Order Management Systems are not new technology by any stretch of the imagination, and have been used in countless industries for a number of years. However, for the average online retailer, the demand for a comprehensive, robust Order Management System (OMS) has never been higher. That’s because the way people shop has changed drastically – from in-store, phone, catalog, Web, and mobile–consumers are increasingly using a wide array of channels to buy merchandise.

Retailers such as Amazon that have incorporated robust Order Management Systems have seen significant growth. Forbes reported that Amazon sales have grown by 23 percent so far in 2014, mainly on the back of the merchant’s order management and fulfillment capabilities.2 Services such as ship-from-store, same-day shipping, endless aisles and other similar offerings are now expected by today’s shoppers, and retailers without the tools and technology required to deliver on that end will find themselves losing customers.

In fact, one recent report from Starmount and Retail Systems Research (RSR) suggested that retailers struggle the most when it comes to order fulfillment capabilities.3 The report includes data on retailers across six different dimensions, including inventory management, customer service and technology integration, and concludes that retailers are least mature in the area of order fulfillment.

This order management white paper will discuss what a robust Order Management System can do for retailers, the benefits of such a system and the critical areas retailers need to evaluate when looking into implementing omnichannel order management software.