Prepare a map of places, not products
A location label should answer where an item is, while an item identifier answers what it is. Mixing those jobs creates needless renaming when stock moves. Start with the physical places where goods can actually be stored or held: receiving, saleable shelves, returns awaiting inspection and outbound staging. Mark which places are temporary. This is an operational map, not a requirement to create a software location for every box. The appropriate level of detail depends on how people retrieve, count and transfer goods.
Configure a naming pattern a colleague can explain
A fictional room might use A-02-03 for aisle A, bay 02, shelf 03. The particular pattern matters less than consistent ordering and visible labels. Avoid codes that differ only by an easily confused letter or a leading zero that a spreadsheet might remove. Print a small sample, view it from the working distance and ask another person to locate the position. Keep the location register separate from product descriptions so a changed supplier name cannot move stock on paper.
Verify the plan supports the required detail
inFlow documents sublocations such as aisles or bins on selected plans. That operational capability and its commercial entitlement are separate checks. Ask a demo to receive one item into two bins and then pick from the intended bin. Include an empty bin and a holding area in the test. If the necessary detail requires a higher plan, compare that cost with the actual confusion it resolves. A layout that staff cannot maintain can be worse than a smaller number of clearly managed places.
Test relocation before relabeling the building
Choose one limited area for a reversible pilot. Record old and new labels, the cutoff time and the person checking the move. Verify the physical position and system position agree before expanding the pattern. Do not delete old location history merely to make the new map tidy. If picking instructions, barcode labels or exports still refer to an old code, assign an owner to update them. Finish with a short rule for adding locations so the warehouse does not gradually return to several incompatible naming systems.
Sources used for this page
These records support the facts and comparisons above. Merchant-controlled records are labelled so you can separate product claims from independent evidence.
- inFlow sublocation documentation — Merchant documentation · inflowinventory.com · Merchant-controlled · checked 2026-09-24