, and follows an optimized route to gather all required items across the multiple orders in one pass.
This approach dramatically improves picking efficiency by reducing travel time and labor costs. Instead of making separate trips for each order, workers can fulfill 4-10 orders simultaneously, depending on cart capacity and order complexity. Modern WMS solutions optimize cluster picking by grouping orders with similar items or locations, calculating the most efficient picking sequence, and providing clear instructions for sorting items into the correct order containers.
Cluster picking works particularly well for e-commerce operations with many small orders containing similar product types, such as apparel or consumer goods, where multiple customers often order from the same inventory locations.
