What is the order management system (OMS)?

It’s common for middle-sized and even small businesses to have multiple selling channels. Let alone large companies that often have online, offline, and mobile stores. Managing all those channels can be challenging. This is why Magento has a built-in order management system, also known as OMS. Moreover, developers such as Mirasit also create modules to improve order management in Magento. Today, we will take a look at OMS and explain what they are and why they are so useful for e-commerce.

The features of OMS

OMS serves as a platform that gathers together various sales channels. It encompasses online, mobile, brick-and-mortar retail outlets, dropshipping operations, and affiliate networks. All order and inventory data from these channels are accessible from a single hub. A system like this is also useful in other departments. For example, without it, Magento 2 Reward Point extensions couldn’t work with different sales channels.

The OMS system has three key functionalities:

• Easier inventory management. With the power to oversee all sales channels, you can track your stock more easily. For example, you don’t have to check each retail point manually to ensure that certain item is out-of-stock. Everything is right in front of you.
• Extended delivery options. With OMS, you may expand the range of delivery options for your customers. Shoppers can choose different delivery methods like Ship-From-Warehouse, Ship-to-Store, and others. OMS is transforming your sales channels into distribution hubs.
• Enhanced analytics. With all products consolidated in one place, you gain insights into some valuable info. For example, you can see global return rates and the most popular shipping channels. This info can help you adopt a more agile approach to inventory management.

Why OMS is important?

The impact of the OMS mostly depends on the scale of your business. Small stores with, say, online and mobile sales channels can work without it efficiently enough. However, when there is at least an online and offline retail spot – OMS becomes exponentially more important.

One of the biggest benefits of an OMS for a large business is an increased speed of work. When all selling channels are managed as one – there is way less logistic friction. For example, you won’t have to check the availability of an item in each individual channel one by one. And with the current trend for lower user patience, speed is highly important.

The OMS also helps to avoid mistakes. All information is in front of you, so it’s easier to double-check it.

Order Management extension by Mirasvit

Though basic Magento OMS is fairly useful, it lacks polish and convenience. This is why Order Management modules, like Mirasvit’s one, are good to have in your store. Generally speaking, the extension brings two massive quality-of-life features:

• Improved UI. Standard Magento UI is made to be usable, not really convenient. OMS module changes that, adding color coding, visual cues, tags, and clean informative grids. A convenient and comprehensive interface always speeds up work.
• Customization. You can’t change most orders in basic Magento, instead having to recreate them to edit details. Custom document numbers and tags are also absent. The OMS module adds those features, cutting down unnecessary movements and increasing system’s functionality.

Those two changes are already worth investing in the module. But there are also dozens of small features that will help your management process.