A fulfillment strategy that ensures all items in a customer order are shipped together in a single shipment, rather than sending partial shipments as inventory becomes available. The system holds the entire order until all SKUs are in stock and ready for picking, packaging, and dispatch.
This approach is critical for maintaining customer satisfaction by providing a predictable delivery experience and reducing shipping complexity. Ship complete prevents customers from receiving multiple packages at different times, which can create confusion and increase carrier costs. It also simplifies inventory allocation and reduces the administrative burden of managing split shipments.
For example, if a customer orders five different products but one item is backordered, the WMS will hold the four available items in a staged area until the fifth item arrives, then process the complete order for shipment. Many retailers offer ship complete as a customer-selectable option during checkout.
