To provide a method and a system for inventory placement according to expected item picking rates in which the method includes steps for obtaining an expected picking rate for each of a number of inventory items, and depending on the expected picking rate, selecting a corresponding one of a number of zones of an inventory storage area for each of the items.

Zones may be physically arranged in an inventory storage area so that a first innermost zone is successively and at least partially surrounded by one or more other zones. The method may further include steps for storing each of the items in the corresponding zones in such a manner that expected picking rates of members of a given group of items stored in a given zone are lower than the expected picking rates of respective members of the other group of items stored in a successive zone that at least partially surrounds the given zone.