Order Management Solutions: Unlocking Omnichannel Commerce Potential

Order management solutions help companies track and fulfill customer orders from start to end. An order management solution (OMS) supports key front- and back-office processes in sales channels such as online, in-store and phone orders. It serves as the central hub for order data by integrating with e-commerce platforms, ERP, warehouses and shipping providers. Both B2B and B2C enterprises rely on order management solutions to boost efficiency across the order process and ease supply chain management.

Why Order Management Software Solution Matters 

In an omnichannel environment, enterprises can receive orders from numerous sources — online stores, brick-and-mortar outlets, sales reps or EDI partners. Managing these omnichannel orders can quickly turn chaotic without a centralized OMS, leading to inaccuracies, delays in the supply chain and poor customer experiences. 

Order management software solutions help enterprises by:

• Syncing order data across channels into a single version of truth
• Mapping efficient fulfillment workflows to speed up order processing
• Integrating with warehouse and inventory management software, ERPs, accounting software and shipping providers
• Providing dashboard visibility into real-time order status and tracking
• Delivering analytics around cycle times, costs and bottlenecks

How Order Management Works and Provides Value 

A customer places an order. Order capture modules within OMS record all transaction details. Workflows route the order data to pick/pack warehouse modules and on to logistics integrations that enable shipment and delivery. The OMS stores order histories and captures payment, updating accounting systems. Recommendation engines upsell complementary products. Alerts notify customers of order status changes via their channel of purchase — website, email, text, etc. Dashboards give real-time visibility across every order. And the whole automated process repeats at immense scales, thanks to the streamlined order flows choreographed by the OMS.

The result is faster order fulfillment, reduced manual efforts, lower shipping costs due to rate shoppers, increased sales and revenue with upsells, happier customers, and actionable data insights — all from a centralized order hub enabling efficient omnichannel order orchestration.

Why Cloud-Based Order Management 

While early OMS software required on-premise installation, cloud-hosted order management solutions have disrupted the industry with lower cost and easier maintenance than legacy solutions. The benefits of cloud OMS include:

Rapid Deployment: Cloud OMS setup only takes days or weeks versus months for on-premise. There is no need for companies to manage hardware installation and updates either.

Agility and Flexibility: It’s easier to configure cloud solutions as business needs change rather than waiting on IT delivery schedules. Scaling to handle spikes in order volumes is also quicker with the cloud.

Cost Efficiency: Pay-as-you-go cloud subscription models involve no large upfront license purchase costs. There are also fewer IT resources needed for hardware and software maintenance worries.

Enhanced Collaboration: With grants-based user access controls, global teams can securely collaborate on order management and fulfillment workflows within a cloud solution.

The advantages of rapid rollout times, flexible customization and usage-based cost models are making cloud-based order management systems massively popular for modern enterprises both large and small. Implementing a high-functioning, cloud-based order management system is a must for businesses to profit in an omnichannel commerce landscape.

Evaluation Criteria for Order Management Systems 

Not all order management solutions are made equal. Enterprises therefore need to take into consideration the following key capabilities for evaluation:

• Cloud-native vs. legacy client-server model
• Pre-built integrations with major e-commerce platforms, ERPs and logistics providers
• Rule-based order processing workflows
• Inventory visibility across warehouses
• CRM connectivity to centralize customer data
• Mobile order tracking and status alerts
• Configurable dashboards and reporting

Conclusion 

Order management plays an indispensable role in order orchestration. Order management solutions help enterprises centralize the order process for consistency across channels. OMS remains essential for managing evermore complex fulfillment workflows. When leveraged fully, order management solutions can help enterprises reduce errors, delays and costs while accelerating delivery times with end-to-end supply chain visibility — ultimately boosting customer lifetime value. For any merchant shipping products to customers, implementing a high-functioning OMS provides operational scalability.