What is an order management system (OMS)?
October 30, 2026
An order management system (OMS) is software that brings orders from every sales channel into one place and manages each one through to despatch. It allocates stock, guides picking and packing, prints shipping labels and sends tracking back to the marketplace or web shop the order came from.
Why it matters for online retailers
Selling on Amazon, eBay, your own web shop and other marketplaces means a separate order screen for each. Without one place to work from, teams copy addresses into courier websites, upload tracking by hand and sell stock they no longer have.
An OMS removes that double handling. Every order lands in one queue, stock updates across all channels when something sells, and despatch details go back to each channel automatically.
OMS vs WMS vs ERP
- OMS: manages the order, from the moment it is placed to despatch and tracking.
- WMS (warehouse management system): manages stock inside the warehouse, including locations, picking, goods in and stock counts.
- ERP: runs the wider business, such as finance, purchasing and HR. Many smaller online retailers do not need one.
For most growing online retailers, order management and warehouse management sit in the same system.
Signs you need an order management system
- You sell on more than one channel.
- You ship around 30 or more orders a day.
- You oversell because stock is not updated across channels quickly enough.
- Staff copy and paste addresses into courier websites.
- Tracking numbers are uploaded to marketplaces by hand.
How StoreFeeder handles it
StoreFeeder brings orders from its 72 listed integrations, covering marketplaces, web shops and couriers, into one screen. Stock is shared across online and in-store (EPOS) sales, so a sale anywhere updates every channel. StoreFeeder has its own direct Royal Mail integration and handles despatch rates of 10,000+ orders a day.
Read more about StoreFeeder order management.
Frequently asked questions
Is an OMS the same as an inventory management system?
Not quite. An inventory system tracks how much stock you have; an OMS uses that figure to allocate and despatch orders. Most order management systems for online retailers include inventory management.
When should a retailer move to an OMS?
Usually once you sell on more than one channel and ship around 30 or more orders a day, when manual order handling starts to cause errors and late despatches.
How much does an order management system cost?
It varies by provider. StoreFeeder's pricing is based on annual turnover including VAT; the pricing page shows current plans.
