Supported Prep Center Workflows
This is a list of all the supported journeys for different types of customers working on the Hopstack platform. This list has been largely derived from the experiences of our team while working with various prep center partners and may be subject to change.
1. FBA Small Parcel Journey
Steps:
Receiving: Inbound shipment consists of either pallets or parcels. The system validates the order details and then the process of receiving begins.
Putaway: After the orders are received, they are broken down if they are in pallets. They are then sorted and stored in the designated storage area until they are ready for picking.
Picking: Items are picked based on the order details. The system guides the picker through the warehouse to the correct storage location for each item in the order.
Prepping: Here, items are prepared for shipment. Labels are typically 30-up or standard FNSKU labels which are attached to the individual items.
Packing: Finally, the items are packed securely in boxes, ready for shipment.
Shipping: The orders are then dispatched to their respective Amazon Fulfillment Centers.
2. FBA LTL and FTL Bulk Journey
Steps:
Order Comes In: Orders are typically created by customers as inbound shipments (these are dropship consignments)
Receiving: Inbound shipment is usually in the form of pallets. If not, palletization is required. No putaway is conducted for these orders since they are dropship consignments a.k.a. cross-docked orders. Once the receiving is complete, step 3 will be triggered and then it will move directly to prepping (skipping picking as well)
Amazon Order Generated: For drop ship orders, once the receiving is completed, the system automatically generates the shipment plan for all the received items and communicates with the Amazon API.
Prepping: Items are prepped for shipment. This may include creating labels and securing the items for transport.
Packing: Items are packed on pallets for shipment.
Shipping: Pallets are shipped out to their respective destinations.
3. FBA Private Label Journey
Steps:
Receiving: The manufacturer sends the inbound shipment directly. It is received and checked for quality and quantity.
Putaway: Products are stored in designated storage areas until orders come in.
Order Comes In: Orders are received via the Amazon API after the shipment generation workflow is triggered by the prep center owner through the Hopstack interface.
Picking: Based on order details, items are picked from the storage location.
Prepping: Items are prepped for shipment. This includes labeling, poly-bagging, FNSKU labeling, and securing the items for transport.
Packing: Items are packed securely, ready for shipment.
Shipping: The packed items are shipped directly to the Amazon Fulfillment Centers.
4. FBM Journey
Steps:
Receiving: Inbound shipment is received and checked against order details.
Putaway: Products are stored in the warehouse until orders are received.
Order Comes In: The order is received via Amazon API but no PII data (receiver’s address and details) are mentioned. These have to be manually inputted by the user in the Hopstack platform. This is a workaround until we work on getting PII approval from Amazon.
Picking: Based on the order details, items are picked from their storage location.
Prepping: Items are prepared for shipment. This includes labeling and any other preparations required as per the order details.
Packing: The items are packed securely, ready for shipment.
Shipping: Unlike FBA, the items are shipped directly to the customer.
5. Shopify, eBay, etc. Journey
Steps:
Receiving: Inbound shipment is received and checked for quality and quantity against order details.
Putaway: Products are stored in the warehouse until orders come in.
Order Comes In: Typically through the external marketplace integration i.e. Shopify, eBay, etc.
Picking: Based on the order details, items are picked from their storage location.
Packing: Items are packed securely, ready for shipment.
Shipping: The items are then shipped directly to the customers.