How multi-channel retailing makes order management systems work harder
The rise of multi-channel retailing has placed increased demands on order management systems, retailers tell Internet Retailer. “We expect our order management system to handle it all--mail orders, phone orders and web orders,” says JoAnn Muegge, application software support manager for Oshkosh, WI-based Miles Kimball Inc., a $140 million-a-year retailer of greeting cards and specialty houseware items. “And we expect consistency so we can move from mail to phone to web easily.”
One problem that order management systems in a multi-channel environment must be able solve is that of different order numbers depending on the channel. At Mile Kimball, telephone orders start with a T, mail orders with an M and web orders with a W. “We wanted all orders to go directly into the system without having to go through middleware for translation,” says Karl Kroeplin, vice president of information technology for Miles Kimball.
Miles Kimball operates the Miles Kimball catalog and web site and the Exposures catalog and web site. About 10% of Miles Kimball’s orders come from the web while 25% of Exposures’ orders come from the web.
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