There are many reasons why Shopify has been widely adopted by businesses, both small and big, over time. The major attribution is linked to its user-friendly interfaces and affordability. Shopify merchants have some of the most appealing stores and are able to attract a diverse range of clients.
But as there are two sides to a coin, the other side of using Shopify for merchants is not as pleasing. There are some drawbacks to it that create the need for an Order Management System (OMS) so you can get the most out of your Shopify setup.
As businesses are growing, so are their needs. This phase of businesses on Shopify is faced with a couple of challenges. There is a need to have real-time management of inventory, improved customer service, and multi-channel fulfillment, among others.
Let us delve into the top pain points that should make Shopify merchants want to adopt an OMS:
1. Fewer Customization Options
By itself, Shopify offers a user-friendly platform with some rather decent customization. For businesses that want to offer a personalized experience to their customers, however, this customization is simply not enough.
Luckily, you can extend Shopify order management software capabilities with Deck Commerce and align your order management processes and workflows with the unique requirements of your business model.
2. Difficulties with Inventory Management
A key feature of an OMS is inventory management. One of the major drawbacks of Shopify is that it offers basic inventory management features. Merchants have challenges with inventory management across multiple sales channels like Amazon or eBay.
Adopting an OMS would allow a business to manage its inventory in real-time even if they are selling across multiple channels solving the problem of overselling, for instance.
This would allow businesses to benefit from backorders as well as preorders and consequently, an improvement in inventory turnover would be realized. To add on, adopting an OMS would also allow businesses to save on resources used to input orders across different systems.
3. Limitations of Order Management Processes
Another key feature of an OMS is Order management processes. It involves automating the capturing and validation of an order for its fulfillment. This feature serves to reduce errors associated with order processing – for instance, erroneous client information or even the availability of a product.
Shopify restricts customization of workflows as well as order management processes. This often leads to a mismatch with the particular needs of more complex business models for instance returns and exchanges. An OMS can improve customer satisfaction through streamlining returns and exchange processes for clients.
4. Insufficient Scalability
As a business develops and grows, so does its needs. For instance, the need for strategic planning and data-driven decision-making. The operators may need to understand customer behavior better, gather detailed analytics from their data, and so on.
Shopify falls short of providing enhanced reporting. This consequently increases the need for adopting an OMS. Simply put, Shopify’s basic solutions do not grow in relation to a business’s needs. This means that its capacity to manage increasing order volumes as well as market needs is compromised.
5. Limited Intregrability
While Shopify offers quite powerful features that will be sufficient for a majority of small and middle enterprises, the integration options are quite limited. If you want to create an expansive e-commerce system for your business, the native integration features of Shopify are simply not enough.
Adding an OMS to your setup will give you the added convenience of integrating as desired. That way, you can enjoy greater operational efficiencies.
In a Nutshell,
Adopting an OMS for Shopify merchants makes sense for numerous reasons. One of these is that it would facilitate order management even for merchants with multiple sales channels.
With an OMS real-time inventory management, increased order fulfillment, reverse logistics, and business insights that support data-driven decision-making are all possible.