Scan to Cart: Fast, Accurate Batch Picking Made Simple

What is Scan to Cart?

Scan to Cart is GroovePacker's cart-based batch picking workflow that lets your team pick multiple orders simultaneously with scanning verification. If your team walks around the warehouse to gather items from shelves, this workflow can dramatically reduce travel time while maintaining the accuracy you need.

Unlike traditional order-by-order picking where you complete one order from start to finish, Scan to Cart guides you through picking 10-20 orders at once—visiting each product location just once to pick for all orders that need it.

Why Scan to Cart?

Key Benefits:
  • Speed and Efficiency: Travel to each location once and pick for all orders in your batch, eliminating repeated trips
  • Error Prevention: Scan-to-place verification ensures items go in the correct tote every time
  • Visual Confirmation: Color-coded indicators show exactly what's been scanned, placed, and pending at a glance
  • Automated Workflow: No manual batch creation or route planning—just scan and go
  • Flexible Processing: Same person can pick and process, or hand off to dedicated packing team

Speed and Efficiency

The efficiency gains are straightforward: travel to a location once and pick an item for every order in your batch, rather than traveling to that same location repeatedly for each individual order. When you're picking multiple items across a large inventory, these time savings add up quickly.

The workflow is designed to keep you moving. GroovePacker automatically assigns the highest priority orders, determines the optimal pick sequence based on warehouse locations, and guides you step-by-step. No manual batch creation or planning, no unnecessary clicks.

Error Prevention

Scan to Cart builds verification into every step of the process without slowing you down:

Scan to Place
After scanning each item, you must scan the correct tote before moving on. This prevents items from being placed in the wrong location.
Visual Confirmation
Color-coded indicators show you exactly what's been scanned (orange), what's been placed (green), and what's still pending (gray). A quick glance tells you the status of your entire cart.
Multi-Item Verification
When placing multiple quantities of the same item in one tote, the system requires an extra confirmation scan and calls attention to the placed quantity. This ensures you're placing the correct number of pieces, not just one.
Multi-Tote Consolidation
For large orders split across multiple totes, the system guides you to collect from each tote and shows exactly how many items should be in each location.

These safeguards work together to create a system where mistakes are caught immediately, not discovered during packing or—worse—by your customer.

How It Works

Initial Setup

Before using Scan to Cart for the first time, you'll define your pick carts in GroovePacker. Specify the number of totes on each cart and the size of each tote. This allows GroovePacker to intelligently assign the right number of orders and allocate larger orders across multiple totes when needed.

Each tote gets a unique barcode label that includes the cart ID (like C01 for Cart 1) and the tote position (like A1, B2, etc.). The tote labels can be printed directly from GroovePacker for labeling the totes.

Step-by-Step Workflow

  1. Request Orders
    • Walk up to any available empty pick cart and scan the tote id on any tote on the cart
    • GroovePacker automatically selects the highest priority orders from your queue
    • Orders are assigned to the user and the totes on the cart
    • The optimal picking sequence is determined based on warehouse locations of the items
    • The first item location and quantity to pick is displayed
  2. Priority System: By default the oldest orders are prioritized first (FIFO) but you can optionally prioritize orders using acustomizable tag-based system. If you use ShipStation, you can leverage its rules and conditions to automatically tag orders based on shipping service, item quantity, shipping zone, or other criteria. GroovePacker reads these tags and assigns orders accordingly. Navigate to the orders list page in the GPX app by clicking on the Orders section in the menu. From there click on the Priorities tab to create and order priority cards. Each card determines the priority of the orders with the assigned tag.
  3. Pick and Scan Items
            The picker will be guided to the location for each pick and instructed to scan the item and then to scan the tote. Each item and placement is verified by default. They will see the key info for each product: 
  • Location: Where to find the item (e.g., "T-14")
  • Quantity: How many to scan (e.g., "Scan up to 2")
  • Product: Name, SKU etc. What you're looking for (with image when available)
  1. Scanning the item
    -For beginners: Scan one item, then scan the tote where it goes. Repeat. This one-at-a-time approach is simple and nearly impossible to mess up.

    -For experienced users: When multiple quantities of the same item are required, you can scan them all at once (e.g., scan the barcode 4 times), then place them according to the instructions. This is faster once you're comfortable with the system but every piece and every placement is still verified.
  2. Scan to Place the item
    • Scan the tote where the item belongs
    • This verification step ensures items go in the correct location
    • If you scanned multiple quantities that are placed in the same tote, you'll be asked to scan the tote twice—once to indicate placement, and once to confirm the placement of multiple items.
  3. Progress Tracking:
    • Gray circles: Items not yet scanned
    • Orange circles: Items scanned but not yet placed
    • Green circles: Items scanned and placed correctly
    At the bottom of the screen: "Placed 3 of 4" shows items complete in the current tote, and "Scanned 12 of 20" shows overall progress with the current item.
  4. Continue Until Complete
    • The system automatically guides you to the next location
    • Move through your warehouse in an optimized sequence that eliminates backtracking
    • When all items have been picked and placed, you'll see "Congratulations, pick complete!"
  5. Process Orders
    • The user who performed the picking or a separate team member scans any tote on the fully picked cart
    • GroovePacker proceeds according to configured steps (may include second scanning, shipping service options, or order number barcode printing)
    • Single-tote orders: System shows which tote to collect and how many items should be in it
    • Multi-tote orders: System guides you to collect from each tote containing items for the order
    • After processing each order, scan the next tote to continue

Resuming Work in Progress

If you step away from a pick or need to switch tasks, GroovePacker remembers where you left off. When you return and scan a tote, the system recognizes you have work in progress and asks: "Do you want to continue the pick in progress?"

  • Yes: Resume exactly where you left off
  • Clear and restart: Start over with a fresh batch (useful if something went wrong or during testing)

This works for both the picking phase and the processing phase.

Managing Carts and Totes

To view or modify your cart configurations, find the cart settings in the Settings section of the GPX menu.

Add a New Cart
Click "Add a cart" and configure the number of rows and totes.
Add Totes to Existing Cart
Select the cart and click "Add row" or modify the number of totes in an existing row.
Duplicate a Cart 
If you have multiple carts with the same layout, click "Duplicate" to copy a cart configuration rather than setting up each one from scratch.

Tips for Success

Start slow: When training new team members, encourage them to use the one-at-a-time scanning method (scan one item, scan one tote, repeat). Once they're comfortable, they can graduate to scanning multiple items at once for increased speed.
Use the visual cues: The color-coded circles and progress indicators are there to help. A quick glance tells you if something hasn't been placed yet and how many pieces a tote will contain. The only critical info you need is given in the bright green instructions but noting how the indicators change as you scan will give you additional info on the progress.
Standard Flow: If you're packing a large dealer order the Scan to Cart flow is rarely optimal. Fortunately you have access to the regular order by order flow as well. Simply scan the order number rather than a tote to begin scanning items for a single order.
Leverage ShipStation tags: If you use ShipStation, set up rules and conditions to automatically tag orders. This makes priority management effortless.
Review reports: Check your scanning reports periodically to see if anyone is using the Pass button frequently. This can indicate training opportunities or items that need barcode updates.

Common Questions

Can I still pick orders one at a time?
Yes! The Scan to Cart workflow is fully compatible with order-by-order picking. If you scan an order number instead of a tote, you'll go directly to the standard order-by-order workflow. This is useful for exceptions like large dealer orders that don't make sense to put on a cart.
What if I scan the wrong tote?
The system won't let you proceed if you scan the wrong tote. It will only accept the correct tote barcode, preventing placement errors.
How many orders will be assigned to my cart?
GroovePacker automatically determines the optimal number based on your cart configuration (number and size of totes) and the orders in your queue. It ensures orders fit properly without overloading the cart.
What happens if an order is too large for one tote?
GroovePacker automatically splits large orders across multiple totes during the picking phase. During processing, it guides you to collect from each tote that contains items for that order.
Can I change priorities throughout the day?
Absolutely. The priority system is designed to be dynamic. Drag cards to reorder them, disable cards temporarily, or move cards to standby as your needs change throughout the day.

Getting Started

If you're new to Scan to Cart:

  1. Set up your carts: Define your cart configurations in GroovePacker with the correct number and size of totes
  2. Print and apply tote labels: Each tote needs a barcode label with its unique ID
  3. Configure priorities: Set up your priority cards based on your ShipStation tags or other criteria
  4. Train your team: Start with the one-at-a-time scanning method, then progress to multi-item scanning as they gain confidence
  5. Monitor and adjust: Review reports and adjust your priority system as needed
The Scan to Cart workflow is designed to be intuitive, but like any new system, it takes a little practice. Most teams find they're comfortable with the basics within a day and operating at full speed within a week. Need help? Contact GroovePacker support—we're here to help you get the most out of Scan to Cart and optimize your warehouse workflow.