The New Rules for a Successful Order Management System

Order Management is more important than ever. Customers’ patience for delayed shipping, lost orders, or outrageous shipping costs are non-existent when so many other online retailers are competing for their business. Success in order management means that every pillar of the system is working properly and that your OMS supports the modern features customers call for.

BOPIS and Ship-from-Store

Order Management Systems used to be about picking-and-packing to make sure that an online order made it from website purchase to a customer’s door. It is no longer competitive to utilize an OMS that just gets orders where they need to go in a reasonable timeframe. According to The Forrester Wave Omnichannel Order Management Newsletter, 40% of U.S. shoppers surveyed feel that “Buy Online, Pick-up In-store” (BOPIS) capabilities are necessary for sites that run both online and brick-and-mortar operations. Additionally, ship-from-store capabilities are noted by the report as a top crucial feature for online retailers – as it saves on warehouse space and overstocking items.

See how SmartStock360 can integrate with physical store POS systems to achieve BOPIS and ship-from-store capabilities. >>

This can be a challenge for retailers that are running on outdated OMS. In-store pick-up and accepting online returns in-store requires a company’s eCommerce, warehouse and on-site operations to communicate back-and-forth; automation is key to reduce errors and man-hours necessary to achieve this goal.

The Customer Relationship with Order Management

Modern Order Management Systems serve the customer just as much as they benefit the retailer. The ability to promise pre-orders and receive back-orders when available is noted as a top priority for online shoppers, according to the Forrester Report. Additional necessities for U.S. shoppers are:

• View of order status and order tracking, with estimated ship date
• Order cancellation abilities
• Split shipment capabilities
• Fraud screening
• Cross-channel returns

Agility and Growth

Without an agile, modern OMS, these features may seem like a pipe dream. Finding an order management system that can grow with you and return on your investment for years to come is vital to staying competitive now and in the future. Customer expectations will continue to grow, and the ability to meet and exceed these expectations will define the success of your online commerce business for the future.

Your strategic vision should extend beyond what the customers are asking for at this moment. Finding an open-source order management system that can support new integrations for unforeseen niche advantages, whether your system is brand new or years old, will make the return-on-investment grow exponentially. Home-grown and legacy solutions often do not have this advantage, as they are disparate systems and siloed at each crucial phase of the ordering process. Find a system that integrates sales, fulfillment, warehouse management, vendor management, shipping, and reporting on one platform for the best chance at growing your sales and revenue.

To find out why SkuNexus is the OMS for future-facing businesses, contact us for a free demo and analysis of your order management processes.