It’s no secret that managing logistics is a challenge. You must keep orders moving through the pipeline, carefully manage your inventory, optimize your resources, and ensure you’re meeting consumer expectations—all at once.
Luckily, you can simplify warehouse management and boost efficiency by implementing logistics software. In this guide, we share 10 top platforms as well as their key features. By the end of this guide, you’ll be able to select the right logistics solution for boosting warehouse performance and service delivery.
Before we dive in, here are the key takeaways about logistics software:
- Logistics software simplifies and optimizes managing a warehouse’s shipping and inventory operations.
- Logistics software can facilitate and automate multiple warehouse processes to boost productivity and reduce operational costs and errors.
- Types of logistics software include warehouse management systems, transportation management systems, inventory management systems, warehouse execution systems, and order management systems.
- Pick the best logistics software for your warehouse by considering price, features, scalability, and user-friendliness.
- Logiwa outperforms other logistics platforms when it comes to user-friendliness and the ability to manage, monitor, and automate almost every warehouse process.
Contents
What Is Logistics Software?
Logistics software is a digital solution that simplifies and optimizes managing a warehouse’s shipping and inventory operations, and other logistics and supply chain activities. It accomplishes this by efficiently coordinating inventory storage, movement, and distribution to complete and ship orders.
While each logistics platform is different, they typically perform a similar range of functions, such as inventory management, route optimization, rate shopping, order tracking, warehouse management, and more. You can use logistics software to facilitate or automate most of these functions to reduce operational costs and errors and boost productivity.
In a nutshell, logistics software can help simplify and improve the execution of complex and repetitive warehouse logistics and supply chain management tasks. Its assistance will improve your warehouse efficiency, enabling you to serve customers better.
5 Types of Logistics Software
Logistics solutions are not equal. Some focus on managing and monitoring inventory within and outside a warehouse. More robust versions cover everything from inventory management and order fulfillment to order shipping and customer updating. Below are the most common types of logistics software and what they do.
- Warehouse Management System (WMS): WMS applications are comprehensive tools that manage all aspects of running a warehouse, including inventory management, order processing, task assignment, shipping, logistics, and more.
- Inventory Management System: These are specialized applications for managing goods receiving, storage, and shipping. With it, you can efficiently track all your warehouse inventory and stay updated about stock levels, order fulfillment status, and more.
- Warehouse Execution System (WES): WES applications help optimize and automate warehouse operations in real-time. Most facilities use the system to coordinate and manage order picking, inventory replenishment, resource allocation, and other warehouse tasks to boost operational efficiency.
- Order Management System (OMS): OMS applications centralize the processing and fulfillment of customer orders from various sales channels. Businesses with offline and online stores can use it to monitor, manage, and process orders from all their stores. Its primary benefit is boosting order and shipping fulfillment efficiency and accuracy.
- Transportation Management System (TMS): Businesses use TMS applications to optimize transportation and logistics planning, execution, and monitoring. They can manage freight shipments, carrier selection, route planning, and load optimization. These platforms also provide real-time visibility into goods movement so you can update customers about order statuses.
The Benefits of Logistics Software
- Improved efficiency: Logistics software can help automate and streamline various supply chain processes. Automation lessens the need for manual labor, reducing the likelihood of costly human errors. Automation also improves efficiency because you can do more with less effort in less time, leading to improved productivity and faster service delivery.
- Cost reduction: Logistics software can help you save money in several ways. For example, by reducing your reliance on manual labor, you can reduce labor costs and prevent accidents caused by human error. Also, logistics software can help reduce transportation, storage, and carrying costs by optimizing routes, warehouse space, and inventory restocking.
- Enhanced visibility: Comprehensive logistics software provides end-to-end, real-time visibility of your inventory levels and goods movement. Access to up-to-date information regarding inventory within and outside your warehouse enables you to make fast and well-informed decisions.
- Better customer service: Since logistics software optimizes your service delivery, you can serve customers better. You can also provide them with accurate delivery estimates, shipping status updates, and affordable shipping rates. Optimizing your customer service with the software will give you a distinctive advantage over competitors.
How to Evaluate Logistics Software
Pick the right logistics software for your business by considering and comparing these factors between available products.
Price
Logistics software prices vary between providers, and you want a product that you can comfortably afford. However, while affordability is crucial, a product should also offer the features you need to optimize your operations. An affordable product that can’t help you achieve your warehouse optimization goals will be pointless.
Features
Compare the features offered by logistics software applications and choose the one with the features you need to achieve your goals. Besides having relevant features, the application should be user-friendly. Otherwise, you’ll have trouble onboarding and using it to your advantage, delaying time to value.
Scalability
A scalable logistics software application can easily adapt to meet your needs as your company grows or as customer demand rises or falls. Choose a logistics software that can easily scale to meet your needs. Otherwise, you risk experiencing bottlenecks, reduced performance, and increased operational costs when customer demand surges.
A Comparison of the Best Logistics Software
| Key Features | Integrations | Hosting | Use Case | |
| Logiwa |
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| ShipStation |
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| ShipBob |
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| FreightPOP |
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| Zoho Inventory |
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| Brightpearl |
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| NetSuite Warehouse Management |
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| Oracle Fusion Cloud SCM |
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| Fishbowl |
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| Magaya |
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1. Logiwa
Rating: 4.2/5 (G2)
What’s It For? Logiwa is a comprehensive WMS and fulfillment system for controlling, monitoring, and automating inventory management, order fulfillment, shipping and logistics, and more.
Key Features:
- Real-time inventory visibility and control
- Rate shopping
- Smart shipment box suggestions
- Order fulfillment automation
- Scalable and adaptable
- Mobile app
- Pre-built and API integrations
- Robotics integration capabilities
Logiwa is a highly comprehensive warehouse management system (WMS) that can serve as your logistics software, be you a 3PL, D2C, or other warehouse type. It offers various features and tools for streamlining and automating various warehouse processes, including logistics.
For example, Logiwa integrates with many top shipping companies, allowing you to manage and automate box selection, label printing, order tracking, and more from the WMS. In fact, one of our clients saves over $7,000 each month just by printing labels automatically with Logiwa.
Another noteworthy advantage of its shipping integrations is it facilitates carrier rate shopping so you can ship orders with the fastest and most affordable shipping company. Other reasons to choose Logiwa are its easy configurability and scalability, which allow you to adapt the WMS to your needs to experience value quickly.
Logiwa’s user-friendliness and fast onboarding also shorten your time to value, so you get a return on investing in the logistics software early. Besides shipping integrations, Logiwa offers pre-built integrations and API/EDI functionality that simplifies connecting your existing warehouse solutions to the WMS.
Logiwa’s cloud-native design and mobile app facilitate monitoring and managing your warehouse and logistics processes conveniently and remotely. Also, since we don’t charge large professional service fees, Logiwa is among the most competitively priced comprehensive WMS.
2. ShipStation
Rating: 4.3/5 (G2)
What’s It For? ShipStation is a logistics solution that simplifies finding the most effective and affordable shipping partner to deliver orders.
Key Features:
- Automatic order tracking updates
- Order and shipping management system
- Label printing
- Shipping discounts
ShipStation is a user-friendly logistics solution that lets you compare rates from multiple shipping companies and pick the most affordable one. It also gives you access to discounts, allowing you to spend even less on shipping. The logistics software works by integrating with your sales channels to automatically process orders and select the most suitable shipping company to complete deliveries.
Another impressive feature is that ShipStation allows you to brand customer communications and provides real-time tracking information to update customers about orders. You can pay as little as $9.99 monthly to use ShipStation but will need a higher plan if you ship more than 50 orders each month.
3. ShipBob
Rating: 3.6/5 (G2)
What’s It For? ShipBob is a WMS for sellers who want to deliver orders as quickly as possible.
Key Features:
- Two-day shipping
- Warehouse and inventory management
- Omni-fulfillment WMS
- Customization Suite
- Pick and pack automation
- Dedicated support
The ShipBob WMS offers end-to-end fulfillment management that simplifies processing and shipping orders. The system connects to your online and offline store channels and automates order fulfillment to improve service delivery. It’s suitable for businesses serving customers in the U.S., U.K., E.U., Canada, and Australia.
ShipBob distinguishes itself from competitors with its two-day shipping that allows you to complete orders to U.S. customers faster. Also, ShipBob’s Customization Suite boosts brand visibility by letting you personalize delivery boxes and shipping labels with your unique branding.
On the downside, ShipBob isn’t the most competitively priced logistics software, and each client gets a custom quote based on their requirements.
4. FreightPOP
Rating: 4.8/5 (G2)
What’s It For? FreightPOP offers wholesalers, manufacturers, and distributors a simple solution for shipping orders across the U.S.
Key Features:
- Robust dashboard
- Multiple integrations
- Quick-start onboarding
- Automatic rate shopping and auditing
- Report and analysis
The FreightPOP TMS helps wholesalers, distributors, manufacturers, and other large businesses optimize their shipping process. The transportation management solution integrates with your existing systems to analyze your processes and identify ways to save money and shorten delivery times. It can also automate several of your manual processes to help boost order fulfillment efficiency.
FreightPOP’s configurability ensures you can easily adapt it to meet the unique needs of your business and customer base. Another noteworthy feature is the TMS platform’s auditing tool that identifies errors and cost-saving opportunities that you can leverage to improve your cost-efficiency. You also get a robust dashboard that reveals trends for forecasting your expenses and more.
5. Zoho Inventory
Rating: 4.3/5 (G2)
What’s It For? Zoho Inventory is for small to large businesses that want to keep an eye on warehouse inventory and goods in transit.
Key Features:
- Batch tracking
- Mobile app
- Automatic packing slips
- Barcode and RFID system
- Stock management across multiple warehouses
Zoho Inventory is an inventory management system that ensures you know what’s happening with your goods at all times, including shipped goods. The IMS integrates with over 40 shipping companies to provide real-time order status updates straight from the carrier. Besides updating you, Zoho Inventory can provide your customers with automatic shipping updates so they don’t have to ask you.
You can also ship items to customers globally at competitive rates, thanks to the logistic software’s shipping rate comparison feature. While Zoho Inventory has a free plan, it’s suitable for only businesses that ship less than 50 orders monthly and supports just two users. If you want more, you’ll need a paid plan.
6. Brightpearl
Rating: 4.5/5 (G2)
What’s It For? Small to large retailers use Brightpearl to find new ways to process and ship orders faster.
Key Features:
- Configurable warehouse workflows
- Barcode driven fulfillment
- Plug-and-play integrations
- Order fulfillment automation
- 24/7 customer support
Brightpearl lets you easily automate various aspects of processing and shipping orders. Eliminating the need to manually fulfill orders and manage inventory can improve warehouse efficiency, minimize labor, save money, and prevent errors.
The system works by integrating with your sales channels to receive, fulfill, and ship orders automatically. You can set up a dropshipping business, work with Fulfillment By Amazon, or choose another business model. You also have the option to configure order processing and warehouse workflows to fit your needs.
7. NetSuite Warehouse Management
Rating: 4.0/5 (G2)
What’s It For? Retailers, manufacturers, and distributors use the NetSuite Warehouse Management tool to monitor and manage order processing and shipping.
Key Features:
- Automated inventory level tracking
- Multi-location fulfillment
- Mobile app
- Item 360 dashboard
The NetSuite Warehouse Management solution fast-tracks order processing to help you keep up with high order volumes. It accomplishes this through the smart automation of picking and packing processes.
With the WMS, you can also automate the processing and shipping of orders from multiple facilities. Another attractive feature is the ability to control and monitor everything from a mobile app that provides real-time inventory and order fulfillment insights.
8. Oracle Fusion Cloud SCM
Rating: 3.8/5 (G2)
What’s It For? Global businesses use this WMS to manage overseas shipping processes and pricing.
Key Features:
- Omnichannel fulfillment support
- Inventory operations optimization
- Transportation management
- Integration and automation
Oracle Fusion Cloud SCM is a WMS that can double as a TMS. Its transportation management system helps seamlessly manage moving goods from warehouses to customers anywhere in the world. The feature simplifies and optimizes order fulfillment, helping your facility to do more while minimizing logistics costs.
Oracle Fusion Cloud SCM’s predictive analysis tool also provides accurate insights. You can leverage the insights to make well-informed decisions to avoid issues that may disrupt your supply chain.
9. Fishbowl
Rating: 4.0/5 (G2)
What’s It For? Fishbowl is an inventory management solution that provides real-time insights into inventory levels and status.
Key Features:
- Barcode printing and scanning
- Order fulfillment management
- Shipping label printing
- Picking and packing automation
The Fishbowl inventory management system makes an excellent logistics software because it automates many of the processes involved with shipping. For example, it can automate picking and packing items for orders and generate custom shipping labels.
You can integrate the system with top shipping partners, including FedEx, UPS, and USPS, to automate sending out orders and updating customers. Depending on your preferences and budget, you can get Fishbowl as an on-premise solution (Fishbowl Advanced) or a cloud solution (Fishbowl Drive).
10. Magaya
Rating: 4.5/5 (G2)
What’s It For? Magaya automates international shipping processes, including satisfying customs requirements, making it ideal for global businesses.
Key Features:
- Shipping rate management
- Smart automation
- Customer shipment updates
- Transportation and warehouse management
- Customs compliance software
Magaya eliminates the need to manually perform tedious and repetitive order processing and shipping tasks by automating them for you. Tasks you can automate include everything from customs filings and forms to shipment tracking and customer service.
Besides making life easier, Magaya improves operations by connecting with leading carriers, such as USPS, FedEx, and UPS. When you integrate and ship with these providers, you get complete end-to-end shipping visibility and management. However, you aren’t the only one who’ll see delivery statuses. Your end customers will also enjoy 360-degree visibility of their shipments.
Take Control of Your Warehouse With Logiwa
Unlike the other logistics platforms that made our list, Logiwa provides a comprehensive WMS for managing, monitoring, and automating almost every warehouse process. These processes include everything from inventory receiving and storage to order picking, packing, and shipping.
Also, Logiwa’s adaptability and reasonable professional service fees make it competitively priced and deliver an impressive time to value. To get started today, request a free demo and experience the many benefits of choosing Logiwa as your logistics software.
Logistics Software FAQs
Q: What is logistics software?
A: Logistics software is a digital solution that simplifies and optimizes managing a warehouse’s shipping and inventory operations. It efficiently coordinates inventory storage, movement, and distribution to complete and ship orders. The software can help simplify and improve the execution of complex and repetitive warehouse logistics and supply chain management tasks, enhancing warehouse efficiency and customer service.
Q: What are the key benefits of using logistics software?
A: The benefits of logistics software include improved efficiency through automation, cost reduction by minimizing manual labor and optimizing routes, enhanced visibility of inventory levels and goods movement, and better customer service by optimizing service delivery and providing accurate delivery estimates.
Q: What are the different types of logistics software?
A: The most common types of logistics software are:
- Warehouse Management System (WMS)
- Inventory Management System
- Warehouse Execution System (WES)
- Order Management System (OMS)
- Transportation Management System (TMS)
Q: How does Logiwa stand out among other logistics platforms?
A: Logiwa outperforms other logistics platforms in terms of user-friendliness and its ability to manage, monitor, and automate almost every warehouse process. It offers real-time inventory visibility, rate shopping, smart shipment box suggestions, order fulfillment automation, and hundreds of pre-built integrations. Logiwa is cloud-native and is suitable for 3PL, D2C, ecommerce, and B2B businesses.
Q: How should one evaluate logistics software?
A: When evaluating logistics software, consider factors such as price, features, scalability, and user-friendliness. Ensure the software offers the features needed to optimize operations, can scale with the growth of the business, and is user-friendly to ensure smooth onboarding and usage.
Q: Why should businesses consider Logiwa as their logistics software?
A: Logiwa provides a comprehensive Warehouse Management System for managing, monitoring, and automating almost every warehouse process. It is adaptable, competitively priced, and offers a quick time to value. Logiwa’s features range from inventory receiving and storage to order picking, packing, and shipping, making it a holistic solution for warehouse management.
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