Why an ERP Needs an OMS

Designed to replenish stores and large distribution centres, enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems evolved to become robust, dependable and trustworthy systems of record for retailers. But then everything changed.

Consumers do not care about ‘digital’, ‘omnichannel’ or ‘e-commerce’. They do not care how an order is fulfilled. But if the process proves frustrating in any way, they are likely to shop elsewhere and expose retailer frailties on social media.

To compete, retailers must understand both the strengths and weaknesses of their current processes and supporting IT systems. While ERP systems can still play a role in meeting the customer challenge, they lack the critical functionality that can be fulfilled by a best-of- breed order management system (OMS). With the addition of an OMS layer there is no need to ‘rip and replace’. Retailers have an opportunity to meet customer demands without performing open heart surgery on their IT infrastructure.