Order management software will help make order processing and fulfillment more efficient by keeping a current inventory across all sales channels and automating invoicing. Using our advanced review methodology, we tested popular systems on the market and ranked them below.
- Fishbowl Inventory: Best Overall
- Zoho Inventory: Best for Online Retailers
- Acctivate Inventory Management: Best for Manufacturers
- Cin7 Core: Best for Brick-and-Mortar Stores
- Katana: Best for Wholesalers
- Extensiv Order Management: Best for 3PLs
- Booqable: Best for Rental Companies
1 Fishbowl Inventory - Best Overall
Why We Chose It: We chose Fishbowl Inventory as our best overall because its flexibility can cater to several different businesses, including manufacturers, distributors, and multichannel retailers. It offers a strong inventory system with complete order fulfillment to make processes more efficient. We especially like its barcode scanning app, “Fishbowl Go,” which makes warehouse picking and packing easier, as users can scan items from their phones.
We also like that Fishbowl Inventory integrates easily with QuickBooks and Xero to sync data between the two systems, creating a light ERP. The software connects to several popular eCommerce channels like Shopify and Amazon, allowing companies to manage listings, track products with a single SKU, and keep track of inventory levels in real time. This helps businesses run a cohesive multichannel operation without having to manually sync stock levels and individually edit prices on different systems.
We recommend Fishbowl Inventory for mid-market and growing small businesses. It’s likely too expensive for startups and not scalable enough for large enterprises. Unfortunately, their pricing information is not publicly available.
2 Zoho Inventory - Best for Online Retailers
Why We Chose It: We like Zoho Inventory for eCommerce retailers because of its usability and streamlined workflows. The system has a modern interface with intuitive navigation between modules which is ideal for startups that lack order management software experience. Zoho Inventory syncs with eCommerce platforms and 30 different shipping services like UPS and FedEx to distribute products efficiently.
We also like that Zoho Inventory supports dropshipping and backordering, helping businesses ship products faster through the manufacturer. Users can convert sales orders into packaging slips with only one click, saving time by not having to create new tags for each shipment manually. Every package has its carrier information, tracking number, status, order number, and customer name so companies can easily reference past orders.
We recommend Zoho Inventory for small online retailers, as more complex features like bill of materials and bin ID support are not available in any plan.
3 Acctivate Inventory Management - Best for Manufacturers
Why We Chose it: We found Acctivate Inventory Management best for manufacturing order management because of its industry-specific features, earning it an 8.3 score. This system supports discrete, process, and refurbish manufacturing methods, helping cater to specific companies and processes. It offers bill of materials management with unlimited components and serial and lot numbering. This is essential for manufacturers that purchase and use a large volume of raw goods for production to ensure easy tracking.
Acctivate supports multi-channel sales like eCommerce, mail, catalogs, and mobile ordering. We like that it allows companies to create orders for products that aren’t available instantly, allowing them to still get the sale while they wait for production or seasonal products. Acctivate is partnered with Quickbooks to create an integrated accounting and inventory system. However, it doesn’t integrate with any other accounting software, so companies not using Quickbooks may be forced to switch or look for a different system.
4 Cin7 Core - Best for Brick-and-Mortar Stores
Why We Chose It: We recommend Cin7 Core for retail businesses with physical stores because of its inventory management and built-in POS system. The system connects POS, inventory, and warehouse management for an all-in-one platform. This enables accurate real-time stock levels across online and in-store locations.
We found its warehouse management capabilities noteworthy because of its zone, wave-based, and directed picking options for optimized order fulfillment. Cin7 Core also offers reporting features, which include over 70 customizable reports on key retail metrics like sales by channel, stock levels, and cash flow. This can help retailers identify market trends and see which products sell more than others. However, one downside we found is that its POS system is an add-on for all plans, requiring an additional cost.
5 Katana - Best for Wholesalers
Why We Chose It: We like Katana for wholesale distributors because of its strong order and inventory management features. Its $799/month Professional plan allows for 10 inventory locations, ideal for larger companies that need tracking across several warehouses. We also like that it offers unlimited SKUs on every plan, so businesses won’t have to worry about exceeding limits.
Katana helps with product identification, including serial number, batch, and expiration date tracking. Along with its effective barcoding system, these can work well for wholesalers with large volumes of products and need specific IDs. Katana’s open API lets companies integrate with an unlimited number of systems like CMMS and accounting for additional features as the business grows. However, one flaw of Katana is that its warehouse management module is an add-on feature for $199/month in addition to the base package.
6 Extensiv Order Management - Best for 3PLs
Why We Chose It: We included Extensiv Order Management (formerly Skubana) because of its warehouse management solution designed specifically for 3PL companies. We like its carrier portal, which allows them to schedule appointments based on availability for multiple locations. This makes booking more efficient and eliminates doubling up dock appointments.
We also like that Extensiv can handle a large number of orders, which is essential for 3PLs working with big carriers. The system includes “orderbots,” programmable rules that help create efficient ordering by automating processes like assigning shipping types based on order weight. This allows orders to be processed faster and correctly by reducing manual entries. Because of these complex features, some users have reported a steep learning curve during setup.
7 Booqable - Best for Rental Companies
Why We Chose It: We found Booqable best for rental companies because of its industry-specific order management features. Specifically, the software displays accurate inventory information, showing exactly what items are being rented, on hold, damaged, and available. This helps prevent double bookings, extend current rented items, and gives customers accurate dates of when items will be available.
We also like that Booqable lets businesses create and assign barcodes to products, making pick-up and return operations efficient. It also offers a website builder for online bookings, integrating eCommerce sales with in-person and over-the-phone sales. Its most popular Essential plan is $29/month, billed annually, making it affordable for small businesses. One drawback of the system is that there is no offline mode, which can hinder businesses with unreliable internet connections.
What Is Order Management Software?
Order management software streamlines order processing by helping merchants capture, track, and fulfill orders across multiple sales channels. This is accomplished by connecting inventory and sales orders, creating shipping schedules, tracking fulfillment, and creating reports.
Order management systems (OMS) will help improve sales visibility, increase the efficiency of your order process by minimizing delays and backorders, and make customers more likely to reorder through increased customer relations. Order management solutions are found primarily in retail and eCommerce environments. They can also be part of larger-scale distribution and manufacturing operations as an application in a larger ERP package.
Order processing software functionality is a key part of supply chain management systems. Advanced order management software can keep detailed records on your vendors and suppliers, help you get a better sense of demand through demand planning, anticipate sales levels to aid production processes through sales forecasting, and more.
Key Features
- Order entry: Provides both internal instructions for order fulfillment and enables the creation of customer-facing order documentation
- Order status tracking: Offers visibility into the position of orders in the order fulfillment process and allows sales staff to communicate expected delivery timeframes
- Billing and Invoicing: Invoicing capabilities allow sales staff to create billing documents detailing customer payment obligations
- Inventory Control: Handles shipping integration with carriers such as UPS, FedEx, DHL, and more. Can handle in-house control via pick tickets and pack lists.
- eCommerce: Manage your entire web store. Take orders placed on your website, adjust inventory counts, and use the sales data for accounting purposes.
Primary Benefits
A business needs order management software to improve performance. Misplaced items can lead to delayed deliveries, dissatisfied customers, and reduced sales. Order management software will help prevent your company from dealing with many frustrations, whether during the slow season or during your peak selling times. These benefits will ensure you can meet consumer demands at any time:
Speed Up Shipping
Order management software automation can help you increase your shipping times, meaning customers receive their products in a shorter time span. This leads to customer satisfaction and, hopefully, return business.
Shipping times can be improved by creating specific pick lists that tell you exactly where an item is located in your warehouse or inventory. When initially inputting items into the inventory management module of your order system, you can assign aisle and bin locations that correspond with their exact location.
When items are shipped out from your inventory, they can be scanned to notify your OMS solution. This will update the order status and the tracking information within the program. Customers can sign up to receive tracking notifications to know where their orders are at all times.
For companies that utilize outside shippers, labels can be printed for the appropriate vendor, such as USPS, FedEx, UPS, and more. The tracking details for these labels will automatically be linked to the correct order, and the customer will be notified.
Reduce Costs
Depending on your needs, the investment in order management software can be substantial. Over time, however, software should pay for itself through reduced operating costs. These operating costs can include labor costs and inventory costs.
For example, in a manual order management setup, an order may come in via phone call or fax. An employee would have to spend time formatting that order into whatever paper methods your company required. They’d then have to locate this item in their inventory or determine if it’s even in stock (if not, they’ll have to take care of ordering more from a supplier or setting up a dropship).
An order management system allows customers to browse your catalog, choose what they want, and place an order. Integrations with inventory will alert you if any attention is required to fulfill the order.
Streamlined Inventory Management
Syncing your inventory with your order management system is essential to ensure that any sales orders you are taking on can be fulfilled. If you are low or out of specific items, the software can properly notify you to place a purchase order with your supplier or manufacturer for more.
Suppose you are anticipating a new shipment of orders soon. In that case, you may be able to accept orders on products you do not have in stock, expecting that they will be shipped to the customer upon arrival at your facility. You may also get into dropshipping, where the ordered product is shipped directly to the customer from the supplier.
Inventory management software functionality within order management software can also help simplify your picking, packing, and shipping. Systems can link with third-party carriers to ensure you create and print accurate shipping slips and details. For those handling shipping in-house, the inventory control module will be able to organize your inventory with categories and attributes (stock and matrix items), create assemblies (bill of materials), and create unique tracking information such as serial numbers, warranties, and service history.
The biggest benefits of inventory management within your order management software are:
- Real-time Stock Tracking: Know the details of all items in stock, including the quantity remaining and when you’ll expect to receive more based on your usual timing of orders.
- Multi-location Management: Organize stock in multiple warehouses.
- Dropship Management: Fulfill dropship orders by specifying which items in each order need to be shipped directly to a customer. Select the appropriate carrier for each delivery.
Larger companies with multiple locations may also consider warehouse management software (WMS), which can handle advanced needs, such as RFID tracking.
eCommerce Sales Management
If your business sells its products online and lets customers place orders via your website, you’ll want to ensure you have strong ties and integrations with an eCommerce platform. eCommerce capabilities can be found within order management software, which can help connect the dots between your inventory, sales, shipping, and more.
Order management software can help you become a multichannel seller with a strong eCommerce feature set. Many order management systems will include integrations with popular online platforms such as Amazon, eBay, Shopify, WooCommerce, and more.
The best capability of an eCommerce feature within order management software is its integration with your shopping platform. You’ll want to ensure your order management system can extract all the necessary data from your online shopping cart, allowing you to create sales orders and send them through the proper channels.
Integration with various shopping cart solutions will let you synchronize your orders for faster handling, provide easy-to-access order status, locate customer details, and automate the product count in your inventory once a new order has been received.
