Timely product delivery is a crucial aspect of running a business dealing with physical goods, regardless of whether it's a B2B or B2C operation. No matter the industry and your target market, customers have little tolerance for a mistake made during delivery and expect their goods to arrive on time. That's why it's imperative that you implement high tech order fulfillment software which allows you to manage orders from the point-of-sale and your distribution center to your customer's doorstep. To help you find the best tool on the market, we've compiled a list of software companies offering order fulfillment solutions. See what they have to offer and choose the one that best fits your business.
With 16 fulfillment centers in the US, one in Canada, one in Australia, one in Ireland and one in the UK, ShipBob provides comprehensive coverage and plenty of shipping options as well as global reach. The center in the UK provides international trade opportunities for UK order fulfillment services and is a scalable solution for both small and large businesses. The company has helped thousands of businesses find their foothold in the industry and continues to provide excellent services for small and mid-sized businesses. Read Review
- ⦿Order timeline tracking
- ⦿Basic analytics tools
- ⦿No hidden fees
ShipMonk is one of the best-known web-based order fulfillment platforms in the US, offering great deals to small and midsize businesses. Because there is no monthly minimum of orders, ShipMonk is great for sellers who are just starting out. It's one of the best choices for people who plan on shipping their items within the US, as it offers plenty of good integrations, and its warehouses are located on both the east and west coast. Read Review
- ⦿Country-wide coverage
- ⦿Automatic item bundling
- ⦿No payments for unused services
If you're looking for something truly international, look no further. Fulfillment Bridge is located in Hong Kong and handles shipments in 17 countries. Thanks to the wide coverage of centers, you can expect a cheap fulfillment service and low shipping costs. Besides standard services, Fulfillment Bridge also offers help with FBA preparation, but only as an add-on for existing clients. Read Review
- ⦿More than 20 eCommerce shopping channels
- ⦿Fully customizable software
- ⦿Numerous international carriers
Zoho is a reputable corporation with nearly a quarter of a century of experience in creating custom software. In 2015, Zoho developed its software for order fulfillment with an intuitive, straightforward user interface full of useful information about your orders. It comes with 40-plus shipping integrations available and the Zoho-recommended AfterShip for tracking shipments. Read Review
- ⦿Easy software navigation
- ⦿Automatic packing slips
- ⦿Dropshipping functionality
Boxzooka eCom fulfillment center offers one of the best WMS solutions on the market. It's fully customizable, so it can easily adapt to any demands you might have. One of the biggest features of this warehouse management system is the integrated calculator, which always provides you with a landed cost for the orders. Read Review
- ⦿Relies on 3PL services
- ⦿Subscription boxes
- ⦿Real-time order updates
Fishbowl is another reputable company with high-quality software solutions for order management. Its main piece of software is called Fishbowl Warehouse, and it offers a comprehensive but straightforward dashboard with numerous features. Like other similar product fulfillment companies, Fishbowl allows you to control multichannel sales, connect numerous warehouses, increase business automation, back product development with new continuous delivery options, keep track of inventory, and automate the reordering process. Read Review
- ⦿Automated reordering
- ⦿Embedded UPS service
- ⦿14-day free trial
Related Product & Service Categories
Glossary of Important Order Fulfillment Terms
While hunting for the perfect order management and fulfillment software, you'll most likely stumble upon a couple of unfamiliar terms. To make life a bit easier for you, we've compiled a short list of some of the most common order fulfillment terms.
3PL (third-party logistics) - An outsourced logistics company that deals with various aspects of order fulfillment, from shipping to warehousing, inventory management, and transportation.
Allocated stock - Items in the inventory that are reserved but not yet shipped to the buyers.
Accessorial charge - An extra charge added to the freight bill for any additional services. For example, the shipping fulfillment center might require extra payment for handling hazardous materials.
Backorder - This happens when there is an order for an item that's out of stock at the moment. The retailer tells the customer that the item isn't available but that a new batch is being ordered.
Cross-docking - The process of unloading products from the incoming transport and loading them almost immediately onto the outbound transport. There is almost no storage time in between these two events.
EDI (electronic data interchange) - A fully automated exchange of ordering data between companies that happens completely without human interaction.
FIFO (first in, first out) - FIFO is a practice in online order fulfillment services where the oldest items are sold first when a product is ordered.
LIFO (last in, first out) - The opposite of FIFO; a practice where the newest items are sold first.
Kitting - The process of bundling up various products and components into a single package under one SKU. It's often required for fulfillment by Amazon or FBA.
Landed cost - The total cost of the order, including all taxes, fees, and additional charges.
Pick and pack - The process of locating and packing the products in the warehouse. This process may also include assembly.
SKU (stock-keeping unit) - A unique code that identifies a specific item in the order fulfillment warehouse. It's possible to bundle up a couple of items with the same SKU through the process of kitting.
Supply chain - In its broadest sense, the supply chain represents the entire process, from material requirements planning to delivering the finished product to the customer. The software that manages the entirety of this process is called SCMS (supply chain management software).
WMS (warehouse management system) - A type of software that solely handles warehousing. It can be a part of a more extensive fulfillment system or function independently on-site.
Our Methodology
To find the best order fulfillment companies on the market, we've taken several essential elements into consideration:
Order Management
Arguably the most important part of the fulfillment process is streamlining the order management. You'll want your software to be able to compile all your orders from every spreadsheet and channel into a single, easy-to-follow dashboard. That way, you can keep track of them, search for individual packages, and edit the orders as needed. If the customer isn't satisfied with the order, you need to have a quick way to provide adequate customer service, authorize item returns and oversee the process without error.
Inventory Management
Pretty much all top eCommerce fulfillment companies in the world put great emphasis on their inventory management system. Reliable software will update the items in your inventory in real-time, so you won't lose profit on items that are temporarily out of stock. It'll also enable you to accurately forecast your inventory levels based on your sales, market demands, or the season.
Warehouse Management
Depending on the type of company you opt for, you'll either use its own warehouses or get an option to manage the ones you've picked out yourself. Either way, you should be able to manage the hardware side of the operation, multiple warehouses and fulfillment services within a single dashboard. Dividing and storing your inventory in multiple locations greatly reduces shipping costs and increases your products' availability.
Additional Fulfillment Options
Besides the standard retail and eCommerce fulfillment, top companies will often offer additional services like subscription boxes or crowdfunding campaign fulfillment. Labeling and kitting are usually tied to FBA prepping but aren't always offered as a separate service. We also check to see whether the company supports custom packaging that will help you promote your brand.
Integrations
Any piece of order management software is only as valuable as the number of integrations it allows. These integrations include marketplaces, shopping carts, analytics, shipping, and payments. If you use third-party shipping vendors, you'll want to include them in your dashboard, as well as accounting software like QuickBooks.
Pricing
Most fulfillment companies work on quote-based pricing plans. That means you have to fill out a form and contact customer support to get a custom price list specifically for your business. Transparency is of the utmost importance here as there are numerous fees and taxes at play. You'll want a company that can give you the landing cost - the service's total cost, including all applicable taxes.
Top 5 Order Fulfillment Software Packages in 2022
- ShipBob
- ShipMonk
- Fulfillment Bridge
- Zoho Inventory
- Boxzooka

Order Fulfillment Software Reviews
ShipBob Review
EXCELLENT
GOOD
EXCELLENT
- ⦿ 20 fulfillment centers
- ⦿ Two-day shipping option
- ⦿ Low shipping costs
ShipMonk Review
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
- ⦿ More than 150 shopping cart integrations
- ⦿ Capacity of 10,000 orders per day
- ⦿ Dedicated happiness engineer
Fulfillment Bridge Review
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
GOOD
- ⦿ Same-day item processing
- ⦿ 17 locations around the world
- ⦿ Shipping rates calculator
Zoho Inventory Review
EXCELLENT
GOOD
GOOD
- ⦿ 40+ shipping integrations
- ⦿ iOS and Android apps
- ⦿ Free subscription plan
Boxzooka Review
EXCELLENT
GOOD
GOOD
- ⦿ Great WMS
- ⦿ Wholesale and retail support
- ⦿ Landing cost calculation
Fishbowl Warehouse Review
EXCELLENT
GOOD
EXCELLENT
- ⦿ QuickBooks and Xero integrations
- ⦿ Multiple currencies
- ⦿ Various additional plugins
Fulfillment software is a specific program designed to help you manage your orders, organize inventory, keep track of shipments, and ensure customer satisfaction. This order processing software automates huge chunks of an otherwise slow procedure and drastically improves the efficiency of the sales process. Order fulfillment programs generally have an alert system in place to keep you notified of any important changes to your order.
When an order comes in, the software automatically notifies the seller and marks the item for shipping. The item gets packed in standard or custom packaging (depending on the seller's preference) and shipped to the customer. Shipping fulfillment services automatically determine the best shipping method based on a number of factors - the item's size, weight, and any preferences of the seller or the buyer. In case the customer isn't satisfied with the product or wants a different variation, for example, another size or color, the software can also initiate the return process.
Most of the time, small businesses rely on fulfillment software because it's an inexpensive and efficient way to keep track of orders. Companies that offer order fulfillment services for small business ventures usually don't set any daily or monthly minimum number of orders. In other words, the seller doesn't need to meet a quota; they only pay for the shipped items.
A warehouse management system is a type of software that automates and optimizes processes in the warehouse. It can improve inventory management, organize item shipping, and notify the seller when a product is out of stock. WMS can be stand-alone software, part of a bigger ERP (enterprise resource planning) application, or web-based software-as-a-service. WMS is often an integral part of good eCommerce order fulfillment software.
Yes, it does. In fact, Zoho has a specific app called Zoho Inventory, designed to take care of the whole order fulfillment process. It lets you keep track of your inventory, manages your warehouses, and deals with shipping. However, unlike other companies on our list, Zoho doesn't have its own warehouses. Still, it can help you manage the ones you make a deal with. This is all part and parcel of its reputable order fulfillment software, used by thousands of businesses all over the globe.