Operations leaders grappling with aging order management systems (OMS) often face a difficult choice: stick with systems that are falling short, or undertake a costly, high-risk replacement. Neither path feels truly viable.
Maintaining the status quo means continuing to live with limited functionality, manual workarounds, and increasing operational inefficiencies as you continue to outgrow your OMS. But full replacements often fall short of expectations — timelines stretch, costs escalate, and new systems can introduce as many problems as they solve.
Fortunately, there’s a third path gaining momentum: the dual OMS strategy. This approach allows businesses to preserve their existing system while layering on a more modern system that addresses specific gaps — delivering measurable improvements without major disruption.
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The Research Behind Dual OMS Strategies
Earlier this year, Forrester published a Total Economic Impact™ (TEI) study examining retailers that augmented legacy OMS platforms with modern, modular solutions rather than replacing them outright.
The results were striking: companies achieved a 180% ROI with a payback period under six months — far outperforming traditional replatforming efforts, which often take years to generate returns.
Notably, 63% of the quantified benefits came from revenue gains, driven by better inventory accuracy and smarter order routing. One $8B retailer cut order cancellations by 5% using a dual-OMS approach.
Cost savings also played a role. Companies deflected 15% of customer service interactions to self-service, saving $3.3 million over three years. Productivity improvements were equivalent to adding 13 full-time employees, while better visibility controls slashed shrink from $25,000 to $1,200 at one firm.
Perhaps most telling: although all four companies initially planned to keep both systems indefinitely, three shifted toward full migration within two years. As one IT director put it:
“We were planning on augmenting, but I’ll look at moving everything to [the secondary OMS] in 2025 or 2026. Moving the inventory is the scary part… and we’ve done that.”
This layered approach gives retailers a low-risk path to modernization — with immediate benefits and full migration on their own timeline.
Why Dual OMS Strategies Work
Dual strategies are changing how we think about technology upgrades. Traditional replacements force all-or-nothing implementations where problems affect the entire operation. Using two systems lets you gradually add modern features while keeping familiar workflows.
The Forrester research identifies several concrete reasons why this strategy delivers superior results:
Targeted solutions for specific pain points
Rather than trying to solve everything at once, companies addressed their most critical challenges first. For example, one interviewee implemented real-time inventory visibility while maintaining their existing fulfillment processes, immediately reducing cancellations without disrupting warehouse operations.
Faster innovation cycles
Modern modular systems allow rapid feature deployment. While traditional implementations often stretch beyond 12 months, the study found companies implemented critical modules in weeks. For example, one retailer quickly added “buy now, pay later” options that their legacy system couldn’t support, immediately increasing conversion rates.
Risk mitigation through incremental change
The study found businesses that implemented inventory functions in their secondary system effectively completed the most challenging aspect of migration while maintaining business continuity. This created a low-risk pathway to modernization — when companies later decided to fully migrate, they did so from a position of strength.
Identifying the Right Augmentation Opportunities
Your dual OMS strategy should target capabilities that deliver immediate revenue impact while minimizing implementation complexity. The Forrester research highlights four high-impact opportunities:
- Real-time inventory visibility emerged as the clear priority in the study, with 63% of benefits coming from reduced cancellations and increased sales. Traditional systems typically batch-process inventory updates, creating windows where website availability doesn’t reflect reality. Modern systems provide continuous synchronization across all channels.
- Delivery promising represents another high-impact target. The research revealed 66% of online shoppers want to see delivery timing before placing orders. Legacy systems often default to conservative shipping estimates or provide no pre-purchase delivery dates at all, reducing conversion rates.
- Customer self-service capabilities created substantial cost savings while improving satisfaction. Companies in the study deflected 15% of customer service interactions to self-service options, enabling customers to check order status, modify delivery preferences, and initiate returns without agent assistance.
- Intelligent order routing optimizes how orders are fulfilled based on inventory positions, geographic considerations, and business rules. Unlike basic location-based routing in legacy systems, modern solutions continuously analyze multiple variables to determine optimal fulfillment paths.
Building Your Implementation Roadmap
Creating a successful dual OMS implementation requires strategic planning and clear prioritization. The process should look something like this:
- Start with pre-purchase capabilities that directly impact revenue without changing fulfillment processes. Inventory visibility and delivery promising typically deliver immediate benefits without disrupting warehouse operations.
- Establish clear system boundaries that define which platform handles specific functions. The research shows that carefully defining these boundaries reduces integration complexity and maintenance costs. Document specifically which system will serve as the “source of truth” for each data element.
- Implement in logical sequences that build on previous capabilities. For example, establish reliable inventory synchronization before adding advanced allocation rules or promising algorithms.
- Make sure to measure results rigorously at each implementation phase. The study’s most successful companies defined specific metrics for operational efficiency, order accuracy, and financial impact—tracking improvements from pre-implementation baselines.
And, as Forrester’s research showed, expectations typically evolve during implementation. As teams see the capabilities of modern solutions, they naturally expand their use while reducing dependency on older systems. This creates a smooth path to phasing out older OMS platforms gradually and eventually transitioning fully to the new system.
Choosing the Right Partner for Dual OMS Success
Implementing a dual OMS strategy requires more than just software—it demands a partner with the right infrastructure, speed, and expertise. The most successful implementations are driven by platforms that offer:
- Pre-built connectors to leading commerce platforms, ERPs, 3PLs and marketplaces
- Rapid deployment with initial capabilities live in weeks, not months
- Operational continuity, enabling phased rollouts without disrupting existing workflows
- Cross-platform expertise, ensuring smooth performance across systems
Why Pipe17
Mo Afshar, CEO and founder of Pipe17, said it best: “[The dual OMS] strategy fits very well with our platform since we can operate in the complementary architecture where another OMS or ERP can be the source of truth.” He explained that the company’s Order Hub platform enhances existing OMS systems by filling operational gaps and enabling modernization — without the cost or risk of full replacement.
With 100s of pre-built integrations and deep support for multichannel operations, Pipe17 allows businesses to sync inventory, automate order routing and connect fulfillment partners with minimal effort. Most customers are live with initial capabilities within 2–4 weeks.
“I would have expected a project of this size to have taken a year to get live, but we were up and running in less than 90 days.”
— Roi Zahut, CTO at Aterian
As companies expand their use of Pipe17, they gain the flexibility to transition fully — on their own timeline.
Whether you’re augmenting a legacy system or laying the foundation for long-term modernization, Pipe17 delivers the infrastructure, speed and support to make it happen.
Next Steps
Forrester’s research confirms dual OMS strategies offer a practical modernization path that preserves existing investments while adding new capabilities. This approach reduces risk while delivering benefits in months.
As you consider your options, begin by documenting specific operational limitations affecting your business. Evaluate opportunities based on revenue impact, implementation complexity, and organizational readiness.
Unlike traditional platforms requiring complete replacement, Pipe17 works alongside your existing systems to fill critical gaps while providing a path toward more complete modernization if desired.
For most organizations, the best approach is to start with improvements that deliver immediate value. This creates momentum for continued modernization while maintaining operational continuity.
Take the next step toward modernizing your order operations by scheduling a demo call with us. Our experts will identify your highest-impact opportunities and create an implementation roadmap specifically designed to implement the dual OMS strategy for your business.
Frequently Asked Questions About Dual OMS Strategies
A dual OMS strategy involves keeping your existing order management system while adding a modern, modular solution to address specific operational gaps. Rather than replacing your entire system, you layer on new capabilities like real-time inventory visibility or intelligent order routing while maintaining familiar workflows. This approach delivers immediate improvements without the cost, risk, or disruption of full replacement.
According to Forrester’s Total Economic Impact study, companies implementing dual OMS strategies achieved 180% ROI with payback periods under six months. Traditional full replacements typically cost $500K or more and take 12-24 months to generate returns. Modern Order Operations platforms like Pipe17 cost a fraction of legacy implementations (often under $10K) and deliver value within weeks, making the dual approach significantly more cost-efficient.
Most businesses see initial capabilities live within 2-4 weeks when working with platforms that offer pre-built connectors. In contrast to traditional OMS implementations that stretch 12+ months, dual strategies enable phased rollouts that address critical pain points first. One Pipe17 customer expected a year-long project but went live in under 90 days.
Forrester’s research found that 63% of quantified benefits came from revenue gains, primarily through reduced order cancellations and improved inventory accuracy. Companies also deflected 15% of customer service interactions to self-service, saved the equivalent of 13 full-time employees in productivity gains, and achieved dramatic reductions in inventory shrink. Perhaps most importantly, businesses maintain operational continuity while gaining modern capabilities.
A dual approach makes sense when your existing system handles some functions adequately but falls short in specific areas like real-time inventory visibility, delivery promising, or omnichannel order routing. It’s particularly valuable if you can’t afford extended downtime, want to see ROI quickly, or need to prove value before committing to full migration. If your entire system is failing across all functions, full replacement might be necessary, but even then, a phased dual approach reduces risk.
Yes. In Forrester’s study, three out of four companies that initially planned to keep both systems indefinitely shifted toward full migration within two years. The dual strategy provides a low-risk pathway. Once you’ve successfully moved inventory management and order routing to the modern system, full migration becomes much less risky. Companies migrate on their own timeline, from a position of operational strength.
Modern Order Operations platforms are designed to integrate with your existing technology stack, whether that’s NetSuite, SAP, legacy OMS systems, or other ERPs. The key is establishing clear system boundaries and defining which platform serves as the “source of truth” for each data element. Pipe17, for example, operates in a complementary architecture where your ERP or legacy OMS can remain the source of truth while Pipe17 handles connectivity, order routing, and real-time orchestration.
Start with pre-purchase capabilities that directly impact revenue without changing fulfillment processes. The highest-impact opportunities include: real-time inventory visibility (which delivered 63% of benefits in Forrester’s study), delivery promising (wanted by 66% of online shoppers), customer self-service capabilities, and intelligent order routing. These functions deliver immediate value while minimizing operational disruption. Pipe17 customer Aterian saved $4M in annual inventory costs.
No, when properly planned. The primary advantage of a dual strategy is maintaining operational continuity during modernization. You implement new capabilities incrementally without disrupting warehouse operations or existing workflows. For example, you can add real-time inventory synchronization while maintaining current fulfillment processes, immediately reducing cancellations without changing how orders are picked and packed.
Pipe17’s AI-Native Order Operations Platform is specifically designed to work alongside existing systems. With pre-configured connectors to ecommerce platforms, marketplaces, 3PLs, WMSs and ERPs, Pipe17 delivers initial capabilities in weeks rather than months. The platform fills operational gaps (inventory sync, order routing, fulfillment orchestration) without requiring you to replace core systems. As your needs evolve, Pipe17 scales with you, providing flexibility on your desired timeline.
