Batch Picking vs Wave Picking in Odoo Inventory

Table of Contents

• The Problem: Too Much Walking
• Batch Picking vs Wave Picking
• Prerequisites
• Setting Up Wave Picking
• Setting Up Batch Picking
• Choosing the Right Method
• Summary
• References

The Problem: Too Much Walking

Order picking is one of the most time-consuming warehouse activities. Studies suggest that walking between pickup locations accounts for up to 60% of a picker's time. Without a structured picking method, employees travel back and forth across the warehouse for every single order — slow, costly, and error-prone.

Odoo Inventory offers two picking strategies to solve this: batch picking and wave picking. Each reduces unnecessary travel in a different way.

Batch Picking vs Wave Picking

Before diving into the setup, here is how the two methods compare:

	Batch Picking	Wave Picking
How it works	Groups multiple orders together; the picker fulfils them in one trip	Groups items by product or location; products are picked first, then sorted into orders
Travel pattern	Visit each location once, pick for multiple orders simultaneously	Visit one location at a time, collect all units of a product category
Best for	Warehouses with orders containing similar products	Warehouses with clearly defined product zones
Trade-off	Picker must sort items per order during the trip	Orders are assembled after all products reach the picking zone

One method is not universally better than the other — the right choice depends on your warehouse layout and order patterns.

Prerequisites

Both methods require multi-step delivery routes. Before starting:

1. Open Inventory > Configuration > Settings
2. Enable Multi-Step Routes under the warehouse section
3. Save the settings

You also need Batch Transfers enabled in the same settings page if you plan to use batch picking.

Setting Up Wave Picking

Wave picking in Odoo uses routes and product categories to direct pickers to specific warehouse zones instead of pulling from general stock.

Step 1: Enable Developer Mode

Some route fields (like sequence and propagation) are only visible in developer mode:

1. Go to Settings > Developer Tools
2. Click Activate the developer mode

Step 2: Configure Two-Step Delivery

1. Navigate to Inventory > Configuration > Warehouses
2. Edit your warehouse
3. Change Outgoing Shipments to Send goods in output and then deliver (2 steps)
4. Save

Step 3: Create Category-Specific Routes

For each product zone (e.g., Chairs, Drawers):

1. Go to Inventory > Configuration > Routes
2. Open the default two-step delivery route
3. Set the Sequence to 100, then duplicate the route
4. Rename the duplicated route (e.g., "Chairs")
5. Ensure Product Category and your Warehouse are selected under applicability
6. Edit the rule:
   • Change the Source Location from general stock to the specific zone (e.g., "Chairs Area")
   • Set Propagation to Fixed
   • Assign the corresponding Picking Type (e.g., "Chairs")
7. Change the Sequence to a lower number (e.g., 5) so this route takes priority
8. Save, then repeat for each product zone

Step 4: Apply Routes to Product Categories

1. Go to Inventory > Configuration > Product Categories
2. Open each category (e.g., "Chairs")
3. Assign the matching route
4. Save

Step 5: Verify Products

Check that each product has the correct category assigned under its product form.

How It Works in Practice

After confirming sales orders, navigate to Inventory > Pickings. You will see separate picking operations grouped by zone:

• Chairs Area — all chair items across all orders
• Drawers Area — all drawer items across all orders

Each picker goes to one zone, collects everything needed, and brings it to the output area. Orders are then assembled from the collected products.

Setting Up Batch Picking

Batch picking groups multiple transfer operations so one picker can fulfil several orders in a single warehouse trip.

Step 1: Enable Batch Transfers

1. Go to Inventory > Configuration > Settings
2. Enable Batch Transfers under the operations section
3. Save

Step 2: Create a Batch Transfer

1. Navigate to Inventory > Operations > Batch Transfers
2. Click New
3. Assign a Responsible person

Step 3: Add Pickings to the Batch

1. Click Add a line to select pickings
2. Use the Group By option to organise pickings (e.g., by source location) — this helps assign batches logically
3. Select the relevant pickings and confirm

You can review the status of each picking directly in the batch view. Remove or cancel individual pickings as needed.

Step 4: Confirm and Print

1. Click Confirm to validate the batch
2. Print the picking list as a PDF for the warehouse team

The printed document lists all items across the grouped orders, organised for efficient picking.

Choosing the Right Method

Use wave picking when:

• Your warehouse has distinct product zones
• Orders typically contain items from multiple zones
• You want pickers specialised by area

Use batch picking when:

• Multiple orders share similar products
• You want to reduce trips by combining orders
• Your warehouse layout does not have strict zone separation

You can also use both methods together — wave picking for zone-based collection and batch picking for grouping similar transfers.

Summary

Step	Wave Picking	Batch Picking
Enable	Multi-Step Routes	Batch Transfers
Configure	Routes per product zone	Batch transfer groups
Assign	Routes to product categories	Pickings to batches
Result	One pick per zone, then assemble orders	One trip for multiple orders

Both methods are straightforward to set up in Odoo and can significantly reduce warehouse travel time. Start with one approach, measure the results, then adjust based on your team's feedback.

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References

• Picking Methods Odoo Inventory — Odoo (YouTube)