Make or break online shopping experiences: Composable order management
Retailers need flexibility to simplify the backend complexity of omnichannel fulfillment. Composable order management provides that.
In an era where customer expectations are all about speed, consistency, and convenience, brands are recognizing a powerful truth: operational excellence is customer experience. Behind every online shopping interaction, from accurate product listings to real-time stock visibility and hassle-free returns, there’s a finely tuned backend infrastructure.
Today, automation plays a giant role in that infrastructure. As e-commerce complexity rises, automation is no longer a behind-the-scenes tool for cost reduction. It’s becoming a strategic lever for brands that want to differentiate through customer experience, especially for those selling on marketplaces, where consistency and control are harder to maintain.
Marketplace automation ensures that the right data, pricing, availability, and promotions reach the right channel at the right time. It also powers smarter decision-making. Unified reporting and profitability dashboards allow e-commerce teams to adapt quickly to changing demand or poor performance—another key to keeping customers satisfied and loyal.
Backend inefficiencies show up as bad CX
Many e-commerce managers fight endless fires: correcting errors, patching listings, and adjusting stock manually. It’s time-consuming and resource intensive. But what’s often overlooked is how those inefficiencies translate to poor customer experiences.
A product listed with outdated information. An item purchased that’s actually out of stock. A delayed return refund. These aren’t just internal workflow failures; they’re direct hits to customer trust.
Marketplace selling multiplies these risks. Each platform has its own requirements, and without robust automation, even a small listing or inventory mismatch can result in order cancellations, high return rates, or negative reviews.
Brands are expanding across channels faster than ever to be where their customers are. But with each new marketplace comes added complexities like different tax rules, formatting requirements, fulfillment SLAs, and customer service expectations. Without marketplace automation, every new channel introduces friction.
On the flip side, brands that automate can launch listings faster, reduce order errors, and scale customer-centric strategies without added overhead. This reduces operational drag and unlocks growth.
Marketplace automation: The CX impact
ChannelEngine recently published “The ultimate time-saving ecommerce automation guide,” which discusses how automation addresses operational pain points. While the guide is rooted in back-office functionality, many of the benefits directly shape the front-end customer experience. For example:
- Real-time stock syncing reduces overselling and backorders
- Automated listing updates minimize content errors that lead to returns
- Localized, AI-powered content boosts relevance and discoverability
- Seamless return automation ensures faster refunds and restocking
The more efficiently these systems run, the smoother the customer journey becomes, from discovery to delivery to resolution.
By automating their pricing, stock management, and product content workflows, Expondo saved more than 60 hours per week—time that had previously been spent on repetitive, manual tasks. The European e-commerce company sells across multiple marketplaces.
Their team lead noted that these automations boosted productivity, particularly through the use of smart rules that eliminated the need for hands-on content creation. The outcome was more efficient operations and a more consistent, responsive experience for their customers.
Happier customers. Simpler processes. AND a 300% INCREASE in online order revenue.
The future of commerce is HERE.
CX is only as strong as your backend infrastructure
Shoppers increasingly prioritize convenience, selection, and trust, and they’re making purchasing decisions accordingly. Today, 63% say they prefer to buy from marketplaces over brand websites. The reasons are simple: faster fulfillment, easier returns, competitive pricing, and reliable delivery. All these outcomes depend on a strong operational infrastructure.
Nearly 80% of consumers globally say they’re comfortable with and expect personalized experiences, according to BCG’s 2024 Global Consumer Radar Survey. But personalization isn’t just about what users see on the front-end of a website; it hinges on data accuracy, responsive systems, and the orchestration of backend operations.
Poor execution can backfire: Two-thirds of consumers report having encountered personalization that felt inaccurate or invasive, leading them to unsubscribe or disengage altogether.
To determine if your backend infrastructure needs automation, ask yourself:
- Are stock levels updated in real-time across all marketplaces?
- Can product listings be enriched or localized automatically?
- Is pricing responsive to channel-specific rules and competitor changes?
- Can returns be triggered and resolved without manual intervention?
- Do your internal systems (ERP, OMS, PIM) talk to each other?
If the answer is “no” to more than two, it’s likely that backend friction is eroding CX.
Bringing it all together: marketplace automation
One of the biggest challenges for brands operating across both traditional and digital channels is fragmented order management. Systems often don’t communicate with each other, creating blind spots across the journey.
Emilie Fournelle, Head of Product for SAP Order Management foundation, explains how native SAP integrations with marketplace solutions help unify marketplace orders with backend systems, eliminating operational silos and creating a consistent customer experience:
“Without [automation], companies risk fragmented operations, manual order handling, and inconsistent customer experiences,” she says.
By creating a single source of truth, brands can ensure consistent fulfillment logic, accurate refunds, and predictable delivery times, regardless of channel.
However, automation isn’t a silver bullet. E-commerce companies should avoid these common mistakes:
- Lack of oversight; setting too many rules without visibility can introduce new errors.
- Forgetting about impact on the customer; automation must serve both the business and the end user.
- Not investing in data quality; automating bad data just scales bad experiences.
Keeping up with customers
As customer expectations grow more sophisticated, every operational gap becomes more visible. Marketplace automation is no longer just an efficiency tool, it’s a foundation for delivering modern, competitive, and memorable customer experiences.
Keep in mind that automation isn’t about replacing humans. It’s about giving teams the time and tools to focus on what matters most: strategy, differentiation, and customer value.
Those who invest in smart backend infrastructure today will be best positioned to meet tomorrow’s CX expectations with speed, consistency, and confidence.
