5 Reasons Why an OMS Has Become Vital for Retail Survival in 2025
Why an OMS Has Become Essential in Retail
Retail is in the midst of a radical transformation. Every day, brands strive to adapt to a new paradigm where customer experience reigns supreme.
The unfiltered truth? Retailers who are not equipped with a powerful Order Management System (OMS) in 2024 are heading toward obsolescence. This is no longer about innovation—it’s about survival.
After guiding over 150 retailers through digital transformation, our conviction is clear: the OMS is now the backbone of any forward-looking retail operation aiming to stay relevant.
In this article, discover why this technology is indispensable, how it is changing operations, and what it can bring to your business right now.
Retail in 2025: A Ruthless Playing Field for Brands
Ultra-demanding Consumers: Immediacy, Personalization, Transparency
Today’s shoppers are more demanding—some would say tyrannical—than ever before.
- They want everything, immediately and perfectly tailored.
- Clarity on delivery: 73% will abandon their cart if delivery times are vague or too long (Shopify, 2024).
- Consistency: A frictionless, omnichannel experience is no longer a luxury—it’s the new minimum standard.
“I spoke with a fashion retailer’s digital director: ‘Previously, we could get away with delivery within 5–7 days. Now, if we can’t offer next‑day delivery or in-store pickup within an hour, it’s a lost sale.'”
Personalization is now critical. 80% of consumers are more likely to buy when offered a personalized experience (Epsilon). This demands a unified view of customer and inventory across channels—a challenge without the right tools.
Unprecedented Logistical and Operational Pressure
Retailers face exploding complexity:
- Websites, apps, physical stores, marketplaces, social: every channel generates unique orders with distinct workflows.
- Disparate stock leads to artificial stockouts online, while stores have unsold goods—a potential sales drain of up to 15%.
- Returns are intensifying: average retail return rates at 16.5% (NRF), peaking at 30% in fashion.
- Margin pressure is constant. Overstock somewhere and stockouts elsewhere cost real money.
Visibility and smart allocation are now survival issues, not just optimizations.
OMS: The Invisible Conductor Running the Machine
Centralizing Inventory, Streamlining Orders, Keeping Promises
Picture a control tower offering real-time inventory visibility across all locations. That’s what a state-of-the-art OMS enables.
- Centralizes every sales channel’s inventory data.
- Orchestrates orders and automates optimal attribution—right down to criteria such as geography, stock level, workload.
- Transforms in-store inventory into available stock online, slashing perceived stockouts (one client realized a 23% reduction and a 17% revenue jump in one quarter).
- Automates returns, reallocations, and multimodal delivery—click & collect, ship from store, home delivery—all seamlessly.
The result? Frictionless, consistent, and delightful customer experiences across every channel.
Gaining Agility Without Sacrificing Profitability
Modern retail is an unforgiving equation:
- Offer more, faster.
- Preserve—ideally improve—profitability.
An OMS is the lever that makes this possible.
- Optimizes delivery: orders are shipped from the nearest location, leveraging store and warehouse network—saving 15–20% in delivery costs (McKinsey 2024).
- Reduces unsold items, improves stock rotation, and boosts in-store profitability (one luxury client surged 22% in per-sqm profitability, cutting delivery times to under 24 hours for 80% of orders).
- Makes launching innovations—express delivery, subscriptions, rentals, second-hand—achievable via a robust, scalable foundation.
Operational agility via OMS means you can test and roll out new services or business models—knowing your tech infrastructure has your back.
Why Choose a Sovereign Solution Like Wishibam?
European Technology, Designed for Today’s Retailers
The choice of a sovereign OMS is strategic. It’s not only about data privacy or GDPR—it’s about a solution built for your market.
- Many solutions target the American market and its specifics.
- Wishibam is born and developed in Europe—for European retailers, with local hosting and full GDPR compliance.
- Your data stays under your control, free from the grip of American tech giants.
Our differentiator? A deep, daily understanding of European retail’s unique challenges, and a solution co-created with retailers to address real-world needs.
A Strategic Partner, Not Just a Software Provider
At Wishibam, our impact isn’t just technical—it’s business first, tech second.
- We begin with consulting: analyzing your processes, identifying optimization opportunities, and building an actionable, tailored roadmap.
- Retail expertise: our team comes from the field, not just code.
- Custom-fit integrations: whether you have legacy IT, complex workflows, or special requirements, our solution adapts to your unique business—not the reverse.
“Thanks to Wishibam, we doubled our omnichannel conversion in 6 months. What impressed me most was their real-world understanding and pragmatic solutions.”
Our partnership model includes long-term commitment. Your transformation is a journey—we’re by your side for every step.
Proven results:
- Delivery times down by 65%, logistics costs cut by 12% (beauty sector client).
- Stores transformed from cost centers to profit-driving logistics hubs.
In 2025, Having No OMS Is Like Playing a Match Without a Coach
Imagine a high-performing sports team without a coach, strategy, or communication. Individual talent isn’t enough against organized competition.
“This is what awaits retailers facing 2025 without a powerful OMS. In a world where customer experience is queen, cost pressure is relentless, and agility means survival, an OMS is now a non-negotiable necessity.”
The best news? There’s still time. Omnichannel transformation is a path, not a finish line. No matter your starting point, what truly matters is partnering with someone who understands your reality and can get you moving.
At Wishibam, we believe technology should serve people. Our OMS empowers your teams, transforms challenges into opportunities, and turns omnichannel into a true engine for profitable growth.
Ready to take the next step? The future belongs to those who orchestrate all their sales channels and inventory. That starts with the right OMS.
FAQ: Why Has an OMS Become Essential in Retail?
What exactly is an OMS and how does it differ from an ERP or WMS?
An Order Management System (OMS) centralizes and orchestrates orders from all sales channels. Unlike ERP (which runs all business processes) or WMS (focused on warehouse management), an OMS is dedicated to managing the entire order journey—unifying inventory and ensuring seamless fulfillment.
What is the typical return on investment for an OMS in retail?
ROI with an OMS is measured across revenue growth (typically 10–15% uplift via reduced stockouts), logistics savings (5–10%), margin improvements (3–5%), and improved loyalty. Most clients see their OMS investment pay for itself within 6 to 18 months, depending on size and digital maturity.
How can an OMS help reduce the environmental impact of my retail activity?
An OMS optimizes delivery routes (reducing CO₂ emissions), minimizes unsold products through smarter stock management, and enables local fulfillment models like ship-from-store. Several clients have cut their logistics-related carbon footprint by 30% or more.
How long does it take to deploy an OMS like Wishibam’s?
Deployment depends on your ecosystem’s complexity, but initial value is typically delivered in 2–3 months, with full roll-out achieved in 4–8 months. Our agile approach prioritizes the highest-impact use cases first.
Is an OMS relevant for a small or medium-sized retailer?
Absolutely. SMEs stand to gain even more from an OMS, given limited resources and the need for maximum efficiency. Wishibam offers scalable solutions for retailers of all sizes, deployable according to your priorities and budget.
How does the OMS integrate with my existing systems (ERP, e-commerce, POS)?
The Wishibam OMS is designed for easy integration. Standard connectors exist for major platforms (SAP, Salesforce, Shopify, Magento), and our team can build custom links if needed. Integration is typically via API and non-intrusive for your current architecture.
What essential functionalities should I look for in an OMS in 2024?
A best-in-class OMS should offer real-time unified inventory, intelligent orchestration rules, full omnichannel (click & collect, ship from store, flexible returns), predictive demand capabilities, and an intuitive user interface. The ability to evolve with your business is also key.
Charlotte Journo-Baur, founder of WISHIBAM and recognized as one of the top 0.1% most influential retail experts in Europe