After deciding that it is the right time to invest in an ecommerce order management system, it is time to make some big decisions. Deciding on an OMS is not something to take lightly, as the entire ecommerce business will be resting on the shoulders of this system. With a solid OMS in place, everything will run smoothly, customers will be happy, and the business will grow. 

But with a less-than-ideal OMS, you might just watch your business shatter to the ground in pieces. An OMS that is not easy to use or one that doesn’t meet your needs can do much more harm than good, so don’t let that happen. Avoid investing in the wrong OMS for your ecommerce business by looking for these 5 must-have features while shopping around. 

A Centralized Ordering System, Even from Multiple Channels

This is the first thing to look for, mainly because it is often the reason for investing in an OMS in the first place. Managing orders as they come in can become a daunting task, especially if you are experiencing some major business growth. An influx of order is obviously what you should be wanting, but managing these order properly can feel impossible. 

In comes the OMS. Just as the name suggests, an OMS is the ultimate tool for order management. So finding one that does a solid job at this is the first step. You’ll want to make sure that your OMS keeps all orders in one centralized location, even when they are coming from multiple sales channels. This means that no matter if a customer orders from Amazon, Etsy, or directly from your ecommerce site, the order information will all be delivered to one place. 

Faster Fulfillment 

The best way to keep customers happy is to fulfill their orders as fast as possible. For some reason, consumers have become more impatient than ever. As soon as they complete an order, they expect the package to be within the doorstep at that very moment. Obviously, you won’t be able to make this happen, and the customer will just have to get over it. 

You can, however, improve the speed of order fulfillment and delivery with the help of an OMS. This means instead of a package being delivered in 7 days, it could make it to the customer in 3 to 5 days. An OMS is able to make this happen in a few ways, the first being batch processing. The second feature for faster fulfillment is barcode scanning. Make sure that the OMS you end up choosing has both of these features, batch processing and barcode scanning. 

Integrated Shipping

If you’re experiencing a high volume of sales, good for you. After you’ve given yourself a pat on the back, it’s time to figure out how to handle that high volume of sales as efficiently as possible. The best way is to ensure that your OMS has an integrated shipping feature. This means less work for you as well as happier customers overall.