Stock selling online that isn't actually available in-store because your POS and e-commerce platform don't share a live inventory pool?
Staff manually deciding which store should pick and ship each online order because there's no routing logic in your system?
Omnichannel Retail and Order Management Software
Custom omnichannel software and order management systems for retailers who sell across physical stores and online channels -- unified inventory, click-and-collect stock reservation, ship-from-store routing, and cross-channel returns processing that works the way your operation actually runs.
We build for retailers whose order volume or channel complexity has outgrown what a standard e-commerce platform can manage accurately -- where stock overselling, manual fulfilment decisions, and patchy order visibility are costing customer trust and staff time.
Unified inventory pool visible across all channels in real time after every sale, receipt, and transfer
Click-and-collect stock reservation that prevents overselling at the fulfilment location before collection
Order routing engine that decides which location fulfils each order based on stock, proximity, and capacity
Cross-channel returns processed in-store against an online order with accurate inventory and refund handling
RaftLabs builds custom omnichannel retail and order management software for retailers who sell across physical stores and online channels. The software covers unified inventory, click-and-collect with stock reservation, ship-from-store order routing, cross-channel returns processing, and real-time order visibility for customers and staff. A custom OMS is the right choice when your order volume, channel mix, or fulfilment logic has outgrown what Shopify or a third-party OMS can handle accurately. Most omnichannel retail projects ship in 12--14 weeks at a fixed cost.
100+Products shipped
·24+Industries served
·FixedCost delivery
·12-14Week delivery cycles
Why unified retail operations break down as channels multiply
Most retailers add channels one at a time. A store opens, then an e-commerce site goes live, then click-and-collect gets bolted on, then a marketplace feed is added. Each channel has its own stock view, its own order queue, and its own fulfilment process. By the time a retailer has four or five channels operating, nobody has a single accurate view of available stock -- and customers find out when their click-and-collect order gets cancelled because the item had already sold in-store.
The core problem is that off-the-shelf e-commerce platforms manage orders and inventory within their own channel. They were not designed to act as a true order management system across a mixed estate of physical stores and digital channels. A custom OMS sits above all channels, maintains one stock pool, applies routing logic to every order, and returns accurate status information back to each channel and to the customer.
An OMS built for your specific operation handles the details that generic tools get wrong: which location holds enough stock of the exact variant ordered, which carrier to use given the delivery address and parcel weight, how to handle a partial in-store return against a multi-line online order, and how to show the customer an accurate delivery window at the point of purchase rather than a generic estimate.
What we build
Unified inventory management
A single inventory pool that reflects accurate stock across every channel and location in real time. Every sale, goods receipt, write-off, and inter-store transfer updates the same record immediately, so the stock count a customer sees on the website matches the count the store manager sees on the floor. Channel allocation rules let you reserve a percentage of stock for specific channels during peak periods without manually managing separate pools. Variant-level accuracy at the size, colour, and location level means the system knows that the medium navy jacket is available at the Fitzroy store but not the CBD, rather than just knowing the group-wide total. Backorder thresholds flag when a variant is running low before it hits zero so buyers are alerted before a stockout, not after.
Click-and-collect and ship-from-store
Click-and-collect reservation that deducts the variant from available stock at the nominated store the moment the customer places the order, preventing that unit from being sold to another customer in-store before collection. The store receives a fulfilment task with the item, the collection window, and the customer name. Staff confirm pick and notify the customer automatically. Ship-from-store routing identifies which store holds the ordered variant and has the capacity to pick, pack, and dispatch that day. Shipping label generation from the store using the preferred carrier for that route, with tracking number pushed back to the order and to the customer. The routing logic uses proximity to the delivery address, current pick queue depth, and stock position to select the optimal fulfilment location without a warehouse manager making the call manually.
Order management system
A central order queue that ingests orders from every channel -- e-commerce, POS, marketplace, phone -- and routes each one to the correct fulfilment location based on configurable rules. Priority logic handles time-sensitive orders, loyalty tier members, and express delivery commitments ahead of standard queue. Each order moves through defined statuses: received, allocated, picking, dispatched, delivered, and complete. Staff at each fulfilment location see only their queue with the actions required at each step. Exception handling flags orders that cannot be routed automatically -- out of stock at all locations, address validation failures, carrier service gaps -- for manual resolution before they affect the customer. The order management layer that replaces spreadsheet coordination and WhatsApp message chains between stores.
Returns and exchanges across channels
A return initiated online or processed in-store against any original order, regardless of the channel where the sale happened. The store associate looks up the original order by order number, email, or loyalty account and sees the eligible items, the return window status, and the refund method. Return reason recording at the item level feeds into product and supplier reporting. Exchanges processed in the same transaction: the return line is credited and the exchange item is located in-store or re-ordered online from the same screen. Inventory update happens immediately when the return is accepted and the item is confirmed as resaleable. Refund triggers the appropriate payment reversal through the original payment method without manual finance intervention. The cross-channel returns flow that stops customers being told they can't return an online order in-store.
Customer order visibility
Real-time order status visible to the customer from the moment they place the order through to delivery or collection. Automated status notifications by email or SMS at each fulfilment milestone: order confirmed, picking started, dispatched, out for delivery, delivered. Delivery tracking link embedded in the notification using the carrier's live tracking feed, not a static estimated date. Customer-facing order history showing every order across all channels in a single view, with return eligibility and reorder options accessible from the same screen. Staff-facing order lookup tool for customer service: any team member can see the full order status, fulfilment location, carrier tracking, and return history for any customer or order without escalating to a back-office team. The order visibility layer that reduces inbound customer service contacts about order status.
POS and e-commerce integration
Integration with your existing POS system so in-store sales deduct from the shared inventory pool in real time rather than via a nightly sync that leaves a gap for overselling. E-commerce platform integration with Shopify, WooCommerce, or a custom storefront so online orders enter the OMS the moment they are placed and inventory updates flow back to the product catalogue without manual intervention. ERP integration for retailers who manage purchasing and finance in a separate system: purchase order data, goods receipt confirmations, and order financial summaries flow between the OMS and the ERP on a defined schedule. Multi-carrier integration for shipping label generation covering domestic and international carriers, with rate selection logic that chooses the right service for each shipment based on weight, dimensions, and delivery address. The integration layer that makes your existing systems work together rather than replacing them all at once.
Frequently asked questions
Shopify handles orders well for retailers who sell primarily online or who have a straightforward in-store and online split. It becomes a constraint when you need to route orders from specific stores based on stock and proximity, manage click-and-collect reservations at the variant level, or process in-store returns against online orders without the customer needing a receipt. Third-party OMS platforms like Brightpearl or Linnworks solve some of these problems but introduce annual licence costs and implementation constraints that grow with your order volume. A custom OMS makes financial sense when your order volume is large enough that per-order SaaS pricing is material, when your fulfilment logic is specific to your operation, or when you need the OMS to connect to systems the off-the-shelf tools don't support. We scope both options during discovery and will tell you honestly which path makes sense for your situation.
When a customer selects click-and-collect for a specific store, the OMS checks the available stock of the exact variant at that location, deducts one unit from the available count immediately, and marks it as reserved against that order. The reservation prevents any other channel from selling that unit until either the customer collects it or the reservation window expires and the stock is released back to available. The store's fulfilment queue shows the reserved item with the collection window so staff can locate and set it aside. This is different from how most e-commerce platforms work, where stock deduction happens at payment rather than at reservation, and where the POS system often doesn't see the reservation at all. The reservation system requires real-time integration between the OMS and the POS stock ledger at the specific store location.
Yes. We've integrated with major retail POS systems including Lightspeed, Square, Vend, EPOS Now, and custom-built POS platforms. E-commerce integrations cover Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, and custom storefronts. The integration approach depends on what APIs each system exposes: cloud-based POS platforms typically provide webhook or REST API access for real-time transaction data, while legacy or on-premise systems may need a middleware layer. Integration scope is defined during project discovery -- we document what data flows between each system, confirm what the APIs support, and price the integration as a fixed scope item before development starts. If you have an unusual stack, tell us what you're running and we'll assess it.
A core OMS covering unified inventory, order routing, and e-commerce and POS integration typically runs $35,000--$80,000. Adding click-and-collect with store-level stock reservation, ship-from-store fulfilment, cross-channel returns, and customer-facing order tracking typically runs $80,000--$180,000. Cost depends on the number of store locations, the number of channels integrated, the complexity of your carrier setup, and whether you need mobile apps for store staff. We scope every project before pricing -- contact us with your store count, current POS and e-commerce platform, rough order volume, and where the current system breaks down. We'll give you a fixed cost.
