Multichannel Order Management with Shopify, Faire & Other B2B Channels

Multichannel order management brings orders from ecommerce, marketplaces, EDI, email, B2B portals and field sales into a consistent process before they reach the ERP. For B2B sellers already using Shopify and Faire, the need for that layer usually appears when those platforms become part of a wider mix of order sources, customer requirements and back-office workflows.

The goal is not to replace channels that already work. It is to reduce the operational differences between them.

Shopify and Faire Already Work Together

Shopify and Faire have deliberately built a closer wholesale relationship.

In 2023, Shopify became a Faire shareholder and Faire became Shopify's recommended wholesale marketplace as part of a global partnership between the companies. Faire's partnership announcement described the goal as expanding Shopify's B2B offering while giving Shopify merchants deeper access to Faire's wholesale marketplace.

Brands can now connect Faire directly to Shopify and synchronize products, inventory, pricing and orders between the platforms.

For wholesalers using both, that already covers an important part of the order flow.

However, the operational gap appears when orders also arrive through EDI, emailed purchase orders, field sales reps, B2B portals and other marketplaces. Those channels may each work well on their own, but they still need to follow a consistent process before reaching the ERP.

That is the multichannel order management problem OrderEase is built to address.

What Changes When More Channels Join the Order Flow

Consider a manufacturer receiving orders through Shopify and Faire while also selling to major retailers through EDI, accepting emailed POs and using field sales reps.

Each channel serves a different customer or selling motion.

The operational requirements still have to come together downstream.

Every order eventually needs the right customer, product, quantity, price, unit of measure, ship-to information and fulfillment path.

When each source follows a separate process, the gaps are often filled manually.

A team member checks a price or customer record, maps a SKU, corrects a unit of measure or reviews an exception before the transaction reaches the ERP.

Those individual tasks may be small. At higher order volumes, the accumulated work can slow processing and make each additional channel harder to support.

Retailer requirements introduce another consideration. Even an efficient order desk can carry significant exposure when an incorrect document, shipment detail or routing decision leads to chargebacks, routing-guide violations or OTIF penalties.

If EDI requirements are becoming a major part of that problem, the EDI decision deserves its own evaluation. Our guide to choosing the right EDI service provider covers that topic in more detail.

Sales Rep Orders Should Join the Same Workflow

Field sales shows why channel connectivity matters.

Shopify already supports B2B sales staff with access to assigned customer accounts, products, pricing and inventory. Reps can also capture phone, email and in-person orders through draft orders.

Faire has mobile order-writing capabilities as well. Its Faire for Brands app lets reps write orders, view customers and inventory, and take orders from their phones at markets or customer meetings. 

So the useful question is: Can my sales reps take orders on a phone?

The answer is yes.

he more important question is: What happens to that order after the rep submits it?

OrderEase Sales Rep App gives field reps customer-specific catalogs and pricing, inventory visibility and order entry that connects with downstream systems. Reps can also take orders offline and synchronize them after connectivity returns.

This makes rep-entered orders part of the same operational process as orders coming through other B2B channels.

When Your Existing Connections May Be Enough

Using several sales channels does not automatically create a need for another platform.

Your current setup may be working well when:

• Shopify and Faire cover most of the relevant order flow
• Orders reach your ERP or accounting system reliably
• Customer pricing, products and ordering rules are relatively straightforward
• Manual corrections and exceptions are uncommon
• Sales reps can work effectively in the systems already available to them
• EDI, emailed POs and other channels create little operational overhead
• Retailer compliance requirements create limited financial or service risk

In that situation, another system could simply add another application for the team to maintain.

The useful measure is the work happening between the systems you already have.

Signals a Separate Order Management Layer May Be Worth Evaluating

As order sources, customers and rules increase, look closely at what happens before the ERP.

A separate order management layer may become more valuable when:

• Different customers use different ordering channels and workflows
• Major retailers require EDI and specific document or fulfillment rules
• PDF, spreadsheet or CSV purchase orders still arrive through email
• Sales reps regularly place orders on behalf of customers
• Pricing, catalogs, pack sizes or units of measure vary by account
• Customer product numbers must be mapped to internal SKUs
• Orders frequently require review or correction before ERP entry
• Retailer compliance failures can create chargebacks, routing-guide issues or OTIF exposure
• Orders need to route across warehouses, 3PLs or other fulfillment paths
• Adding a customer or channel repeatedly requires another custom process
• Order volume is growing faster than the team responsible for processing it

The buying experience can remain different by customer.

A major retail chain may require EDI, an independent retailer may buy through Faire, another account may order through Shopify, and a long-standing customer may continue emailing purchase orders.

The operational objective is consistency after those orders arrive.

Capture Different Orders in One Controlled Flow

Bring ecommerce, marketplace, EDI, email, B2B portal and field-sales orders into a structured process before they reach your ERP.

See Multichannel Order Capture →

Where OrderEase Fits

OrderEase connects the different ways B2B orders enter a business with the ERP and systems that execute them.

For Shopify, the OrderEase Shopify integration synchronizes products, inventory, customers and orders between Shopify and OrderEase. Shopify orders can then follow fulfillment logic and move through a consistent ERP-ready workflow.

For Faire, the OrderEase Faire integration connects Faire with ERP and back-office applications. OrderEase supports synchronization of orders, acknowledgements, shipments and invoices, along with validation and transaction visibility.

Across other order sources, the process follows the same pattern.

Shopify can continue serving merchants (or commerce customers), while Faire provides access to its wholesale marketplace. EDI, sales reps, portals and emailed orders can continue serving the customers that rely on those methods.

OrderEase standardizes the operational process connecting those order sources to downstream systems.

For a deeper explanation of that process, read Why Order Orchestration Only Works When Buyers & Sellers Are Connected.

If you are already comparing OMS vendors rather than determining whether you need one, move to How to Choose the Best B2B Order Management System, which covers evaluation criteria and platform options.

Keep the Channels, Simplify What Happens Behind Them

B2B customers do not all need to order the same way.

Shopify and Faire can continue working together. Retail partners can continue sending EDI orders. Field reps can work directly with their accounts, while other customers use portals or purchase orders.

The opportunity is to make the operational process behind those channels more consistent.

Multichannel order management gives B2B sellers a way to standardize, validate and route orders before they reach the systems responsible for fulfillment, inventory and finance.

That lets the business add channels and serve different buying preferences without creating a completely separate order process for each one.

One Order Flow Across Your B2B Channels

Connect ecommerce, marketplaces, EDI, email, B2B portals and field-sales orders into one standardized workflow before they reach your ERP.