What is order routing?
November 12, 2026
Order routing is the automatic decision about where and how each order is fulfilled: which warehouse or stock location ships it, which courier and service it uses, and which process it follows. It is driven by rules based on things like stock availability, destination, order value and sales channel.
Why it matters for online retailers
Once you sell on several channels, from more than one location or with several couriers, deciding each order by hand becomes slow and error-prone. Routing rules make the same decision every time, in seconds.
Common order routing rules
- Ship from the location that has all the items in stock.
- Send small, light parcels with a letterbox service and larger ones with a courier.
- Use next-day services for Amazon Prime or paid express orders.
- Send international orders with a carrier that supports DDP or IOSS.
- Hold orders that need checking, such as high-value or unusual orders.
Distributed order management
Distributed order management (DOM) is order routing across a network of locations, such as several warehouses, shops and 3PLs. The system picks the best location for each order based on stock, distance and cost.
How StoreFeeder handles it
StoreFeeder brings orders from every channel into one queue and uses rules to automate order processing, including shipping rules that choose the courier and service for each order. Multi-warehouse management lets you fulfil from more than one site.
Read more about StoreFeeder order management.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between order routing and order management?
Order management covers the whole life of an order. Order routing is one part of it: deciding where and how each order is fulfilled.
What is distributed order management?
Order routing across several locations, such as warehouses, shops and 3PLs, so each order ships from the best place.
Do small retailers need order routing?
If you ship from one warehouse with one courier, routing is simple. It becomes valuable as you add channels, couriers and locations.
