If you’re selling products at scale today, chances are you need the best order management software you can get your hands on.
An OMS makes sure you’re staying on top of inventory, fulfilling special orders correctly, sending automated customer notifications, tracking payments in multiple currencies, and more, all while making sure you’re integrated with all your major suppliers.
Ditching the manual order management route for software helps you cut down on expenses and raise your profit margins by automating how you process orders. But this can only happen when you have the right OMS in place. If you’re looking for the best OMS to optimize your order processing workflow, this in-depth guide walks you through the best software out there as well as how to choose the right one for your business.
The Top 6 Best Order Management Software
- IBM Sterling Order Management – Best for self-correcting AI fulfillment
- Skubana – Best for multi-channel integration
- CommerceHub – Best for dropshipping sales models
- Magento – Best OMS for scaling
- Brightpearl – Best for retail and wholesale businesses
- ShipStation – Best for small businesses
Below, we discuss the best features, pricing, and additional details of each OMS to ensure you’re choosing the right order management solution. Use this guide to choose the best OMS for your business.
#1 – IBM Sterling Order Management — Best For Self-Correcting AI Fulfillment
- Built-in smart AI tool
- Precise order & inventory insight
- Customizable KPI alerts
- Robust cloud-based storage
Smart AI integrations can help you self-correct orders that need revision. IBM Sterling Order Management enables you to stay on top of order fulfillment at scale with the help of artificial intelligence.
IBM Sterling is a fitting OMS for businesses with more than 20 distribution centers and stores that need a smart system capable of showing them the fastest cost-effective fulfillment option for any given order.
Their AI capabilities don’t stop at finding optimal fulfillment solutions. With their self-correcting platform, IBM Sterling can manage high fulfillment volumes while minimizing supply chain errors and correlating data for better decision-making. The software is open to developers to optimize and create personalized data integrations for increased efficiency.
Some of IBM Sterling’s AI-informed features are:
- Up-to-the-minute insight on fulfillments and product inventory
- Timely KPI alerts to determine the health of your order process
- A centralized view of your inventory levels on an intuitive dashboard
- An extensive knowledge center to stay up to date on software updates and software usage
- It is cloud-based, meaning no need for tons of digital storage on your end
A hefty AI-informed OMS doesn’t usually come with a small price. So, if you’re an SMB or just starting out, you’re better off investing in a system with less complexity for efficiency’s sake. For IBM Sterling’s pricing details, you’ll have to visit the site directly and contact the team.
#2 – Skubana — Best For Multi-Channel Integration
- Powerful centralized dashboard
- Handle sales happening anywhere
- Easily sell on Amazon, eBay, & more
- Unlimited SKUs & warehouses
Skubana is a powerful OMS designed to seamlessly integrate and manage multiple partners, fulfillment centers, and sales channels. This is perfect for businesses that cater to a vast pool of customers that require multiple points of contact and different fulfillment needs.
They’re great for sellers with multi-channel needs in the e-commerce, wholesale, pop-ups, marketplace, and brick and mortar spaces.
Their multi-channel integrations allow you to sell in more than one marketplace while managing multiple distribution channels in the background. Without an OMS that manages multiple channels, managing inventory and optimizing growth can become a real obstacle, as it can become overwhelming very quickly.
Skubana keeps you from losing sales and creating angry, unsatisfied customers by enabling you to show up everywhere your customers search for your product in a cost-effective way. Their multi-channel software makes it easy to sell on places like Amazon, Walmart, eBay, Shopify, and BigCommerce. In the meantime, you can keep a handle on inventory, fulfillment, and cost-effective delivery chains behind the scenes.
Skubana’s best features include:
- One centralized dashboard for all channels
- Unlimited channels, SKUs, and warehouses
- Over- or underselling prevention automation
- Automatically generated purchase orders
Skubana’s prices start at $999 per month for 1,000 monthly orders. Once you contact their team for a demo and give them a bit more information on the average number of orders and the complexity of your workflow, they’ll be able to provide you with a more personalized quote.
#3 – CommerceHub — Best For Dropshipping Sales Models
- Made for dropshipping businesses
- Utilize 12,000+ suppliers & retailers
- Two-day shipping capabilities
- Sell in more than 150 languages
Are you running a dropshipping business that needs a centralized order management system? CommerceHub is designed for companies looking to optimize their dropshipping sales models. Their software takes care of order management for businesses like Dick’s, Walmart, Staples, Best Buy, and HD Supply.
CommerceHub boasts marketplace integrations with Google Shopping, Facebook, Amazon, eBay, and even Instagram. More than 12,000 dropshipping supplier and retailer integrations open up a world of marketplace possibilities where new audiences can be reached.
Their best order management features:
- Two-day shipping capabilities
- Real-time product tracking
- Specific presets and analytics to track and optimize shipments
- No need to stock large quantities of inventory
- List SKUs quickly and efficiently for each product
If you want to learn CommerceHub’s prices in detail, you can contact them for a personalized quote.
#4 – Magento — Best OMS For Scaling
- Flexible to scale as your grow
- Sell in more than 150 languages
- Drag-and-drop product editor
- Open API for customization
Is your business in the middle of a growth spurt? Magento is an OMS designed to grow with your business as you scale with flexible yet powerful order management features.
Used by the likes of Bevmo, Zumiez, and Tom Dixon, Magento makes expanding into new marketplaces around the world easy. They centralize your site’s codebase, so it’s easier for you to configure it to a global market’s nuances.
With Magento, you can sell in more than 150 languages and integrate with regional extensions at a budget-conscious price point. You can also customize your product offerings with an easy drag-and-drop interface that lets you appeal to different regions. Magento is equipped to scale your sales with upselling and cross-selling capabilities.
Some of Magento’s highlights include:
- Getting a look at every channels’ inventory within one centralized control center
- Adding new sources and locations to enable sales growth and customer acquisition
- An extension marketplace where you can further personalize your e-commerce needs
- Open API for advanced customization
To find out more about their prices, reach out to one of their representatives, or request a free product tour.
#5 – Brightpearl — Best For Retail And Wholesale Businesses
- Helps retailers & wholesalers grow
- Integrated CRM features
- Deep API integrations
- Phone & email support
You can’t just use any standard OMS to run a growing retail or wholesale business. Brightpearl exists to take care of the unique needs of the wholesale and retail space at scale.
Suddenly, you can nurture better customer relationships when you implement flexible order fulfillment features and automate order processing and inventory updates.
The retail and wholesale space tends to have essential repeatable processes that, once optimized, can incur great returns. Brightpearl is designed to streamline and optimize those omnichannel processes specifically instead of being a cookie-cutter OMS that can then be customized to wholesaler or retailer needs. This makes them the optimal solution for moving massive amounts of inventory quickly and efficiently.
Some of Brightpearl’s best features include:
- Deep API integrations to fully onboard Brightpearl to your systems
- Continuously adding new applications and updates
- Unlimited phone and email support
- Built to scale
To get clear on their prices, you can choose from two tiers then reach out to request a personalized quote. The first tier allows up to 1,500 orders per month through five sales channels and five users. The second option is for more monthly orders with an unlimited number of users or sales channels.
#6 – ShipStation — Best For Small Businesses
- SMB-friendly pricing
- Integrates with major shippers
- Automate fulfillment processes
- Feature-rich mobile app
ShipStation is a reliable OMS option for small businesses that have outgrown their order management efforts. As a small business, you might not need all the integrations and applications that wholesale or global e-commerce brands need. But you still need a reliable and repeatable order management process you and your customers can count on.
With ShipStation’s seamless integration with shipping giants like FedEx, United States Postal Service, UPS, and DHL, you can be sure your product deliveries are on time and cost-effective.
One of ShipStation’s most significant advantages is its ability to automate shipping tasks that take multiple steps to execute. This means presets, rules, tags, and specific fulfillment processes can be automated once configured to your particular needs.
For instance, with ShipStation, you can combine multiple orders made by the same customers. Conversely, you can split a shipment when an order contains multiple items from different locations for faster delivery. With their filter feature, you can prioritize orders that need special attention or are of higher urgency.
ShipStation’s best features:
- A robust mobile app so you can manage your business from anywhere
- They make it easy for your customers to return unwanted items with printable return labels and directions
- Shipping costs, loss, and revenue analytics
- Track inventory levels and stay up-to-date on which products need replenishment
To start using ShipStation, you can schedule a demo or jump right in with their 30-day free trial. Otherwise, the monthly plans are broken down very specifically and largely depend on the average number of shipments your small business makes a month. Here’s a detailed breakdown:
Starter – $9 per month
- 50 monthly shipments
- 1 user
- Branded labels and packaging
- Email and community forum support
Bronze – $29 per month
- 500 monthly shipments
- 1 user
- Branded labels and packaging
- Email and community forum support
Silver – $49 per month
- 1,500 monthly shipments
- 2 users
- Customized labels and packaging
- Live chat, email, and community forum support
Gold – $69 per month
- 3,000 monthly shipments
- 3 users
- Customized labels and packaging
- Live chat, email, and community forum support
Platinum – $99 per month
- 6,000 monthly shipments
- 5 users
- Customized labels and packaging
- Live chat, email, and community forum support
Enterprise – $159 per month
- 10,000 monthly shipments
- 10 users
- Customized labels and packaging
- Live chat, phone support, email, and community forum support
If you need over 10,000 shipments each month, you’ll have to request a custom quote on their site.
How to Find The Best Order Management Software For You
Identifying your business’s unique functions and order processing needs is a great first step when deciding which OMS you’ll choose. Order processes can quickly get complicated and become ridden with errors without effective management. And if you add applications you might not need, it can easily become costly.
That’s why, after figuring out your order processing needs, the next best thing to consider would be your budget, the number of products sold monthly, and how much you can allocate to the integration of an OMS into your systems. Besides that, here are some additional factors to consider when choosing an order management system that becomes an asset and not a costly liability.
Scalability
If you’re choosing an OMS, you have to consider the state of your business now and how much you plan to grow. Some order management software is designed to scale with you, while others can only sustain you until a certain growth point. If you want to adopt and use an OMS long-term, then the ability to scale through API integrations or ongoing software updates, for example, can be a make or break factor in the choice you make.
Support
Does your OMS provider offer accessible support? Do they provide support forums, access to phone support, or extensive documentation?
As you onboard hefty multi-functional order management software, you’re bound to run into conflicting integrations or API malfunctions. A dedicated support system ensures you can easily navigate the setup, usage, and maintenance of your OMS. This is especially important if your business doesn’t have a dedicated IT department to focus on troubleshooting and configuration or if you’re integrating order management software for the first time.
Automation
The whole point of using an OMS is automating as much of your order management as possible. But some software is better geared for specific automation than others.
For instance, some order management systems might include the ability to choose and source products from different sources on a wholesale scale. Others are more apt for taking care of more straightforward processes like automatically printing return labels and matching them to the right orders.
Summary
What’s the best OMS for you? That answer changes depending on your business goals, size, and sales channels, among other custom needs. Regardless of where you fall in the business spectrum, an OMS is crucial for managing orders professionally and efficiently.
From SMBs to enterprises and everything in-between, there is order management software to fit every need. Use this extensive guide to help you choose one that works for your company.
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