Best Order Management Software for Enterprise Retail: 5 Top OMS Solutions

Like most omnichannel retailers, end-of-the-season sales can be challenging—both for the retailer and their customers. A common problem is that many online products become unavailable despite being in stock at physical stores. Business losses like this remind retailers that order management software is no longer a back-office tool but a critical business success driver. By implementing a new OMS platform, retailers can often see a significant increase in online turnover in a relatively short period.

This is why choosing the right order management software is not just important—it’s essential. The statistics confirm it—forecasting a market value growth from $3.2 billion in 2023 to $6.1 billion by 2032, reflecting the increasing demand for solutions that drive efficiency and customer satisfaction.

Read on as we explore the five top OMS solutions available today, breaking down their features, benefits, and why they stand out in the competitive retail landscape.

What is order management software?

Order management software is a centralized system that manages orders, inventory, fulfillment, and returns across all sales channels. Its key features, such as those described below, help retailers eliminate manual processes.

Order processing and tracking

The order management platform automates the entire lifecycle of a customer order. It handles everything from placing an order to verifying inventory availability, preparing the order for shipment, updating the order status, and providing customers with real-time tracking information about their delivery.

Inventory management and visibility

While catering to multiple demand channels, keeping track of the stock levels for every product becomes extremely difficult. An inventory management system helps track inventory and prevents conflicting or unfulfillable orders.

This includes placing backorders for out-of-stock products (or preventing orders from being placed if they can’t be fulfilled), reserving goods added to a cart but not purchased yet, and automatically updating stock levels after each purchase.

Order fulfillment orchestration

Retailers often risk delayed shipments, costly split orders, and inefficient fulfillment choices while optimizing order fulfillment from various channels (e.g., online, in-store, and social commerce). The right order management system enables dynamic order routing based on location and inventory availability. This helps minimize costs, improve delivery speed, and increase customer loyalty.

Returns and refunds processing

Returns are an inevitable part of retail. However, with a seamless return process, you can guarantee that 92% of customers will return to buy from you. The order management process makes this possible by streamlining instant refunds with automated workflows and tools to capture return reasons. It enforces your business rules for refunds and exchanges to optimize reverse logistics.

Customer service tools

Whether your customers need to change a shipping address, check delivery status, look up order details, contact support, or share feedback, order management software brings it all to a single platform. It makes the order experience smooth, efficient, and hassle-free for your business and customers.

Process automation

With order management software, you can track inventory with scannable SKUs to automatically update stock levels when items are scanned. Plus, it centralizes customer data across sales channels like Amazon, eBay, and Shopify, making it easy to access everything in one place. Unlike individual platforms like Amazon, which only show their own sales performance, order management software gives you a complete view of all channels without the hassle of juggling spreadsheets.

Integration with other systems

With plug-and-play compatibility, modern order management systems connect effortlessly to third-party apps such as payment gateways, logistics providers, and commerce platforms—all without complex setups. These connections eliminate silos and enhance operational efficiency.

Benefits of using order management software for enterprises

Order management software offers numerous benefits for enterprises, helping them stay competitive and improve operations.

Increased conversion rates

With order management software, retailers can provide real-time inventory visibility and dynamic stock allocation across all sales channels. This way, customers see available products and enjoy flexible fulfillment options like ship-from-store (SFS) or buy-online-pickup-in-store (BOPIS), reducing abandoned carts.

Increased efficiency

Businesses can boost efficiency by automating order fulfillment processes, minimizing manual tasks, and optimizing inventory allocation to reduce split shipments. Streamlining these operations ensures faster processing and seamless multi-channel coordination, which enhances overall efficiency, saves time, and lowers costs.

Improved customer satisfaction

Order management systems improve the customer experience by enabling faster delivery, real-time order tracking, and flexible fulfillment options. Customers can choose the delivery or pickup method that suits them best, track their orders in real-time, and enjoy quicker turnarounds.

Reduced costs

An effective order management system reduces costs by cutting inventory-holding expenses through better stock management and avoiding overstocking. It optimizes shipping by routing orders through the most cost-effective fulfillment centers and supports dropshipping to eliminate the need for physical inventory. By preventing stockouts, businesses avoid costly rush orders and lost sales, all while improving overall operational efficiency.

Enhanced inventory visibility

Seamless integration with ERP, WMS, and e-commerce platforms enables real-time inventory tracking across all sales channels. Order management software ensures accurate stock levels by automatically updating product availability, optimizing stock distribution, and reducing the risk of stockouts and overselling.

Competitive advantage

Retailers can precisely meet customer expectations by offering features like real-time inventory updates, flexible fulfillment options, and faster delivery times. This ensures a seamless shopping experience, builds customer loyalty, and differentiates the brand in a crowded market, ultimately driving repeat business and setting the retailer apart from competitors.

Essential features of enterprise-grade order management software

Here are the key features every enterprise-grade order management software should have to meet modern retail demands.

Order management

An enterprise-grade order management software should simplify and centralize order management across all channels. Key features include:

• User-friendly interface: A user-friendly dashboard for tracking orders, making updates, processing cancellations, and monitoring the order lifecycle.
• Support for various order types: The ability to handle B2B, B2C, and subscription orders seamlessly within the same system.
• Omnichannel support: Integration with in-store systems, e-commerce platforms, and social commerce tools ensures consistency and flexibility for customers wherever they shop.

Inventory management

Efficient inventory management ensures product availability and avoids overstock or stockouts. Key features include:

• Real-time inventory visibility: Instant updates across all channels so customers and staff have accurate availability information.
• Inventory allocation and reservation: Intelligent tools to allocate stock to high-priority orders and reserve items for specific customers or channels.
• Demand forecasting and replenishment: Advanced analytics to predict demand trends and automate replenishment processes.
• Support for complex inventory networks: The ability to manage inventory across multiple warehouses, stores, and legacy systems. Seamless integrations with other platforms ensure smooth operations and data flow.

Fulfillment orchestration

Modern order management platforms must streamline fulfillment to meet customer expectations for speed and flexibility. Key features include:

• Distributed order management (DOM): Advanced capabilities to optimize inventory and fulfillment decisions across locations.
• Order routing and allocation logic: Intelligent algorithms allocate orders to the best fulfillment center or store based on location, inventory levels, and shipping cost.
• Support for various fulfillment methods: Options like SFS, BOPIS, and dropshipping allow businesses to offer flexible delivery solutions.

Returns and refunds

Handling returns and refunds efficiently is essential for customer satisfaction and operational efficiency. Key features include:

• Easy and efficient returns processing: Simplified workflows for processing returns and restocking inventory.
• Flexible refund options: Support for refunds in different formats (e.g., original payment method, store credit) to suit customer preferences.

Integrations

Strong order management software doesn’t operate in isolation; it integrates seamlessly with other critical enterprise systems. Key features include:

• Compatibility with ERP, WMS, CRM, and e-commerce platforms: Ensuring all systems communicate effectively for smooth operations.
• Real-time inventory updates: Synchronizing data across order management software and legacy systems to maintain accuracy and consistency.
• Enhanced customer support: Providing support teams real-time access to order and fulfillment information to better assist customers.

5 must-know order management software solutions for enterprise retail

Regarding enterprise retail, having the right order management system can make or break your operations. Here are five top order management solutions every retailer should know about, along with what makes each of them stand out.

1. fabric OMS

fabric OMS is a modern commerce platform designed to support the full lifecycle of commerce, from merchandising to fulfillment—all fully configurable without the need for a developer. Built for enterprise retail brands, fabric OMS is an AI-powered, cloud-native distributed order management (DOM) system that helps deliver superior fulfillment experiences to customers.

With its state-of-the-art, multi-tenant cloud architecture on AWS, fabric OMS offers a modular and scalable order orchestration solution that is more powerful, flexible, and cost-effective than ever. It supports modern distributed commerce models, including BOPIS, SFS, and store fulfillment.

fabric OMS provides enterprise-level inventory visibility with network aggregation and enables teams to stand up and update order fulfillment logic without writing code, reducing strain on developer resources. With fabric solutions, retailers can:

• Consolidate their order lifecycle into a single interface from legacy systems.
• Orchestrate new and innovative fulfillment experiences for customers.
• Reduce out-of-stock rates.
• Free up engineering resources to focus on other business-critical tasks.

fabric OMS reduces fulfillment costs by 3%, increases conversion rates by 30% with real-time inventory tracking, and improves sell-through with over 5 million orders serviced. With seamless integrations and easy configuration, it’s the ideal OMS for retailers seeking to automate processes, reduce costs, and enhance customer satisfaction.

Want more details? Check out the fabric OMS product page.

2. IBM Sterling

IBM Sterling offers a feature set that supports things ranging from inventory visibility to multi-enterprise collaboration. Large, complex retail organizations with significant operational needs can find this as an option. However, with its capabilities comes complexity and often a high cost of implementation. 

3. Kibo Order Management

Kibo is a commerce-first order management software that supports the buying journey from start to finish. Its simplicity and focus on retail make it an option for businesses that don’t need extensive distributed order management (DOM) capabilities. However, customer service issues and limited DOM features are potential drawbacks you’ll want to consider.

4. Manhattan Associates Active Omni Order Management

Manhattan Associates has a reputation for its features and customer support. It’s designed to tackle complex retail challenges, offering inventory management, fulfillment, and customer engagement capabilities. However, these features come at a price: expect high costs and a complex implementation process.

5. Fluent Commerce

Fluent Commerce specializes in inventory and order management capabilities, making it ideal for mid-size and large retailers. Its platform is flexible, but it’s worth noting that Fluent Commerce is a single-product company with limited modularity. However, the learning curve can be steep for first-time users.

Choose the right order management software for your enterprise: fabric

Investing in a robust order management system is no longer optional—it’s necessary for enterprises aiming to drive higher conversions, improve customer satisfaction, and streamline operations.

As you evaluate your options, keep these factors in mind:

• The size and complexity of your business
• Budget constraints
• Your specific requirements, such as fulfillment needs and integration capabilities
• Internal resources and expertise

fabric OMS stands out as the ideal solution for enterprise retail with its powerful features, flexible architecture, and seamless integrations. It is the only platform you need to simplify your operations, reduce costs, and deliver superior customer experiences.

Ready to see the difference fabric OMS can make for your business? Contact us for a personalized demo. Make the leap today and empower your business with the industry’s top order management solution!

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