The Power of a Flexible Order Management System
Posted by Julia Morrissey on Feb 24, 2022
Deliver modern, mobile-first shopping experiences that delight your customers. Drive ROI back to your business across all customer touchpoints—in-store, online, and on mobile. Book a time with our team to learn how we can help transform your business with our omnichannel solutions.
*Privacy Notice: By hitting "Submit," I acknowledge receipt of the NewStore Privacy Policy.
Your business might have invested in a heavy-duty order management system within the last decade or few years. But in today’s digital-first retail environment, these legacy systems often don’t have the flexibility to perform under pressure.
For ecommerce—and particularly apparel sales—it’s never been more important for brands to take a more innovative approach to order management. Although worldwide retail sales are projected to top $26 billion in 2022, it’s no secret that the pandemic introduced new challenges to retail.
Legacy order management systems (OMS) simply aren’t a fit for the post-pandemic world. Retailers now have to be flexible and agile as well as implement technology that allows them to operate as lean as possible.
That’s why a flexible order management system is crucial. This post discusses the capabilities of a flexible OMS and how one can take your retail business to the next level.
An order management system is an essential piece of retail technology. It allows you to track all inventory and orders in one place, bringing point of sale and ecommerce data into one intuitive dashboard.
But not all OMS’ are the same. Retailers need to invest in a flexible OMS to stay at the forefront of modern retail and deliver an exceptional customer experience.
Below, we highlight the capabilities of a flexible order management system.
Where is your inventory right now? Are you at risk of stock-outs? Flexible order management systems allow you to see all of your inventory in real-time. See what’s in transit as well as what you have in-stock at each store and warehouse location. The system will even help predict when it’s time to reorder, so you keep the right amount of product stocked across locations at all times.
An unprecedented view into inventory also makes it possible for you to manage returned inventory more efficiently. A flexible OMS gives your team a defined flow to integrate these products back into inventory.
A flexible order management system also allows brands to alter inventory levels and product assortments on a dime depending on where customer demand is. This was crucial during the pandemic when many customers flocked away from cities and into the suburbs or even resort communities. It’s crucial to be prepared for the possibility that a low volume store may quickly become high volume.
With enhanced inventory visibility also comes the ability for store associates to check on stock levels for items in-store without ever having to leave the customer’s side. Offering this experience, opposed to walking away from the customer to check in the back of the store, can be the difference between losing a customer and saving a sale.
If an item is out-of-stock, a store associate can look up inventory levels at nearby store locations on their mobile device and offer that item to the customer. With this endless aisle technology, you can ensure the customer is still able to walk out of the store having purchased what they are shopping for.
A flexible OMS allows for item-level order routing, which is crucial as customers demand cheaper, faster shipping. In fact, 66% of shoppers expect free shipping on every ecommerce order, which means your brand is likely footing the bill for shipping. Flexible order management allows you to optimize how orders are fulfilled. Ship items from warehouses or stores that are near the customer to reduce transit time and costs.
You can also offer customers more choices for how they receive their items. For example, customers may want to buy online and pick up in-store (BOPIS) or utilize curbside pickup. Instead of giving shoppers just one option, your OMS can give shoppers the omnichannel fulfillment options they expect.
According to research from Microsoft, 58% of shoppers will stop buying from your brand if they experience poor customer service. Since over 13% of retail purchases happen online, it’s critical for retailers to give shoppers a great experience not only in-store but also online.
A flexible OMS allows you to deliver top-notch customer service by giving store associates or customer service staff immediate access to pertinent shopper information, such as transaction history across channels. When you can view online orders and in-store sales in the same place, you make the transition between the two channels seamless. This also allows you to easily make order modifications and streamline the return and exchange process.
Further, having a clear window into your customers’ history allows store associates to more thoroughly and personally cater to their specific needs as well as discover patterns among shoppers. By identifying these trends, you’ll be able to shift your strategy and adapt more quickly to unexpected scenarios. It’s the kind of durability and preparedness that’s necessary, especially after COVID-19.
Omnichannel retail is already here, and in the shadow of the pandemic, it’s the standard shoppers expect. The buyer experience is far from fluid, and that can make for a lot of chaos without the right system in place.
Switch to omnichannel order management solutions that allow your team to pivot quickly while better managing expenses. With real-time data, your OMS gives you a single source of truth across all channels.
If you want your brand to compete in the modern world of retail, go with a flexible order management system. Sign up for a free demo of our cloud-based order management.
