Order Fulfillment Software: How to Choose & Top Picks
Quick answer: Order fulfillment software automates the work between an order and its delivery — importing orders, managing inventory, creating pick lists, packing, shipping labels, tracking and returns. Choose one that integrates with your store and marketplaces, imports orders automatically and shows inventory in real time. Popular options include ShipMonk, Zoho Inventory, Veeqo, Fishbowl, NetSuite and Brightpearl; if you outsource fulfillment, your fulfillment partner’s own dashboard may already cover these needs.
What is Order Fulfillment Software?
First of all, you need to briefly understand what order fulfillment is. It is the process of receiving goods, processing orders, and delivering orders to customers. The process begins when a customer places an order and ends when they receive it. However, if a buyer wants to return an item, Order Fulfillment also manages the return transaction.
Order fulfillment software helps you automate the order process, including inventory management, generating pick lists, picking, packing, shipping, and tracking processes. The purpose of order fulfillment software is to increase efficiency and automate the fulfillment process.
How does Order Fulfillment Software Work?
Fulfillment software can include any or all of the following:
Inventory control
Overall order processing
Omni-channel management
Warehouse management systems
Supply chain optimization or management software
Evaluating Order Fulfillment Software
Before choosing the best order fulfillment software, you should have a set of criteria for your own evaluation to determine what software system you are looking for. So consider the following when selecting an order fulfillment software vendor:
Do you need time-based billing?
Are price quotes a major part of your ordering/fulfillment needs?
Do you mass-produce products in anticipation of future demand?
Do you sell on several stores or marketplaces that need to share one inventory?
How to Choose a Fulfillment Software?
To start choosing the best order fulfillment software for your business, you first need to define how your business relates to your products and orders. The goal is to make it easier for potential vendors to let you know if their solutions can work for you.
Next, you need to see which of your orders you want to be managed with the software. If you decide to outsource everything, you should look for a fulfillment tool that can do that.
After this, you need to see if your existing software works with preferred vendors.
Finally, you also need to see if the software can support your partners and the platforms they use and if the reports the software produces are good for you.
Order Fulfillment Software for Ecommerce
There are some common requirements for eCommerce fulfillment software:
1
Integrate with eCommerce platforms
When choosing an eCommerce fulfillment software; you need to be sure that it integrates with popular eCommerce platforms. This will help you centralize all your orders and quickly update your prices across the board.
2
Automatically import new orders
Instead of importing each new order to a different marketplace, look for a solution that will allow you to automate the process. It will both save loads of time and ensure nothing gets missed.
3
View and manage inventory
Managing your inventory from the fulfillment software is a great way to improve your manufacturing processes, reduce wasted stock, and potentially sell more.
4
Verify and process returns
Usually, customers returning an item are not satisfied with the experience. Having a way to verify and process returns right inside your fulfillment software helps you keep the same levels of satisfaction without further ruining it.
Top 9 Order Fulfillment Software Providers
ShipMonk
Affordable and high-quality supply chain and order fulfillment software. Easy to use and intuitive.
Biz Automation
Comprehensive ERP solution with a wide array of features, including order, inventory, and shipping management tools.
Zoho Inventory
Very functional and affordable inventory and order management software with multiple shipping integrations. Easy to use.
Veeqo
POS platform with advanced shipping, advanced warehouse management, and accounting tools. Has good reporting tools.
TradeGecko
Easy and efficient order and inventory management solution with multiple integrations. Note that TradeGecko was acquired by Intuit, renamed QuickBooks Commerce and later discontinued, so existing users have had to move to other tools.
Fishbowl Inventory
Business automation and inventory management software with a comprehensive set of core features and great integration capabilities.
NetSuite
Comprehensive ERP system. Offers order, inventory, warehouse, and fulfillment management solutions.
ShipWire
Scalable order fulfillment software that is easily integrated with a wide range of e-commerce solutions.
Brightpearl
Offers automated shipping management and order fulfillment solutions, as well as CRM, POS, and workflow automation tools.
Fulfillment Software vs a Fulfillment Partner
Fulfillment software helps you run fulfillment yourself. If you would rather not pick, pack and ship at all, a fulfillment partner does the physical work and usually gives you its own dashboard as well. For example, Honest FulPhilment connects to Shopify through a free app and to WooCommerce with a REST API key (no plugin), accepts CSV/Excel order uploads, and offers an open API and MCP server for custom and AI integrations. Orders are imported automatically, in-stock orders are dispatched within 24 hours, and tracking numbers sync back to your store.
More about Order Fulfillment Software:
How do you automate order fulfillment?
FAQ
What is order fulfillment software?
Order fulfillment software automates the steps between a customer order and delivery: importing orders, managing inventory, generating pick lists, packing, buying shipping labels, tracking and processing returns. It reduces manual work and shipping errors.
What features should ecommerce fulfillment software have?
Look for integrations with your store platforms and marketplaces, automatic order import, real-time inventory across locations, shipping label and tracking tools, returns processing and clear reporting.
How do I choose order fulfillment software?
List how many orders, sales channels and warehouses you have, decide which steps you want to automate or outsource, check that the software works with your existing store and accounting tools, and compare pricing and reports with a free trial where possible.
Do I need fulfillment software if I use a fulfillment company?
Often not. Most fulfillment companies and 3PLs give you their own dashboard that imports orders from your store, shows inventory and pushes tracking numbers back automatically, so you only need separate software if you also ship orders yourself.
How do you automate order fulfillment?
Connect your store to fulfillment software or a fulfillment partner so new orders are imported automatically, set rules for warehouse and shipping method selection, and let tracking numbers sync back to the store and customer emails.