What is order accuracy?
November 12, 2026
Order accuracy is the percentage of orders that are delivered exactly as the customer ordered them: the right items, in the right quantity, in good condition, to the right address. It is one of the main measures of how well a warehouse is performing.
Formula
Order accuracy rate = (orders without errors ÷ total orders) × 100
Why it matters for online retailers
Every wrong order costs twice: the return or replacement, plus the time spent dealing with an unhappy customer. Mistakes also hurt marketplace ratings and reviews. Even 99% accuracy means 10 wrong orders in every 1,000.
Common causes of errors
- Similar-looking products, sizes or colours stored next to each other.
- Paper pick lists and picking from memory.
- Stock in the wrong location.
- Wrong labels or parcels mixed up at packing.
- Rushing to meet courier cut-offs.
How to improve order accuracy
- Scan every item when picking and again when packing.
- Give every product a fixed, labelled bin location.
- Keep similar products apart.
- Print courier labels at the packing bench as each order is packed.
- Track errors by type and fix the cause, not just the order.
How StoreFeeder handles it
StoreFeeder's warehouse app validates every pick with a barcode scan, on PDAs, Android or iOS, so the wrong item is flagged before it is packed. Customers such as Transporter HQ have used scan-validated picking to virtually eliminate mispicks.
Read more about StoreFeeder warehouse barcoding.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good order accuracy rate?
Well-run ecommerce warehouses aim for 99.5% or higher. Barcode-validated picking makes that much easier to reach.
How do I measure order accuracy?
Divide the number of orders shipped without an error by the total orders shipped in the same period, then multiply by 100.
What is the difference between picking accuracy and order accuracy?
Picking accuracy only covers picking the right items. Order accuracy covers the whole order, including packing, labelling and the delivery address.
