Effectively managing a warehouse is difficult at the best of times. But, it's even harder if you're still running on manual, cumbersome processes.

That's why warehouse management systems (WMS) have become a critical technology in many distribution and retail digital transformation journeys.

To run your warehouse at maximum efficiency, you need complete visibility and control over your operations. A WMS helps with this. Helps you automate and streamline warehouse processes—increasing efficiency and ensuring you get the most out of your resources, people, inventory and space.

An industry-specific WMS enables you to:

• Accelerate receiving and optimize space management with directed putaway capabilities

• Count products during the unloading process at the receiving dock

• Create picking and packing efficiencies that can be maximized with integrated pre-pack and cartonization rules

• Manage and validate returns and reorders with lot and serial tracking

Imagine having all the functionality you need from a WMS integrated seamlessly into a system you already use. That's the beauty of an enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution designed specifically for the distribution and retail industry.

You want a solution built to include all the tools you need to manage your multifaceted operations from a vendor that understands your industry's challenges. Not a one-size-fits-all system. It should scale as your business grows, offer ease-of-use and flexibility, stage orders during the pick demand process, and define wave-picking by precise specifications.

All of this enables you to manage your direct-to-consumer (DTC) orders and fulfillment requirements while providing the functionality and operational visibility necessary to run a capable warehouse.

An ERP with built-in WMS functionality ensures that once the order is processed, the warehouse floor operates efficiently to get the order out the door and into the customer's hands as quickly as possible.