Five WMS designed for retail e-commerce companies

If you see an e-commerce business owner with missing patches of hair, it’s because their warehouse management system doesn’t always work with their order channels. Few things are more frustrating or most costly because of incorrect picking, late shipments, wrong orders, and boxes that never get out the door.

A good WMS can help your e-commerce retail business avoid all of that by automating the process and creating documents that are easy to audit. Sounds great, right?

To help you out, we’ve pulled together just five of the many different e-commerce WMS platforms, with a specific ability to operate with your distribution channels and online stores from Amazon and Shopify to your own custom, specialty site. Let’s dive right in.

1. Finale Inventory

Finale Inventory makes the grade because it has overwhelmingly positive reviews online across multiple trusted sites and it has a very solid core functionality. E-commerce brands and retailers will be pleased because it currently integrates with more than 20 channels from the biggest players to some smaller or specialty software or channel options like PrestaShop, Newegg, and Rakuten.

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The reporting tools aren’t as robust as some of the others on this list but it provides a lot of integration, smart pricing, and the cloud-based system is easy to manage and use across multiple devices.

2. LA WMS

The LA WMS from LA Software is a cloud WMS that focuses primarily on small and mid-sized e-commerce and retail companies as well as 3PLs that are selling products through multiple channels. Customers often praise its ability to handle omnichannel fulfillment and inventory sharing, with few issues as users move between channels.

It is a stronger player for multi-warehouse applications and even a multi-client setup if manage a variety of different online storefronts. Integration partners are strong with Walmart and Sears joining many of the more common names like Amazon, Jet, and Shopify. And its support for a client portal that can share shipping details, order status, and even inventory will be a useful support for e-commerce and retail brands looking to expand.

3. TradeGecko

TradeGecko is a significant inventory management tool that is especially robust for distributors who work in the e-commerce and retail arena. It supports personalized B2B e-commerce stores that act as a wholesale store catalog and makes it simple to build out a custom look, deals, branding, and more while tying it all back to inventory management.

It gets very high marks from customers for being easy to use and having strong 24/7 support, though it is a newer service and users say sometimes the site or stock adjustment updates can be a little slow. The platform makes up for that with significant integration opportunities for multiple business angles.

One of the biggest reasons it made the cut today is that customers whose businesses simultaneously run in the B2B and B2C space are saying it is easy to use and manage for both functionalities at the same time.

4. Fishbowl Warehouse

Fishbowl Warehouse is one of the most recommended warehouse management systems when it comes to e-commerce stores telling other e-commerce stores who to use. The service is especially useful thanks to its part tracking features and asset management tools that map out parts in your warehouse and automatically restock them when you need it.

Integration with Xero and QuickBooks are also two of the biggest benefits for the service because it automates a lot of the common activities for e-commerce brands. Automation functionality extends to its broad list of e-commerce plugins from a white label solution to Amazon, eBay, Shopify, and multiple shopping cart services.

Robust reporting and vendor management tools make it a strong e-commerce partner, though it is more expensive than others on the list.

5. Vin eRetail WMS

Our representative for the e-commerce fulfillment center focus in the Vin eRetail WMS from Vinculum. This platform focuses on fulfillment for both the B2B and B2C side with a wide range of automation tools, support for segregating multi-client inventory, and operating in multiple locations or with multiple currencies.

It has perhaps the most robust real-time inventory tools in our list and it delivers that transparency for vendors and customers. The platform also features a variety of quality control tools and multiple scanning and RFID support options. It odes integrate with a lot of web marketplaces but also works well with retail and manufacturing partners and ERPs.

Customers all seem to enjoy the robust toolset that can be accessed through a single platform, but they note that the user interface needs some work. It gets the job done, even if it isn’t the prettiest thing doing it.