diff --git a/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/item/data/RepositoryItemWriter.java b/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/item/data/RepositoryItemWriter.java
index 5f5d18e15..51b188f57 100644
--- a/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/item/data/RepositoryItemWriter.java
+++ b/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/item/data/RepositoryItemWriter.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2012-2019 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2012-2020 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -36,6 +36,8 @@ import org.springframework.util.MethodInvoker;
  * </p>
  *
  * <p>
+ * By default, this writer will use {@link CrudRepository#saveAll(Iterable)}
+ * to save items, unless another method is selected with {@link #setMethodName(java.lang.String)}.
  * It depends on {@link org.springframework.data.repository.CrudRepository#saveAll(Iterable)}
  * method to store the items for the chunk.  Performance will be determined by that
  * implementation more than this writer.
@@ -107,6 +109,11 @@ public class RepositoryItemWriter<T> implements ItemWriter<T>, InitializingBean
 		if (logger.isDebugEnabled()) {
 			logger.debug("Writing to the repository with " + items.size() + " items.");
 		}
+		
+		if (this.methodName == null) {
+			this.repository.saveAll(items);
+			return;
+		}
 
 		MethodInvoker invoker = createMethodInvoker(repository, methodName);
 
@@ -122,6 +129,12 @@ public class RepositoryItemWriter<T> implements ItemWriter<T>, InitializingBean
 	@Override
 	public void afterPropertiesSet() throws Exception {
 		Assert.state(repository != null, "A CrudRepository implementation is required");
+		if (this.methodName != null) {
+			Assert.hasText(this.methodName, "methodName must not be empty.");
+		}
+		else {
+			logger.debug("No method name provided, CrudRepository.saveAll will be used.");
+		}
 	}
 
 
diff --git a/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/item/data/builder/RepositoryItemWriterBuilder.java b/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/item/data/builder/RepositoryItemWriterBuilder.java
index da0109094..882b2dd64 100644
--- a/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/item/data/builder/RepositoryItemWriterBuilder.java
+++ b/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/item/data/builder/RepositoryItemWriterBuilder.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2017-2018 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2017-2020 the original author or authors.
  *
  *  Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  *  you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -19,6 +19,9 @@ package org.springframework.batch.item.data.builder;
 
 import java.lang.reflect.Method;
 
+import org.apache.commons.logging.Log;
+import org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory;
+
 import org.springframework.batch.item.data.RepositoryItemWriter;
 import org.springframework.cglib.proxy.Enhancer;
 import org.springframework.cglib.proxy.MethodInterceptor;
@@ -36,6 +39,8 @@ import org.springframework.util.Assert;
  */
 public class RepositoryItemWriterBuilder<T> {
 
+	private static final Log logger = LogFactory.getLog(RepositoryItemWriterBuilder.class.getName());
+
 	private CrudRepository<T, ?> repository;
 
 	private String methodName;
@@ -104,12 +109,16 @@ public class RepositoryItemWriterBuilder<T> {
 			this.repository = this.repositoryMethodReference.getRepository();
 		}
 
-		Assert.hasText(this.methodName, "methodName is required.");
 		Assert.notNull(this.repository, "repository is required.");
 
 		RepositoryItemWriter<T> writer = new RepositoryItemWriter<>();
-		writer.setMethodName(this.methodName);
 		writer.setRepository(this.repository);
+		if (this.methodName != null) {
+			Assert.hasText(this.methodName, "methodName must not be empty.");
+			writer.setMethodName(this.methodName);
+		} else {
+			logger.debug("No method name provided, CrudRepository.saveAll will be used.");
+		}
 		return writer;
 	}
 
diff --git a/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/item/data/RepositoryItemWriterTests.java b/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/item/data/RepositoryItemWriterTests.java
index 681ac5cd9..867377a4d 100644
--- a/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/item/data/RepositoryItemWriterTests.java
+++ b/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/item/data/RepositoryItemWriterTests.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2013-2014 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2013-2020 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -15,7 +15,9 @@
  */
 package org.springframework.batch.item.data;
 
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
 import static org.junit.Assert.fail;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.never;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.verify;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.verifyZeroInteractions;
 
@@ -56,6 +58,17 @@ public class RepositoryItemWriterTests {
 			fail();
 		} catch (IllegalStateException e) {
 		}
+
+		writer.setRepository(repository);
+		writer.setMethodName("");
+
+		try {
+			writer.afterPropertiesSet();
+			fail("Expected IllegalArgumentException");
+		} catch (IllegalArgumentException e) {
+			// expected
+			assertEquals("Wrong message for exception: " + e.getMessage(), "methodName must not be empty.", e.getMessage());
+		}
 	}
 
 	@Test
@@ -74,5 +87,16 @@ public class RepositoryItemWriterTests {
 		writer.write(items);
 
 		verify(repository).save("foo");
+		verify(repository, never()).saveAll(items);
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void testWriteItemsWithDefaultMethodName() throws Exception {
+		List<String> items = Collections.singletonList("foo");
+
+		writer.setMethodName(null);
+		writer.write(items);
+
+		verify(repository).saveAll(items);
 	}
 }
diff --git a/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/item/data/builder/RepositoryItemWriterBuilderTests.java b/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/item/data/builder/RepositoryItemWriterBuilderTests.java
index 705f08aff..e529daae6 100644
--- a/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/item/data/builder/RepositoryItemWriterBuilderTests.java
+++ b/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/item/data/builder/RepositoryItemWriterBuilderTests.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2017 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2017-2020 the original author or authors.
  *
  *  Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  *  you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ import static org.mockito.Mockito.verify;
 
 /**
  * @author Glenn Renfro
+ * @author Mahmoud Ben Hassine
  */
 public class RepositoryItemWriterBuilderTests {
 	@Mock
@@ -58,15 +59,18 @@ public class RepositoryItemWriterBuilderTests {
 	}
 
 	@Test
-	public void testEmptyMethodName() throws Exception {
+	public void testEmptyMethodName() {
 		try {
-			new RepositoryItemWriterBuilder<String>().repository(this.repository).build();
+			new RepositoryItemWriterBuilder<String>()
+					.repository(this.repository)
+					.methodName("")
+					.build();
 
 			fail("IllegalArgumentException should have been thrown");
 		}
 		catch (IllegalArgumentException iae) {
 			assertEquals("IllegalArgumentException message did not match the expected result.",
-					"methodName is required.", iae.getMessage());
+					"methodName must not be empty.", iae.getMessage());
 		}
 	}