Multi-layered kitting

ShipBob’s kitting experience was built for simple product bundles. Supporting larger merchants meant evolving it for more complex fulfillment workflows while accounting for flexibility that’s needed to accommodate different merchant requirements.

Team

I collaborated with product, merchant success, operations, and engineering.

Role

I collaborated with product on strategy, and led design and testing (in person and remote).

Impact

Launched in beta with a high-value merchant, reducing error rates from 5% to <1% and increasing SLA achievement from 91.2% to 98.5%.

Our multi-layer kitting product spanned both merchant-facing and fulfillment center experiences. On the merchant side, users could create reusable templates that combined multiple SKUs into a single parent SKU, then use those templates to quickly create and submit work orders. On the operator side, the product introduced a structured, standardized workflow for assembling these complex kits, bringing greater consistency and quality control to processes that had previously varied significantly from merchant to merchant.

To shape the solution, I spoke directly with merchants and our Merchant Success team to understand their needs and pain points, then spent time on-site at our Dallas–Fort Worth fulfillment center observing operators and learning how kitting was handled in practice.

For users that had multi-layered kitting enabled, they would see the option to build a multi-layered kit in addition to the existing, standard kitting option.

For users that had multi-layered kitting enabled, they would see the option to build a multi-layered kit in addition to the existing, standard kitting option.

When a user enters into the multi-layered kitting experience, they can create a work order using existing templates, or create a new one.

When a user enters into the multi-layered kitting experience, they can create a work order using existing templates, or create a new one.

When creating a new template, a user is taken into a full-screen stepper experience that guides them through the process.

When creating a new template, a user is taken into a full-screen stepper experience that guides them through the process.

As opposed to early versions of this experience where we asked merchants to take on complex, time consuming work, we're just asking them for their existing planogram and instructions documents, which we're then translating into standardized, ShipBob

As opposed to early versions of this experience where we asked merchants to take on complex, time consuming work, we're just asking them for their existing planogram and instructions documents, which we're then translating into standardized, ShipBob documents.

One template = one pallet, so when multiple pallets are identified in the planogram, we flag that for the user, indicating to them that this process will result in multiple new templates.

One template = one pallet, so when multiple pallets are identified in the planogram, we flag that for the user, indicating to them that this process will result in multiple new templates.

We also had to account for the scenario where we have no record of the SKU as on-hand iventory.

We also had to account for the scenario where we have no record of the SKU as on-hand iventory.

On this step, the user is reviewing the standardized, ShipBob planogram that our associates in the fulfillment center will see to ensure it meets their requirements. After reviewing the planogram (and instructions on the next step) the user reviews a

On this step, the user is reviewing the standardized, ShipBob planogram that our associates in the fulfillment center will see to ensure it meets their requirements. After reviewing the planogram (and instructions on the next step) the user reviews and creates the template.

Seen here is an example of the mobile experience we equipped operators with. This QC experience "productized" something that was extremely loose: a user just spot checking without any record of the work.

Seen here is an example of the mobile experience we equipped operators with. This QC experience "productized" something that was extremely loose: a user just spot checking without any record of the work.

Process

Frame

ShipBob’s existing kitting experience was designed for simple product bundles, but larger merchants required significantly more complex workflows. I framed the challenge around how we could support that complexity without creating an experience that was equally complex to configure and operate.

Discover

I spent time in fulfillment centers observing complex kitting firsthand and learning from the Operations teams executing these workflows. I also spoke with Merchant Success about recurring challenges and with merchants directly about their needs. Together, these perspectives revealed the complexity and variability our solution needed to support.

Explore & define

I translated what we learned into a flexible model that could accommodate a wide range of merchants without adding operational complexity. Working with Product and Engineering, we mapped workflows, identified common patterns, and defined the core capabilities that would become the foundation of multi-layered kitting.

Design & deliver

I brought the experience to life through detailed designs and prototypes, testing with merchants and internal teams and iterating on what we learned. I partnered closely with Engineering throughout development, refining the experience through production and into beta release for one merchant.