4 Warehouse Garment Storage Solutions to Simplify Processing & Meet Customer Expectations

Streamline Costs & Fulfillment Activity with Perfect-Fit Garment Storage Solutions

As online shopping surges and customers seek fast personalized fulfillment, garment retailers are under pressure to meet demand while delivering a superior customer experience. However, individual orders hinge on item picking…a traditionally high-cost function with accuracy challenges. Using the right mix of warehouse garment storage solutions can streamline that process, enhance accuracy, protect inventory, and keep your customers coming back! 

A recent retrofit project serves as a good guide into some clever garment storage solutions, dare we say “tailor-made” for effective clothing and accessories order fulfillment.

From Bulk Storage to Garment-on-Hanger – A Retrofit Project

An Apex customer recently added a new business segment focusing on formal wear. Items such as suit coats and vests benefit from hanging storage to prevent wrinkles and creases… enter the garment-on-hanger (GOH) storage rack. The Apex team converted a section of the warehouse to GOH, optimizing the space for hanging garments, protecting the clothing from damage, and streamlining the order-picking process.

GOH Benefits:

• Minimizes the need for folding, packing, and unpacking
• Protects delicate fabrics from creasing
• Speeds up the distribution process
• Significantly reduces labor costs & handling time

GOH preserves the quality of garments, ensuring they arrive in wear-ready condition—reducing the need for ironing or additional preparation. Moreover, the visual accessibility of items on hangers allows for better inventory management and quicker order fulfillment—crucial for adapting to fast-changing fashion trends, seasonal demands, and consumer preferences. 

Garment-on-Hanger Rack Project Photos

How About Storage for Folded Inventory?

The same customer uses carton flow rack for folded clothing items. Carton flow consolidates single items, cartons, and tote-stored inventory into a concentrated pick area. It is a dynamic system using wheels or rollers set on a pitch to flow goods from a rear load position to the opposite pick aisle. Carton flow keeps SKUs in orderly lanes to make finding the right item faster and improve pick accuracy.

For this customer application, eaches are in perforated boxes for easy access. The carton flow rack depth allows several boxes of each SKU to automatically replenish the pick aisle as boxes are emptied and removed.

Carton flow rack supports FIFO (First-In/First-Out) inventory rotation, which benefits the continual inventory turnover and seasonality inherent in clothing storage. Carton flow systems can be stand-alone units, have full pallet storage above, or be part of a pick module setup.

Key Features and Benefits

• Versatility — accommodates a wide range of products, from small items to bulkier goods
• Space Optimization –– Consolidate up to 40 SKU lanes per storage bay
• Improved Efficiency – Increase pick rates and accuracy with optimized accessible storage levels
• Lower Labor Costs – Significantly reduce the labor required by eliminating travel time
• Minimize Worker Strain — Reduce manual handling and bending, promoting better ergonomic positioning for warehouse staff

Carton flow allows retailers to fulfill small batches and personalized orders cost-effectively. The convenient, consolidated rack levels provide easy access to a wide selection of SKUs without costly search time or manual handling. With items automatically replenished to the pick face, warehouse staff can fulfill orders quickly and efficiently, reducing picking times and improving throughput.

Accurate order fulfillment is also essential in retail operations to maintain customer satisfaction and minimize costly returns. Carton flow rack reduces mis-picks, misplacements, and stockouts by organizing SKUs by lane and presenting items in an easy-to-see, accessible manner. Adding drop trays to the pick aisle side of the flow racking lets you adjust the angle of the items to make them easier to see and select. Items can be stored individually or in boxes, bins, or totes. Carton flow rack is durable and has a significant load capacity accommodating a high volume of inventory.

Additionally, carton flow provides a complete edge-to-edge design of wheels or roller tracks, enabling quick SKU slotting and reprofiling to meet seasonality changes. Whether assembling customized collections or processing single garment selections, flow rack enables retailers to manage diverse inventory assortments and respond rapidly to changing customer preferences.

Unit Storage Solutions for Garment Distribution

GOH is great for hanging items, and carton flow rack is ideal for smooth packaging that flows easily along the flow tracks… but not every product meets that specification. The good news is that Apex has storage options to meet all your needs. 

• Bin Storage Units
• Industrial Shelving

Bin Storage Units

A clever high-density storage solution for single-item storage includes bin storage units. These units are suspended fabric panels that mount underneath your pallet rack in what would typically be reserved for floor- and first-level pallet storage. Each unit is divided into storage slots. A range of sizes and depths accommodates a broad spectrum of inventory specs. 

The vertical panels glide side-to-side, revealing multiple layers of storage units that together create an organized, high-density solution. Items are conveniently picked to a cart, walkie, or pallet jack. With a significantly increased SKU density of up to 60% compared to standard rack systems, this concentrated pick area reduces travel and search-related labor costs by as much as 40%.

Industrial Shelving

Industrial shelving offers an alternative storage solution, often suited for items with slower turnover rates. However, its compatibility with your retail products depends on the risk of damage. While carton flow and cloth bin storage are gentle options, ideal for high-end and fabric items, metal shelving may pose a risk of tears or pulls for items not secured in boxes or totes.

Once you’ve determined the best storage solution for your retail space, the next step is to design a customized system that maximizes efficiency and meets your unique requirements. The Apex team is experienced in rack system design and can create a layout that optimizes your space while facilitating smooth product flow in conjunction with your existing infrastructure. 

The Apex team will work with you to customize your storage mix to match your unique inventory storage and fulfillment needs.

Assessment Factors 

• Inventory Type & Volume
• Facility Space/Layout
• Turnover Rate
• Existing Storage Systems

These factors will help determine whether carton flow, bin storage, GOH system, industrial shelving, or a combination of the four best align with your operational goals and effectively address pain points such as inefficient picking processes, limited space utilization, or inventory management challenges.

Technology Integration for Garment Storage

The future of warehousing and distribution is quickly shifting to automated technologies to manage many challenges, from speed to expanding SKU lines, rising costs, and scarce labor. The Apex team can help configure the best order-picking solution to satisfy your processing goals. From autonomous mobile robots that run high-volume, multi-shift applications to a complex pick module integrating carton flow and automated conveyor. We thoroughly evaluate your needs and customize a cost-effective solution.

Order Picking & Automation

• Picking technologies
  • Pick-to-light
  • Voice & vision-directed picking
• AMRs (autonomous mobile robots)
• Robotic picking arms
• Conveyor-based sorting solutions

By embracing technology integration, retailers can stay ahead of the curve and reach productivity goals.

Apex offers full-service support, from evaluating your operational needs to custom design and implementation. Our expert installation teams ensure your solutions are constructed with safety and reliability in mind. Contact our team for a consultation and evaluation to get started!