While running an eCommerce site, orchestrating orders and making sure deliveries are timely are key pieces of the puzzle for keeping things going smoothly. In this article, we’re going to dig into the ins and outs of handling inventory in digital marketplaces. We’ll chat about tips and solutions to amp up your eCom game and make your audience happy.

What’s Marketplace Order Management?

The term marketplace order management is about routing orders from different places or vendors using specialized software made just for this purpose. It covers everything from reception of orders, processing payments, arranging shipments, to tracking orders until they reach your customer places. These pieces of software help sellers work with orders from all sorts of sales origins efficiently. Having a solid solution in place, sellers can work smarter, boost efficiency, and give their clients an excellent experience.

Key Components of Marketplace Order Management System

What should an efficient system include? Below, we consider the key components from our practice:

Dealing with Cash: Link up smoothly with payment services to ensure transactions are safe and handle different payment methods.
Keeping Stock: Check inventory availability in the real time to avoid selling more than you have and make sure orders are spot on.
Getting Orders Out: Coordinate order processing, packaging, and shipping to make sure deliveries are on time for your clientele.
Keeping Tabs on Orders: Give both shoppers and sellers updates on order status, shipping information, and notifications on delivery in the real time.
Dealing With Returns: Returns and exchanges should be breeze, while processing refunds and restocking returned items.
Analyzing and Reporting: Whip up reports on sales, order tendencies, inventory state, and buyer interactions to make smart decisions.
Integration Capabilities: Add more systems like CRM, ERP, and shipping services to enhance operations and work efficiently.

A solid piece of software should have these key elements to smooth and interactive order processing, keep clients content, and bring excellence to your eCom game.

Importance of Efficient Inventory and Order Management in eCommerce

Efficiently orchestrating stock and orders is crucial for the triumph of digital enterprises. Here are additional reasons why you should step up your order game on your marketplace:

Improved Operations: A well-organized inventory means products are available when clients want them, reducing stockouts and delays. It aids to smoother process and fulfill orders, making your workflows run smoothly.
Happy Clients: Precise inventory control and prompt order processing equal happy buyers. Meeting delivery expectations and providing real-time updates create a great buying experience, keeping customers satisfied and returning for more.
Cost Savings: Controlling inventory effectively helps cut down on excess stock and storage costs. By optimizing processing and connecting with fulfillment centers, eCommerce companies can decrease operational expenses and boost profitability.
Smarter Decision-Making: Such systems give meaningful insights into sales tendencies, popular items, and behavior of your clients. By considering this data, digital entrepreneurs can make smarter decisions regarding offerings, pricing strategies, and promotions.
Scalability: As eCommerce ventures develop, efficient OMSs can evolve for increasing demands. Streamlined workflows and automation assist companies in scaling their operations effectively without compromising service quality.
Inventory Accuracy: Maintaining precise inventory records minimizes manual processes human errors and prevents issues like overselling or wrong stock levels. This enhances order precision and reduces the risk of cancellations or delays due to inventory-related issues.

Technology Solutions in eCommerce Order Management

Technology is the foundation for efficient eCommerce order control, and solutions such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), and Helpdesk systems help enhance operational efficiency. Of course, this list is not exhaustive, as there may always be more systems on the market capable of enhancing your order management.

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Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)

ERP integrates various business processes like inventory management, accounting, and logistics into one system. It aids in order management, optimizing the supply chain, and ensuring smooth coordination among different departments. Let’s see some ERP solutions’ examples.

SAP Business One

This is an ERP solution that integrates various business functions, including inventory management, accounting, and sales, to streamline operations and improve efficiency.

NetSuite

A cloud-based ERP system that offers modules for order and inventory control, financial and customer relationship management.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

CRM assists in building and maintaining strong customer relationships. By storing client data, purchase history, and preferences, CRM enables sellers to provide personalized and customer-centric services.

Salesforce

A leading CRM platform that helps eCommerce brands manage buyer relationships, track sales activities, and deliver personalized customer experiences.

HubSpot CRM

User-friendly CRM software that provides tools for managing client interactions, automating sales processes, and tracking customer data.

Zendesk

A popular help desk solution that aids businesses manage client support tickets, provide multichannel support, and track customer interactions.

Freshdesk

Client support software with features for ticketing, self-service portals, and automation to streamline customer service operations.

Helpdesk Solutions

Helpdesk systems assist in handling user inquiries, support requests, and other customer service issues. By enabling quick and efficient responses to client queries, Helpdesk enhances customer contentment and supports a positive shoppers’ experience.

Let us tell you a case from our experience.

A Case Study of How We Developed a Helpdesk System

In the context of improving order management, we embarked on a journey 18 years ago to streamline helpdesk systems for our workplace automation solution. At that time, the market lacked a comprehensive system akin to Jira, prompting us to consider whether to construct a new system from the ground up or tailor our existing CS-Cart solution to meet our project’s needs. Opting for CS-Cart as our foundation, we augmented it with the essential features, transforming our initial eCommerce platform into a holistic system overseeing all organizational processes.

The integration of Omnidesk CRM endowed our business processes with omnichannel capabilities, enabling us to manage user messages across various messaging platforms and consolidate communication histories.

Within Helpdesk, we devised a proprietary help system to align development tasks with orders via customer interactions, enhancing our project deadline management.

Presently, our final product harmoniously integrates with over seven subsystems, including customer communication systems, task schedulers, text search functionalities, email features, secure server access provisioning, and billing systems.

The integration of a helpdesk system demonstrates how an eCommerce website can act as a central hub for connecting and coordinating various external systems to optimize business processes and enhance the customer experience. You can use the helpdesk to connect various external systems. This interconnected ecosystem would enable you to manage operations more effectively, improve customer service, and enhance overall efficiency.

Read more: Helpdesk Case Study

INTEGRATE A SYSTEM

A Case Study of How We Enhanced Order Management By Visualizing User Journey

In our practice, there was a case when we added more components into the website order management process and improved the website sales performance significantly.

Mobilebitz is a company from the UK that offers mobile repair services. Simtech developers were tasked with enhancing order control capabilities for the project. The goal was to streamline the user experience and provide easy access to services and accessories through their online platform.

To achieve this, the team implemented a ‘Book a Repair’ button on the website’s homepage, allowing users to navigate the purchase process seamlessly. This feature guides users through selecting the repair type, specifying the service needed, and choosing how to proceed – whether by visiting a store or sending the device for repair via post or courier.

Furthermore, specific dashboards were created for partners and branches of Mobilebitz to manage payment transactions, track performance metrics, and handle orders effectively. These dashboards enabled partners and branches to address payment issues, monitor sales performance, and optimize their online presence for better visibility and customer interaction.

Finally, the improvements made by the Simtech developers have enhanced the order management process, providing a more user-friendly experience for clients and empowering partners and branches with the tools they need to succeed.

Read more: Mobilebitz Case Study

A Case Study of Curated Integrations for Better Order Management

Next time, we rocked the integration game for a furniture marketplace on CS-Cart in just 3.5 months. The project team hit us up in 2020. They wanted to shift their sales online due to the pandemic hitting their offline business. With time ticking, we decided to roll with the CS-Cart eCommerce platform.

We kicked off development in October 2020 and had the site live by December 2020. Here’s the lowdown on the integration services we nailed for better order control:

We linked up accounting systems and SMS services.
“Brushed up” user profiles for a better experience.
Customized the order page for smoother transactions.
Integrated an OMS for seamless processing.

We made sure the marketplace meshed perfectly with the local OMS system for order processing. It handles product and order info, while managers and buyers stay in the loop. Call center specialists can even place orders directly in OMS, which then syncs up with CS-Cart. It also crunches delivery costs, estimated dates, and time slots. Buyers see all this info at checkout, including delivery costs and assembly options.

For those extra perks like delivery to your door and assembly, we tapped into OMS services. Buyers can pick free assembly if it’s part of the deal. Shoppers can filter products based on express delivery availability.

Integrate CRM, helpdesk, and ERP systems with CS-Cart and Multi-Vendor platforms!

Enhance your order management with ready-made technologies to take advantage of synergy of the tailored solutions!.

ENHANCE ORDER MANAGEMENT

How to implement Marketplace Order Management

Consider following the general steps on your way to build a world-class eCommerce Order Management System:

Choose a Platform or Order Management System: Select an online platform or order management solution that fits your business needs, such as CS-Cart, Magento, WooCommerce, or another platform that supports marketplace order management.

Integrate External Systems: Connect with other necessary systems. This integration should be smooth for 100% data synchronization. Ensure your business analysis has been done before adding a system, as some systems (like ERP and CRMs) cannot be via a simple connection through API. Prior analysis and system design will ensure a better implementation of such an integration.
Set Up Order Processes: Establish clear order processes starting from order intake, payment processing, inventory control, shipping label printing to product delivery to customers.

By following these steps and continually adapting your strategies to market and technological advancements, you can successfully implement effective management for your eCommerce brand.

Best Practices

Now, when we have embraced key components, the most prominent integration options and our cases, let’s summarize the best way to create a performing order management system on an eCommerce marketplace:

Streamlined Order Processing: Optimize processing workflows to ensure quick and accurate order fulfillment process, reducing lead times and enhancing client satisfaction.
Centralized Order Information: Consolidate order data from various channels into a centralized system to have a unified view of all orders, enabling better management and tracking. This feature will also be welcomed by vendors who want to stay up to date with their performance.
Automated Order Updates: Implement automated notifications to keep buyers in the course of their order status, shipping updates, and delivery timelines, enhancing transparency and customer experience.
Integrated Systems: Integrate your order management software with CRM, ERP, payment gateways, and shipping services for seamless data flow and efficient operations.
Stock Levels Under Control: Regularly monitor and update inventory levels to prevent stockouts, manage replenishments effectively, and maintain accurate product availability information for customers.
Data Analytics: Utilize data analytics to gain insights into order trends, user behavior, and operational performance, enabling data-driven decision-making to optimize processes and strategies.

Get more insights from our case: Pak-Man Case Study

Future Trends in Marketplace Order Management

In the future, we can expect the following trends:

AI and Automation: Increased use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation for bettering processing of orders, optimizing inventory management, and enhancing decision-making processes.
Personalization: More focus on personalized customer experiences through tailored product recommendations, targeted promotions, and customized order fulfillment options.
Omnichannel Integration: Seamless integration of orders and inventory across multiple sales channels, including online marketplaces, social media platforms, and brick-and-mortar stores.
Supply Chain Visibility: Greater emphasis on supply chain transparency and real-time tracking capabilities to improve order accuracy, reduce lead times, and enhance buyer satisfaction.
Sustainability Initiatives: Implementation of eco-friendly practices in order management processes, such as green packaging options, carbon-neutral shipping, and sustainable sourcing strategies.
Blockchain Technology: Adoption of blockchain technology for secure and transparent order tracking, authentication of products, and enhancing trust within the marketplace ecosystem.
Mobile Order Management: Increasing use of mobile order management solutions for on-the-go access to order data, real-time updates, and efficient order processing from anywhere.