My Task — Work Comes to You
Picks, stacking, counts, expiry checks and put-backs are handed out in the priority order you set. A task untouched for 15 seconds moves to the next associate.
Quick Commerce · Dark Stores
Dark Store Operations, Run to the Minute
PDS WMS runs the dark store the way quick commerce needs it — every order on a dispatch clock, every associate handed the next task by the system, and every unit traced from the DC that sent it to the doorstep it reached.
Walkthrough on a live dark store with your own items and order types · No obligation
One app for the DC and every dark store — scan with Zebra handhelds, the phone camera or any wedge scanner.
15 minDispatch target per order, set per store
15 sTo accept a task before it moves to the next person
200Stores’ worth of traffic load-tested with zero errors
1 appFor the DC and every dark store it feeds
From the DC to the doorstep — and back
Six steps, one stock ledger. The system hands out the work at each step, so the store lead manages exceptions instead of chasing people.
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1
Replenish
The DC's replenishment order is picked and dispatched; the store's purchase order appears the moment it leaves.
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2
Receive & Stack
One tap receives the load. Stacking goes out by priority, bin by bin, with a reason for every short put-away.
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3
Order In
Each order is checked against stock on hand minus reserved, split by pick type and started on its dispatch clock.
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4
Pick to Crate
Associates scan item and crate; earliest expiry comes first and expired stock is never offered.
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5
Dispatch
A crate scan confirms dispatch from the bin the system chose. At-risk orders show in the last five minutes.
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6
Return & Refund
Returns come back per delivery executive with photos and reasons; the refund notice goes out at once.
Everything a dark store does in a shift — on one board
Built from the floor up for quick commerce: short dispatch windows, small shelves, fresh and frozen goods, and a team that works from a phone.
Store Board
Orders against target, associates, riders, the task queue and open alerts — on the lead's phone and on the website, with tasks moved or released in a tap.
Orders Against the Clock
Quick, slotted and internal orders, each with a hard stock check and a dispatch target per store type. Late orders raise an alert before the customer notices.
Scan-to-Crate Picking
Cart or crate, scan each unit or type a quantity. Earliest expiry first, a minimum shelf life per category, and the dispatch bin chosen by the system.
Replenishment from the DC
Inter-FC transfers with shortages and damages recorded against photos and reasons, approvals above tolerance, and anything in transit over two days flagged.
Priority Stacking
Stock is put away by priority group in tasks of up to ten items. A group paused too long raises an alert, so fast movers never wait in the back room.
Customer Returns & Refunds
Return windows per category, quarantine bins for damaged goods, chilled and frozen rules, and refund notices tracked until your order system acknowledges them.
Expiry, Freshness & Cold Chain
Daily expiry checks go out as tasks and near-expiry goods get a decision on the phone. Chilled and frozen goods carry temperature bands and dock-time limits.
Counts That Run Themselves
Fast movers and high-value items every seven days, the rest every thirty. Small differences post automatically; repeat losses are flagged.
Escalations & Approvals
Unacknowledged alerts climb a level on their own, large write-offs go to the FC admin, and time-bound access covers a lead's day off with an audit trail.
Zebra Scanners — or Any Scanner
Scan with Zebra handhelds, the phone camera, or keyboard-wedge and Bluetooth scanners. Other makes plug into the same scanner layer, not into every screen.
Reports & Productivity
Associate productivity, customer returns, near-expiry, assortment gaps, refund notices and delivery-executive shortages — in PDF, Excel or CSV.
Supplier ASN
Know what is arriving before it reaches the gate
Suppliers raise the advance shipment notice against your purchase order from their phone, so the dock knows what is coming, when, and in which vehicle.
- Suppliers use the WMS app — no website to learn — and see only their own open purchase orders.
- A photo of the invoice is read by AI: the PO number and the supplier's item codes fill the lines.
- Lines are matched to the open quantity, so part deliveries are normal, not exceptions.
- Clean notices confirm themselves; the rest wait for the DC manager, who is told by email.
- The gate finds the shipment by vehicle number, and a price more than 2% off the PO holds the invoice for the buyer.
Shipment notice · PO 24817From the supplier's phone
- Purchase order issuedRaised by the DC · 20 lines
- Invoice photographed18 of 20 lines read and matched
- Vehicle at the gateKA 01 AB 1234 · due 06:30
- Received against the POGRN posts to the stock ledger
WhatsApp Messaging
The right message, to the person who has to act
PDS WMS sends WhatsApp Business messages in wording your team approves — to suppliers, approvers and store leads — so nobody has to watch a screen to keep the chain moving.
- Suppliers get the purchase order and answer Confirm, Cannot Supply or Partial Supply in one tap.
- A delivery reminder the evening before, and a nudge an hour after a missed slot.
- Approvals waiting, unacknowledged P1 and P2 alerts, and a daily summary for each DC and dark store at its day end.
- Suppliers can send the invoice photo on WhatsApp and it becomes a shipment notice.
- Wording in English and Hindi, edited by your admin; each message is switched on once WhatsApp approves it.
Purchase orderPO 24817 — 20 lines, delivery tomorrow 06:00–08:00. Can you supply in full?
Partial Supply
How many units can you send?
180 of 200
Thank you — the DC will expect 180 units tomorrow.
Built for the people who keep a dark store moving
From the associate with the phone to the head of supply chain reading tomorrow's numbers.
Quick-Commerce Operators
Store Leads & Cluster Managers
Pickers & Stackers
Riders & Delivery Executives
Buyers & Category Heads
Suppliers
Built for minutes, not days
Every order runs on a dispatch clock, and the board shows what is at risk while there is still time to save it.
Rules, not reminders
Tasks are handed out, released and escalated by rules you set per store, so the lead manages exceptions instead of chasing people.
One ledger from DC to doorstep
The DC and every dark store post to the same stock ledger, so transfers, returns and write-offs always reconcile.
Questions operators ask us
What does a dark store WMS do that a regular WMS does not?
A dark store lives on minutes. PDS WMS puts every order on a dispatch clock, hands each associate the next task automatically, picks earliest-expiry first, and handles customer returns and refunds at store level — on a phone, not a desktop.
Do we need separate systems for the DC and the dark stores?
No. The DC and the dark stores run on one PDS WMS and one phone app. Each store is set up as a dark store or a DC, and task types are switched on per store.
How do associates know what to do next?
They sign in and are marked Available. The system offers the next task — a pick, stacking, a count, an expiry check — in the priority order you set. A task not started within 15 seconds moves to the next person, and the store lead sees it on the Store Board.
Can suppliers send advance shipment notices without a website login?
Yes. Suppliers use the WMS app to see their open purchase orders and raise a shipment notice by photographing the invoice. Once WhatsApp is switched on for your account, they can also send the invoice photo on WhatsApp.
Which WhatsApp messages can it send?
Purchase orders with Confirm, Cannot Supply or Partial Supply replies, delivery reminders, late-delivery nudges, approval requests, unacknowledged-alert escalations, daily summaries and handover codes. Each message uses wording approved by WhatsApp and is switched on one at a time.
Which scanners does it support?
Zebra Android handhelds through their built-in scanner, the phone's own camera on Android and iPhone, and keyboard-wedge or Bluetooth scanners. Scanning sits behind one scanner layer in the app, so another make — Honeywell, Datalogic or a ring scanner — is added once in that layer and works on every screen.
How many stores can it handle?
We load-tested the traffic of about 200 dark stores on entry-level servers with zero errors, and stopped the test there — the limit is higher. Each client also runs in its own database.
Does it connect to our order system?
Orders arrive through an API, and refund notices go back through one and are tracked until your system acknowledges them. We connect it to your order platform as part of the rollout.
See a dark store run on PDS WMS
Book a walkthrough and we will run an order from the DC's replenishment to the rider's crate — with your own items, order types and dispatch targets.
Free demo
Book your free PDS WMS for Dark Stores demo
Tell us a little about your team and we will set up a walkthrough using your own workflows and data.
- A guided walkthrough with the team that builds the product
- Configured around your real workflows, not a canned script
- No obligation — we reply within one business day