How to store products in Pio

This guide will give you an introduction to storing. When storing products, there are a few important things to keep in mind:

Do not squeeze inflatable items to fit more into a bin. They may reinflate, causing the bin to become overfilled. This can prevent robots from retrieving the bin and may require the system to be stopped for manual adjustment.

To optimize space, select the smallest compartment layout that fits your product. For example, use 16-compartment bins for small items like jewelry and 4-compartment bins for t-shirts.

This video will guide you through the process of storing in Pio. Watch the video first, and then explore the additional step-by-step information below for further clarification.

Topics covered in this article

Step 1 - Select bin layout
Step 2 - Search the product
Step 3 - Add products to inventory
Step 4 - Return to homepage or store another item
Exit storing
Helpful tips for storing

Step 1 - Select bin layout

Before storing products in the grid, it is important to select the most efficient bin layout based on the product’s size and quantity.

Pio supports six different bin configurations: Full bin, 2-splti, 4-split (two variants), 8-split and 16-splits.

See more details on how to choose bin layout here: How to optimize storage capacity in bins.

Once you have decided on the bin type, simply click ‘Next’ to proceed.

Step 2 - Search the product

To add products to the bin, you can either:

scan the barcode to find the product in Pio app or
search for SKU or product title

Scan the barcode or search for product

If your iPad is connected to a barcode scanner and your products have barcodes, you can scan the barcode to find the correct product. Alternatively you can search for your product using the SKU number or product title.

When searching using a product title, make sure to check the SKU number, and double-check that the size and/or color of your product is correct before storing.

Step 3 - Add products to inventory

Add the quantity of items

Once you have found your product with the app and placed it into the correct compartment of the bin, you can use the plus-button on the screen or tap the quantity field to specify the number of items you have stored in that compartment.

For added product accuracy, it is recommended to alwats use a scanner to scan each item you put into the bin. This will secure that all the products added to the bin have the correct SKU.

Once all products have been added to the highlighted compartment, select ‘Done' to send the bin back to the grid.

Step 4 - Return to search page to store another item

Once you've added the item(s), you will see the search result page again, and the same bin layout will be available in the port. This is to simplify and speed up the storing procedure. You can choose to store the same product again in the same bin layout, or scan/search for another SKU.

Best practice for storing

Best practice for storing items is to stage the products by size first and continue to store in the same bin layout. When you are done storing in the chosen bin layout, select the button in upper right corner to 'Change bin layout'.

Exit storing

To exit the storing task, select the 'Exit' button in the upper left corner of the screen.

Match stored items with purchase orders

If you utilize Purchase orders or if you have set up the Inventory Planner integration with Pio, it is important to locate the appropriate purchase order when storing the product. This can be extra useful if you have multiple vendors for the same product.

If the product you are storing is associated with a purchase order, Pio will automatically provide suggestions for relevant purchase orders. The listed purchase order shows how many products are ordered and how many of these have been received.

Select the relevant purchase order to match the incoming inventory with:

If there are active purchase orders in Pio, but none of them correspond to the item you are currently storing, you can bypass the matching process and proceed directly to the Storing page by choosing the 'Store without matching' option.

Helpful tips for storing

Oversized items - storing products that are too large for bins

When storing items that are too large to fit into a bin, it is essential to include them include them in the stock using the Pio app. Larger items can be stored on a shelf or in a specific location in the warehouse.

Overstock - store the backstock items on shelf locations

When the bin capacity is limited, only a certain number of each item should be stored in the grid. The remaining items can be stored to a shelf location in Pioo.

By adding a min and max level in the Replenishment settings, a Housekeeping task will appear when it is time to replenish items from the shelf to the grid.

Storing items with tracking details

For items with required tracking details like expiration dates or batch numbers, the tracking details must be specified during storing. A storing location can include only one batch number or expiration date.

Optimize storage capacity when storing

Consider how you choose bin layouts and utilize bins to optimize the storage capacity in the grid.

Read more on storage capacity in this article: How to optimize storage capacity in bins.

Configure bins

While storing items, you may encounter situations where you run out of desired bin layout. In such cases, exit the Storing flow and navigate to the "Configure bins" section to change the layout of existing bins.

Read more on bin configurations in this article: How to configure bins