As we step into 2025, the omnichannel trend continues to dominate the retail landscape, reshaping how businesses approach fulfillment operations. For retailers to stay competitive in this evolving environment, implementing effective fulfillment strategies is essential.
This blog will explore key fulfillment strategies for omnichannel success and demonstrate how they can benefit both retailers and customers.
Fulfillment strategies are the methods and processes a business uses to ensure that customer orders are completed efficiently and accurately, from the moment an order is placed to the final delivery.
These strategies include managing inventory, order processing, packaging, shipping, and handling returns. The ultimate goal is to optimize the entire fulfillment cycle to ensure customer satisfaction while minimizing costs and inefficiencies.
However, as omnichannel becomes a must, these strategies become more complex.
According to Forbes Advisor, ecommerce sales are expected to grow 50% in only 5 years (from 2022 to 2027). This is not big, it’s massive. This behavior shown in the past years, with its biggest peak in 2020, has blurred the lines between online and offline shopping. And not only that, modern consumers expect a seamless, integrated shopping experience, whether browsing on a mobile app, making a purchase online, or picking up an order in-store.
This has made omnichannel retailing — where multiple sales channels are synchronized to provide a cohesive customer experience — a must-have strategy for retailers.
Retailers need to align their inventory, operations, and fulfillment across all channels. This is where omnichannel fulfillment comes in.
Omnichannel fulfillment refers to the process of fulfilling customer orders from multiple channels, such as websites, mobile apps, physical stores, and third-party platforms while ensuring that every step — from picking and packing to shipping and returns — is coordinated seamlessly.
This approach enables retailers to provide flexible shopping and delivery options that align with customer preferences.
By implementing omnichannel fulfillment strategies, businesses can:
In short, omnichannel order fulfillment allows retailers to meet the demands of today’s customers while staying agile.
But how do we build and properly manage all these processes error-free?
To build complex systems, you need the right technology. An Order Management System (OMS) is the backbone of a successful omnichannel fulfillment strategy. It ensures efficiently fulfilled orders, accurate inventory tracking, while prioritizing customer satisfaction. How? Let’s go granular.
An OMS provides a centralized platform to manage orders from multiple sales channels (e.g., website, mobile app, in-store, marketplace) in one system. This central hub ensures that orders from all channels are handled cohesively, preventing errors that arise when channels are siloed.
One of the key challenges in omnichannel retail is keeping track of inventory levels across all locations—whether online warehouses, physical stores, or distribution centers. An OMS enables real-time inventory tracking, giving retailers complete visibility into available stock across the entire network.
With an OMS, you can optimize the routing of orders to the most efficient fulfillment locations, whether that’s a warehouse, store, or fulfillment center. The system evaluates factors like inventory levels, geographic proximity to the customer, and available delivery options to determine the best fulfillment path.
In the age of Amazon, consumers expect fast shipping options such as same-day or next-day delivery. An OMS can optimize logistics by integrating with the fastest and most cost-effective delivery partners.
Returns are a critical part of the omnichannel experience, and a well-integrated OMS simplifies reverse logistics. It enables flexible return options (e.g., returning in-store, shipping back, or drop-off locations) and tracks return statuses in real time.
An OMS provides a wealth of data on order processing times, inventory levels, sales trends, and customer behaviors across channels. This data is crucial for optimizing your fulfillment strategy and making informed decisions.
Ultimately, the goal of omnichannel fulfillment is to deliver a seamless and satisfying customer experience. An OMS helps achieve this by ensuring orders are fulfilled accurately and on time.
To thrive in today’s retail landscape, flexibility is key. Customers expect the freedom to choose how and when they receive their orders, and the more options you offer, the better chance you have of meeting their needs. While customer behavior can be unpredictable, offering a wide range of ecommerce fulfillment solutions minimizes friction and maximizes satisfaction.
BOPIS is a popular choice, allowing customers to shop online and pick up their items from a local store—often on the same day. With an Order Management System (OMS), inventory is checked in real time to ensure product availability at the nearest location. Once a purchase is made, the OMS reserves the item and notifies store staff to prepare the order for pickup. This not only reduces shipping costs and customer wait times but also encourages additional in-store purchases during collection.
Turning your retail locations into mini fulfillment centers is another powerful strategy. An OMS evaluates inventory across all locations and selects a store to fulfill the online order based on predetermined rules. This reduces delivery times, minimizes shipping costs, and helps manage stock by distributing excess inventory from physical stores, maximizing efficiency and product turnover.
For time-sensitive orders, an OMS can help determine the fastest fulfillment route, whether from a central warehouse or a nearby store. By integrating with logistics providers, it enables real-time delivery options that align with customer urgency. Same-day delivery not only satisfies the growing demand for fast service but also provides a competitive edge by catering to last-minute shoppers.
As an extension of BOPIS, curbside pickup offers a contactless, hassle-free option. The OMS coordinates the order preparation and facilitates customer communications, notifying them when their items are ready for collection outside the store. This convenience appeals to customers who value speed and safety, especially in today’s health-conscious environment.
ROPIS allows customers to reserve items online without committing to a purchase until they’ve had a chance to inspect or try the product in person. The OMS reserves the item at the selected store until the customer finalizes the purchase. This method blends the ease of online shopping with the reassurance of in-store product validation, increasing conversion rates and boosting buyer confidence.
Offering easy returns is crucial for maintaining customer satisfaction and loyalty. An OMS simplifies the process by allowing customers to return online purchases through multiple channels, whether in-store, shipped, or dropped off at a local return point. This flexibility removes barriers and reduces the friction often accompanying returns, enhancing the overall customer experience.
By leveraging the capabilities of an OMS, retailers can provide the variety and convenience that today’s customers demand. Implementing fulfillment strategies through an OMS drives satisfaction, repeat business and long-term loyalty.
Achieving omnichannel success requires the right technology and seamless integration. Deck Commerce offers a powerful Order Management System (OMS) designed to streamline and automate order processing across all channels. With real-time visibility into inventory levels, our system helps you avoid costly issues like overstocking and stockouts, improving customer satisfaction while driving sales.
Our OMS integrates effortlessly with your existing systems—such as ERP, CRM, POS, and WMS—creating a cohesive retail ecosystem that supports smooth operations and personalized customer experiences at scale.
Deck Commerce also enables flexible fulfillment options, including Buy Online, Pick Up In-Store (BOPIS), ship-from-store, and same-day delivery, giving customers the convenience they expect. Plus, our platform’s advanced analytics provide actionable insights into sales, inventory, and customer behaviors, empowering your business with data-driven decision-making.
With scalability and adaptability built in, Deck Commerce ensures that your business stays competitive in an ever-evolving retail landscape. Ready to elevate your omnichannel strategy and drive growth?
Contact Deck Commerce today to discover how we can transform your business and support your success.