Customers don’t think in terms of fulfillment channels, they just want their orders fast, and on their terms. They expect to buy online and pick up in-store on the same-day, or have items shipped to them in a day or two. For retailers, this presents both an opportunity and a challenge: how do you leverage physical stores' inventory to fulfill online orders?
Omnichannel fulfillment isn’t just a strategy, it’s the future of retail. A centralized warehouse alone can’t meet the increasing demand for fast delivery. To stay competitive, retailers must leverage their stores as fulfillment hubs, enabling Buy Online, Pick Up In-Store (BOPIS) and Ship-from-Store (SFS) to maximize inventory efficiency, reduce shipping costs, and improve fulfillment speed.
But implementing an omnichannel fulfillment strategy isn’t as simple as flipping a switch. It requires real-time inventory visibility, automated order routing, and continuous communication between eCommerce, fulfillment systems, and ERP.
This guide walks through exactly how retailers can execute an omnichannel fulfillment strategy using Shopify eCommerce, HotWax Commerce Order Management System, and NetSuite ERP. From SFS to warehouse fulfillment and BOPIS, we’ll break down each workflow step by step. Let’s dive in.
What is Omnichannel Fulfillment?
Omnichannel fulfillment is the integration of multiple sales channels, inventory storage locations including stores, warehouses, and third-party logistics to fulfill online orders efficiently and cost-effectively.
The Technology Stack for Omnichannel Order Fulfillment
A successful omnichannel fulfillment strategy depends on a tightly integrated tech stack that synchronizes order data, inventory, and financial records. Here’s how each system contributes to the fulfillment process:
1. Shopify (eCommerce): Captures online orders and updates product availability.
2. HotWax Commerce (Order Management System + Fulfillment App + BOPIS App): Handles order routing, fulfillment automation, inventory updates.
3. NetSuite (Enterprise Resource Planning): Syncs orders data, tracks inventory movements, handles warehouse fulfillment and manages financial records.
4. Marketing Platforms (Klaviyo, Iterable): Sends customer notifications regarding order progress, fulfillment, and delivery.
5. Shipping Carriers (UPS, FedEx, USPS): Fulfills final delivery using pre-booked shipping rates.
With these systems working in sync, retailers can efficiently fulfill online orders from stores and warehouses while maintaining accurate inventory and financial records.
How to Guide: Omnichannel Order Fulfillment Workflows
Every online order triggers a series of backend processes, from order capture to final delivery. Whether it’s shipping from a store, enabling in-store pickup, or fulfilling from a warehouse, accurate data flow between Shopify, HotWax Commerce, and NetSuite is important for an effective omnichannel fulfillment strategy.
Ship From Store (SFS)
SFS transforms retail stores into fulfillment hubs by using in-store inventory to fulfill online orders. This strategy accelerates delivery while reducing shipping costs.
Systems Involved: Shopify, Shopify POS, HotWax Commerce OMS, HotWax’s Fulfillment App, NetSuite, marketing platforms like Klaviyo, Iterable and shipping carriers like UPS and FedEx.
SFS Workflow
1. Order Capture and Download: Customers place orders on Shopify eCommerce, which are automatically downloaded into HotWax Commerce for processing.
2. Order Validation and Routing: Downloaded orders are in Created status, HotWax Commerce validates them based on predefined criteria. Approved orders are placed in a Brokering Queue, where HotWax’s brokering engine intelligently selects the best fulfillment location, whether a store or warehouse, based on custom routing strategies.
Retailers can leverage HotWax Commerce’s configurable Order Routing App to define custom routing strategies. The Order Routing App allows retailers to:
• Create order batches based on specific criteria, such as same-day delivery, next-day, or orders from a specific channel.
• Assign priorities to determine which batch of orders should be routed first.
• Set rules for checking inventory across locations, such as prioritizing specific stores or warehouses.
3. Fulfillment at the Store: Once assigned to a store, order details are reflected in HotWax’s Fulfillment App and store associates also receive the push notifications for the same.
The Fulfillment App is designed to help store associates quickly pick and pack orders so that they can be timely prepared for shipping.
4. Shipping and Email Updates: HotWax Commerce integrates with carriers like UPS and FedEx to book shipments and generate shipping labels.
While pickers in stores scan and pick items, HotWax Commerce rate shops to determine the most cost-effective shipping method offered by the carrier that also meets the SLA, then proceeds to book the shipment.
For example, when a customer opts for 2-day delivery, rate shopping compares shipping methods offered by carriers capable of meeting the specified timeframe.
Let's say FedEx provides both Express and Ground Shipping options.
In this scenario, HotWax Commerce evaluates these shipping methods, and if both Express and Ground Shipping can deliver the order item within two days, Ground Shipping is automatically booked, as it achieves the same delivery timeframe at a lower cost.
Customers also receive real-time email notifications through Klaviyo, keeping them informed at every step.
5. Fulfillment Updates: Once shipped, orders are Completed in HotWax. Fulfillment updates are synced to Shopify, marking the order as Fulfilled.
HotWax also syncs the fulfillment data to NetSuite to create and mark Item Fulfillment records as Shipped, generate invoices, and record payments for financial accuracy.
6. Delivery Confirmation: HotWax triggers a final email confirmation when the order is delivered, providing full visibility and a smooth post-purchase experience.
Warehouse Fulfillment
Warehouses remain the backbone of online order fulfillment, processing high-volume and bulk shipments efficiently.
Systems Involved: Shopify, HotWax Commerce OMS, NetSuite, marketing platforms like Klaviyo, Iterable and shipping carriers like UPS and FedEx.
Warehouse Fulfillment Workflow
1. Order Capture and Download: Similar to the SFS workflow, customers place orders on Shopify, and HotWax Commerce downloads them for processing.
2. Order Validation and Routing: Downloaded orders are in Created status, HotWax Commerce validates them based on the predefined criteria. Approved orders are routed to optimal fulfillment locations. In the event where orders are routed to warehouses, HotWax syncs order details to NetSuite, where warehouse operations take over fulfillment.
3. Pick, Pack, and Ship: Warehouse staff manage picking, packing, and shipping using NetSuite's fulfillment tools. Once items are ready, shipping labels are generated, and orders are prepared for dispatch.
4. Order Fulfillment Updates: Once the order is shipped, Item Fulfillment records are marked as Shipped and NetSuite syncs fulfillment updates to HotWax, marking orders as Completed. HotWax then updates Shopify, marking the order as Fulfilled and triggering a shipping confirmation email to the customer.
5. Fulfillment Updates: Once shipped, orders are Completed in HotWax. Fulfillment updates are synced to Shopify, marking the order as Fulfilled.
HotWax also syncs the fulfillment data to NetSuite to create and mark Item Fulfillment records as Shipped, generate invoices, and record payments for financial accuracy.
6. Delivery Confirmation: Once the carrier confirms that the order has been delivered, HotWax Commerce sends an order-delivered email through Klaviyo, completing the fulfillment cycle.
Buy Online Pick-Up In Store (BOPIS)
BOPIS omnichannel fulfillment strategy bridges the gap between online shopping and physical retail by allowing customers to place online orders for in-store pickup, improving convenience while reducing shipping costs.
Systems Involved: Shopify, Shopify POS, HotWax Commerce OMS, HotWax’s BOPIS Fulfillment App, NetSuite, and marketing platforms like Klaviyo and Iterable.
BOPIS Workflow
1. Inventory Availability Check: As customers browse products on Shopify, HotWax Commerce checks real-time inventory availability at nearby stores and displays eligible pick-up locations on the Product Detail Page (PDP). Here’s how:
• HotWax Commerce checks the customer’s coordinates using latitude and longitude and fetches all the stores within a given distance that allow BOPIS.
• For each store that allows BOPIS, HotWax Commerce’s API checks the available-to-promise (ATP) inventory for the desired product. It displays all stores with non-zero inventory numbers on the PDP for customers to select and place a BOPIS order.
• If the product is allowed for pick-up, all the eligible pick-up locations are displayed on the PDP where the product can be picked up.
2. Order Capture and Download: Customers select their preferred store and place an order. HotWax Commerce downloads orders from Shopify and approves them. BOPIS orders are automatically shown at the customer-selected store in HotWax’s BOPIS App.
3. Store Notification and Order Preparation: HotWax’s BOPIS push notifications alert store associates when new orders are received. This helps achieve fast fulfillment for pick-up orders.
Store associates prepare orders for customer pickup and mark orders as Ready-for-Pickup in the BOPIS App once packed.
4. Customer Communication: Once packed, HotWax Commerce triggers a ready-for-pickup email to customers through Klaviyo. This lets customers know that they can now pick-up their order from the store.
HotWax Commerce also sends a pick-up reminder email to customers through Klaviyo if the customer doesn’t pick up the order within 7 days. Store associates also have an option to send reminder emails to customers directly from the BOPIS App.
5. Pick-Up and Completion: Customers collect their orders, and orders are marked as Completed in HotWax. Fulfillment details are synced to Shopify, marking orders as Fulfilled.
HotWax also syncs the fulfillment data to NetSuite to create and mark Item Fulfillment records as Shipped, generate invoices, and record payments for financial accuracy.
Why Omnichannel Fulfillment Strategy is the Future?
Omnichannel fulfillment is no longer a choice, it’s a strategy for modern retail. A well-executed omnichannel fulfillment strategy enables retailers to:
• Shorten delivery times by shipping from the nearest store or warehouse.
• Lower shipping costs by reducing last-mile delivery distances.
• Maximize inventory utilization by treating store inventory as a shared fulfillment resource.
• Provide multiple fulfillment options to improve the customers’ shopping experience.
• Automate fulfillment updates across all platforms for accurate record keeping.
• Keep customers informed with timely notifications at every stage.
With Shopify as the eCommerce platform, HotWax Commerce OMS managing intelligent, configurable order routing, and store fulfillment and NetSuite ERP overseeing warehouse fulfillment and accounting, retailers can build an omnichannel fulfillment strategy that is agile, scalable, and future-proof.
To get into the details of omnichannel retailing, systems involved and how to integrate multiple systems to achieve success, download our 'Omnichannel Retail Stack of the Decade' whitepaper.
Here’s what’s more you can discover in the whitepaper:
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In-store inventory management workflows, including receiving purchase orders, transfer orders, and performing cycle counts.
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Returns management workflows, such as online returns processed through Loop Returns and in-store returns managed using Shopify POS.
Get the full picture of omnichannel order and inventory management and discover how to build a future-ready retail omnichannel strategy. Download the whitepaper now.
