Overview
Luminous resolves where to pull inventory from for outbound orders through a three-layer chain:
- Picking locations — the specific bin(s) inside a warehouse flagged as picking bins
- Default Picking Warehouse — the warehouse inside a warehouse group that Luminous uses by default
- Default Warehouse Group — the warehouse group used tenant-wide when no explicit routing applies
A fallback Default Shipping Location can also be set per-warehouse; it is used only when no picking bin can be found for a SKU.
All three layers must be configured correctly before Luminous can reliably route stock deductions on outbound orders.
Step 1 — Mark bin locations as picking locations
- Go to Manage → Locations.
- Select the warehouse from the Select a Warehouse dropdown.
- Check the box next to one or more bin locations.
- Click Set as picking location (appears when at least one bin is checked) and choose Picking.
- To remove the flag, repeat the steps and choose Not picking instead.
Alternatively, when creating or editing a single bin (via New Location or the three-dot Edit Location menu), check the Pick location checkbox in the form and save.
A ✔ icon appears in the Picking column next to every bin that has been flagged.
Step 2 — Set the Default Picking Warehouse on the warehouse group
- From the Locations page, click Warehouse Groups, or navigate there directly from the Locations menu.
- Open the warehouse group you want to configure (create one if needed).
- In the Warehouse Assignment section, confirm the correct warehouses are listed under Warehouses.
- Set the Default Picking Warehouse dropdown to the warehouse that contains your picking bins.
- Click Submit to save.
This tells Luminous which warehouse's picking bins to use when fulfilling orders routed through this group.
Step 3 — Confirm the Default Warehouse Group in Inventory Settings
- Go to Settings → Inventory Settings.
- Under the Default Warehouse Group fieldset, select the warehouse group you configured in Step 2.
- Save the settings.
This sets the tenant-wide default that Luminous falls back to when an order has no explicit warehouse group routing.
Step 4 (Optional) — Set a Default Shipping Location as a fallback
If Luminous cannot find a picking location assigned to a SKU, it will fall back to the Default Shipping Location of the warehouse.
- In Manage → Locations, select the warehouse.
- On the bin you want as the fallback, click the three-dot menu on the right.
- Choose Set as Default Shipping Location and confirm.
A location icon (📍) next to the bin name indicates it is a default location.
Note: Luminous deducts from the SKU's specific picking bin first. The default shipping location is only used when no picking bin is found for that SKU.
Settings checklist before enabling
Before relying on picking location routing for live outbound orders, verify each of the following:
| Check | Where to verify |
|---|---|
| At least one bin per warehouse is marked as a picking location | Manage → Locations (look for the ✔ in the Picking column) |
| The warehouse group has a Default Picking Warehouse selected | Locations → Warehouse Groups → Edit group |
| The correct warehouse group is set as the Default Warehouse Group | Settings → Inventory Settings |
| A Default Shipping Location is set on the warehouse (fallback) | Manage → Locations → three-dot menu on a bin |
| The Warehouse Group Pick and Pack setting matches your deduction workflow | Locations → Warehouse Groups → Edit group → Group Options |
Pick and Pack mode
The Warehouse Group Pick and Pack option in the warehouse group controls when inventory is actually deducted:
- Automatic — stock is deducted as soon as the connected sales channel marks the order as shipped. No further action needed in Luminous.
- Manual — stock is only deducted when a picklist is completed and shipped inside Luminous (or PickFlow). Choose this if your team physically picks and confirms each order.
Make sure this is set to the mode that matches your warehouse's workflow before going live.
Troubleshooting
- Inventory deducted from the wrong bin — confirm the correct bins are flagged as picking locations and that the warehouse group's Default Picking Warehouse points to the right warehouse.
- No picking location found error — ensure at least one bin in the relevant warehouse has the picking flag set.
- Orders routing to the wrong warehouse group — check the Default Warehouse Group in Inventory Settings, and review any channel-level warehouse group assignments under Manage → Channels.