Order streams let you organize orders into groups based on selected criteria and control which orders should be prioritized for picking.
Streams replace Pio’s previous Order Filters and Prioritization rules, combining them into one flexible, easy-to-configure system. As your
When you want to pick only a specific set of orders, simply add a new stream using the available filter and prioritization options, and start picking the orders using the Pio app.
Topics covered in this article
Add a new stream
Configure the stream
Orders matched
Save the stream
Enable/Disable a stream
Edit an existing stream
Prioritize the streams
Delete unused streams
Default streams
Examples and use cases
There are many ways you can use Order Streams to organize your picking workflow. Here are some examples:
Shop: If you have multiple shops or order channels integrated with your Pio, create separate streams to keep the orders organized.
Shipping method: Create a stream for a specific shipping method to help keep orders for different carriers or delivery methods separate.
Urgent orders: Tag the orders that need to be prioritized, add a stream to prioritize them, and pick them first thing in the morning.
B2B orders: B2B orders are often larger and may require a different packing setup. Use order tags to create a separate stream for your B2B orders.
In-store pickup: Create a stream for orders that should be prepared for customer pickup and prioritize these accordingly.
VIP orders: Use order tags to create a separate stream for VIP orders if these orders require special handling when picking or packing.
Add a new stream
In Pio Admin, navigate to Orders > Order streams and select 'Create order stream' to get started.
Give the stream a clear, descriptive name that reflects the orders to pick from this stream.
The name will appear on the buttons on the picking screen, so it should be concise, easy to understand, and recognizable to the picker selecting the stream.
Configure the stream
Next, choose which orders to include in the stream. You can filter orders by:
- Shops: Specify the order channel or shop for the stream
- Tags: Enter order tags to filter the orders by
- Shipping method: If a shipping integration exists, you can select one or more shipping methods
- Handling time: Set a priority rule for the orders in the stream
Select the options relevant to your stream. Name is required, but the other configuration fields are optional.
Multiple selections are available for Shops, Tags and Shipping method.
When selecting multiple choices, the stream will filter orders for all the selected criteria.
Shops
Leave blank to apply to all order channels, or select from the available Shops.
Tags
Add tags to the orders from your ERP/WMS/eCommerce channel, and add the tag to filter the orders for a separate order stream. By selecting multiple tags, orders with any of the tags will be included in the stream.
To filter only the orders with all the tags, create a combined tag and add it to the order.
Shipping method
If a shipping integration exists, you can select one or multiple shipping methods as a filter for the orders.
Handling time
Add a prioritization rule to stream orders by selecting Before, Within, Now, or Blocked. The handling time sets the request time for backlog orders and determines their priority.
Choose between the suggested handling times in the right bar, or select Set custom time to specify your own or to Block orders.
- Before: Use this to set a specific hour of day when the orders should be picked
- Within: Use this to set a certain number of hours to pick the order
- Now: Use this to prioritize orders to be picked first
- Blocked: Use this to block the orders from being picked
Adding an order stream and using Blocked as Handling time will block orders from being picked. This order stream will not be visible in the picking drawer in the app, as it doesn't allow picking.
Orders matched
When the streams are being configured, you can see the number of orders matched in the top menu.
The number of matched orders shows how many backlog orders will be added to the new stream.
Save the stream
When you have added the name and configured the filtering and prioritization, click Save to create the new stream.
NOTE
A newly created stream is disabled by default.
Enable/Disable a stream
To enable the stream directly, toggle the switch on the right-hand side to Enabled.
A new stream is Disabled by default when created, so you can sort and reorganize stream priority without updating the order backlog with every change.
Edit an existing stream
You can update an existing order stream to change its name, filtering options, or handling time.
Select the three dots on the right to Edit stream.
When done with edits, hit Save to return to the order stream overview.
As soon as any changes are made to the stream configurations, you will be asked to save your work before exiting:
Prioritize the streams
You can drag-and-drop a stream to change its placement in the order stream overview list.
The order of your order streams is important for two reasons:
- It determines the order in which the streams appear in the picking drawer
- It determines how incoming orders are evaluated against your configured streams
When a new order is received, it is checked against the streams from top to bottom. If the order details match the configuration of the first stream, the order becomes available for picking in that stream.
If the order does not match, it is checked against the next stream in the list, and this continues until a match is found. If the order does not match any of the configured streams, it will be placed under The rest.
When you reorder your streams, the number of matched orders may change. An order can match the configuration of multiple streams, but since streams are exclusive, it will only be assigned to the first matching stream in the list.
NOTE
The streams are exclusive, meaning that an order will only belong to one order stream at a time.
Delete unused streams
Delete unneeded streams to keep the available list relevant and easy to navigate. Select the three dots to the right to find the Delete stream option:
Default streams
In addition to the manually added streams, two additional streams are always available for picking. These are called All orders and The rest. These two streams are added automatically, and it is not possible to configure them.
All orders
By selecting All orders, you will start picking orders from all your streams. If any of the orders have shelf items, the second step will be available to select which orders you want to pick: Grid, Shelf or Complete.
Orders are picked by the handling time set for their corresponding stream.
The rest
If any order isn't included in a stream, it will end up in the default stream called The rest. This stream can not be enabled or disabled, and it will always be sorted as the last option of all your streams.