Warehouse Performance: Metrics and Improvements Every D2C Brand Should Know

Warehouse performance has become a defining factor for direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands competing in an era where customers expect next-day delivery and seamless order experiences. The most successful D2C businesses are those that can scale quickly while maintaining exceptional accuracy and control over their fulfilment operations. 

Improving warehouse performance begins with understanding how effectively your warehouse runs day to day, then using that data to set meaningful goals. 

In this article, we explore how D2C businesses can benchmark, measure, and optimise warehouse operations using data-led strategies and insights drawn from industry benchmarks—and how Descartes Peoplevox helps them achieve it. 

1. What Does Warehouse Performance Mean Today?
2. How to Measure Warehouse Performance?
3. Benchmarking Your Warehouse Performance
4. How to Improve Receiving and Putaway Accuracy?
5. How to Improve Picking and Fulfilment Efficiency?
6. How to Calculate Warehouse Efficiency?
7. Why Does Continuous Improvement Matter?
8. How Our WMS Helps You Improve Warehouse Performance
9. The Role of Data and Benchmarking in the Future of Warehouse Performance
10. Key Takeaways

Warehouse performance reflects how well a business uses its space, workforce, and technology to fulfil orders accurately and on time. In a D2C environment, performance is about agility as much as speed. 

Modern warehouses must handle fluctuating order volumes, high product diversity, and fast-changing consumer expectations. It’s not simply about dispatching as many orders as possible—it’s about doing so consistently, cost-effectively, and in a way that enhances the customer experience. 

For D2C businesses, the warehouse is an extension of the brand promise. Every accurate and timely delivery builds trust, while each delay or error risks undermining

Warehouse optimisation starts with clarity. Without accurate insight into performance, it’s impossible to know where to focus efforts. Data allows teams to see what’s working well and where resources may be wasted. 

Some of the most important warehouse performance indicators include order accuracy, picking productivity, dock-to-stock time, space utilisation, inventory accuracy, and dispatch reliability. These metrics provide a balanced view of operational efficiency—from inbound processing through to outbound fulfilment. This insight is essential for anyone looking to understand how to improve warehouse operations, because it shows exactly where delays, errors, or bottlenecks begin. 

By tracking and analysing performance trends, warehouse leaders can identify patterns, uncover inefficiencies, and make informed adjustments. For example, measuring how long items take to move from goods-in to storage highlights potential delays at receiving, while tracking orders picked per hour helps gauge workforce productivity.

Performance data becomes far more powerful when viewed in context. Benchmarking allows D2C businesses to compare their own metrics against industry standards, revealing where their operations stand in relation to peers. 

For warehouse leaders, this visibility turns data into direction. It shows whether their fulfilment accuracy is competitive, whether dispatch times align with customer expectations, and where investment in process improvement could make the greatest impact. 

Benchmarking also brings accountability. When teams can see how performance measures up against clear, external standards, it encourages focus and pride in improvement. 

The 2025 Descartes Warehouse Performance Benchmark Report provides valuable insight for ecommerce and D2C operations, highlighting how leading businesses structure their warehouses for performance. The report explores average benchmarks across key operational metrics, outlines trends driving modernisation, and shares actionable recommendations to improve throughput, accuracy, and scalability. 

Many warehouse inefficiencies begin at the point of receipt. When products are miscounted, mislabelled, or misplaced, the impact ripples through the entire fulfilment process. For D2C brands, where product turnover is fast and SKUs change regularly, getting this step right is critical. 

Efficient receiving ensures that every item entering the warehouse is accounted for and located precisely where it should be. Peoplevox supports this through real-time data capture, allowing staff to scan incoming stock as soon as it arrives. The Descartes system automatically updates quantities and locations, giving full visibility of available inventory without delay. 

Structured putaway processes guided by a warehouse management system (WMS) ensure goods are stored efficiently, reducing travel time and maximising available space. This visibility prevents stock discrepancies later in the fulfilment cycle and ensures pickers always know exactly where to find every item. 

Picking is often where the majority of time and labour are spent, making it one of the most important areas to refine. For D2C businesses handling thousands of small orders daily, even a minor improvement in picking speed or accuracy can deliver a significant impact. 

Best-in-class fulfilment operations use technology to reduce unnecessary movement, eliminate manual errors, and prioritise high-value or time-sensitive orders. Peoplevox enables this by combining mobile scanning, dynamic task assignment, and real-time visibility of order status. 

Wave or zone-based picking can help reduce travel time, while the WMS can automatically group similar orders or direct pickers along the most efficient routes. The result is faster, more accurate fulfilment—especially vital during peak periods when order volumes surge. 

Efficiency is best understood as the relationship between actual performance and what your warehouse can achieve under optimal conditions. For teams exploring how to improve warehouse efficiency, understanding the gap between real output and ideal capacity is the foundation for long-term improvement. 

A simple calculation—comparing real output to expected capacity—can reveal whether your operation is working at full potential or falling short. 

Peoplevox’s reporting tools make this process effortless. The Descartes system tracks performance metrics automatically, presenting clear visual dashboards that highlight trends and anomalies. Managers can monitor throughput, identify underperforming areas, and use this data to refine layout, staffing, or workflows. 

Once visibility improves, decision-making becomes more precise. Instead of guessing where time or labour is lost, businesses can take targeted action that leads to measurable gains in both speed and accuracy. 

High-performing D2C operations treat performance improvement as an ongoing discipline rather than a single project. The most successful teams regularly review their data, test small process changes, and measure the impact. 

This iterative approach builds long-term efficiency without major disruption. For example, minor adjustments to pick path design or storage allocation can compound into significant savings over time. By fostering a culture of continuous evaluation and refinement, warehouses maintain agility and resilience as order volumes grow. 

Peoplevox is a WMS built specifically for fast-moving D2C brands. It gives operations teams full visibility of every order, item, and staff movement across the warehouse, helping them improve performance and scale with confidence. 

The Descartes solution’s mobile-first design allows teams to work faster and with greater precision, scanning items at every stage to maintain accuracy from goods-in to dispatch. Real-time dashboards present performance data clearly, helping managers monitor productivity, spot inefficiencies, and measure improvements as they happen. 

Peoplevox’s configurable workflows adapt to seasonal peaks, team changes, and business growth, ensuring the system evolves alongside your operation. By integrating directly with major ecommerce platforms, it bridges the gap between front-end orders and back-end fulfilment—keeping customer promises on track. 

Watch how our solution transforms warehouse operations in practice in this short video: 

The future of D2C fulfilment will depend on data-driven decision-making. As customer expectations and operational complexity continue to rise, real-time visibility will become the foundation of every high-performing warehouse. 

Benchmarking adds an extra layer of context, helping businesses understand how their internal improvements compare with wider industry progress. Together, these tools enable D2C brands to remain competitive, scalable, and consistently reliable. 

To see how your warehouse measures up, explore the 2025 Descartes Warehouse Performance Benchmark Report, which offers performance data, best practices, and insights drawn from top-performing operations. 

• Strong warehouse performance directly impacts customer satisfaction and profitability.
• Benchmarking provides context for improvement and helps guide operational strategy.
• Consistent data analysis supports continuous optimisation across all warehouse processes.

Book a demo today to see how you can transform your warehouse into a scalable, data-led performance engine.