Looking to grow your ecommerce business, but not quite sure how to get started? There is an answer, and it’s a fairly easy one to implement. Consider investing in a scalable API management platform & gateway (if you haven’t made the investment already). Nowadays, it is nearly impossible to run an ecommerce store smoothly without the help of an OMS, especially if you’re hoping to see the business grow.
Now that you’ve got your answer, it’s time to do some research on potential OMS solution providers. There are plenty of them to choose from, so the decision can be a difficult one. The first step is deciding whether a web based order management system or an OMS software installation is the way to go.
First of all, what is an OMS?
An order management system is exactly as it sounds; it is a system in place that will help you to manage the orders that come through your eCommerce store. This might not sound like a huge task, but managing orders is actually extremely involved and complicated.
Think about it…It all starts when the customer visits your website and starts browsing around. Then, the customer adds items to the shopping cart (hopefully) and inputs payment information. After that, it is up to you to receive the order, package it up, and send it off to the customer. Imagine if you have hundreds of orders per week. That’s what an OMS will help take care of.
Web-Based Order Management System
A web-based OMS is exactly as it sounds – it operates entirely through an internet web browser. There are a few pros to investing in an OMS that is used via the internet, the first being that it is easily accessed. No matter where you are and when you want to access your OMS, you can do so as long as you have a device and an internet connection.
Another advantage is that there is no installation required, like there would be with a software-based OMS. Software installation can take a while, especially when you are running a large business with high order volume. With web-based OMS solutions, this installation period does not exist.
Lastly, web OMS is often paid for through a monthly subscription – sometimes you can pay for a yearly subscription at a greatly discounted rate. Whether you go month to month or opt for a yearly commitment, you have to power to move on to another OMS if your current web-based solution isn’t working for you.
OMS and Software Installation
With a system that requires software installation, you’re looking at a greater upfront cost – but it is typically just one payment rather than monthly ones. One perk is that there is no internet required for the OMS to operate, but you can only access it from a computer that the software has been installed on. It is hard to say which type of OMS solution is better since it really depends on your specific business. Generally speaking, though, a higher volume of customers and sales will do better with software installation. If you run a fairly small operation, web-based OMS is a great solution.
