What a warehouse management system does, and when you need one
A warehouse management system (WMS) controls what happens inside the four walls: where stock lives, how it is received, how orders are picked, packed and despatched, and how counts and returns are handled. It is different from an inventory management system, which tracks quantities but not locations or workflows, and from an order management system, which routes orders but does not run the floor. StoreFeeder covers all three in one platform, with your marketplaces, webshop and couriers already connected, which is why most customers replace a spreadsheet, a channel app and a courier tool with it at the same time.
The signs you have outgrown your current setup
Picking accuracy depends on who is on shift. Stock on Amazon and Shopify drift apart and the first sign is a cancelled order. Booking in takes a day and nobody is sure what is in quarantine. Peak means hiring temps who need a week to be useful. A stock take means stopping the warehouse. If two or more of those sound familiar, you are at the volume where a WMS pays back quickly, usually somewhere between 200 and 500 orders a week.
Who StoreFeeder's WMS is built for
StoreFeeder's WMS is for UK eCommerce businesses shipping roughly 30 to 10,000 orders a day who pick and pack their own stock, sell on several channels and ship with Royal Mail, DPD, Evri or other UK couriers. It works from around 10 orders a day, and becomes clearly cost-effective from about 30, or sooner where margin per order is high. It suits three situations in particular:
- Growing beyond paper and spreadsheets. You pick from printed lists and update stock by hand. StoreFeeder gives every picker a scanner-led route, so new staff do not depend on someone else's memory.
- Selling on several channels from one warehouse. Amazon, eBay, Temu, TikTok Shop and your own site all draw on one stock figure, updated as orders come in, so you stop overselling.
- Running more than one site, or a busy peak. Multi-warehouse stock, transfers and prioritisation (Advanced Operations Pro) for teams that need control at 10 to 10,000+ orders a day.
How your warehouse runs on StoreFeeder
| Step | What happens | Learn more |
| Goods in | Book deliveries in against purchase orders on the handheld, with barcode checks on every line | Booking-in system |
| Locations | Put stock away to pick bins or bulk locations and always know which bin every item is in | Barcode inventory system |
| Picking | Scan-validated, paperless picking with optimised routes and single, batch, wave, zone or tote picking | Pick and pack software |
| Paperless working | Replace pick sheets with the StoreFeeder app on Android handhelds and PDAs | Paperless warehousing |
| Packing and despatch | Scan to verify every item, then print the right courier label automatically | Scan and despatch |
| Couriers | Rules choose the right service from Royal Mail, DPD, DHL, Evri, Amazon Shipping and 20+ more | Courier management |
| Returns | Book returns against the original order, then restock, quarantine or write off | Returns management |
| Stock control | One stock pool across every channel, nine ways to count without stopping work, and a full audit trail | Inventory management |
| Replenishment | Forecast demand and raise purchase orders before you run out | Stock forecasting |
| Multiple sites | Share and transfer stock between warehouses and choose which site fulfils each order | Multi-warehouse management |
WMS capability checklist
- Barcode validation at goods-in, picking and packing
- Bin and bulk locations, with quarantine locations
- Batch and expiry tracking, with FIFO stock rotation
- Serial number tracking
- Stock takes and cycle counts (nine counting methods) without stopping the warehouse
- Purchase orders and supplier management
- Android handhelds and PDAs with built-in scanners
- Drop shipping alongside your own stock
- Amazon Seller Fulfilled Prime support
- No cap on users or sales channels
How implementation works
Every new customer gets a named implementation specialist at no extra cost. Standard onboarding typically takes 3–6 weeks, and a full warehouse go-live 6–12 weeks, depending on your number of channels and sites, the state of your product data and how much needs barcoding. During onboarding StoreFeeder only downloads data and does not update your sales channels until you go live. Connecting your channels takes under 30 minutes; the onboarding team then maps your products, locations and courier accounts, you barcode anything that is not already barcoded (StoreFeeder prints them), and you test and train before cut-over. Pickers learn the handheld in about five minutes, so go-live does not depend on retraining the team. See how switching to StoreFeeder works, or if you are moving from Linnworks, here is what transfers.
What it costs
Plans are priced on your annual turnover and start from £350 a month ex VAT, with no cap on users or sales channels, no per-user fees, no setup fee and rolling 30-day terms. As a guide, a business doing 30 to 70 orders a day is usually in the entry band at £350 a month. There is a free trial with no card required, and support is UK-based. StoreFeeder is part of Royal Mail Group and runs the warehouses of 400+ UK eCommerce businesses. See pricing or book a 30-minute demo and bring your order volumes.
Want to see what a WMS would save you? Our ROI calculator estimates the labour hours and picking-error costs you could save, based on your team size and order volume.
Comparing warehouse systems?
See how StoreFeeder compares with Linnworks, Veeqo, Mintsoft, Peoplevox and Brightpearl.
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