Retail and wholesale, one inventory
Order Management for B2B and DTC Hybrid Operations
Selling direct-to-consumer and wholesale from the same inventory? Vectis OMS handles both channels without overselling. Split shipments, bulk orders, unified inventory.
The Moment Everything Breaks
It’s 2 PM on a Tuesday. A retail buyer emails: “We’d like to order 500 units of your bestseller for our 12 stores.”
You check inventory. You have 600 units. Perfect.
You confirm the order.
By 5 PM, your Shopify store has sold 150 units to individual customers.
Now you have 450 units and a wholesale commitment for 500.
Someone is getting disappointed.
This is the B2B + DTC collision. And if you’re running both channels from the same inventory, it’s not a matter of if it happens—it’s when.
Why This Keeps Happening
The problem isn’t your team. It’s your tools.
DTC lives in Shopify. Orders come in automatically. Inventory decrements when you fulfill. It works great—for DTC.
B2B lives in… email? A spreadsheet? Your head? Orders come via phone, email, trade shows. Inventory is “whatever Shopify says minus what I think we’ve committed to wholesale.”
These two systems don’t talk to each other. So you’re constantly:
- Checking Shopify before confirming wholesale orders
- Mentally reserving inventory that isn’t actually reserved
- Hoping nothing sells while you’re processing a big order
- Apologizing to someone when the math doesn’t work out
What Unified Inventory Actually Means
In Vectis, there’s one inventory pool. Period.
When a DTC order comes in at 2:01 PM, inventory is reserved instantly.
When you enter a wholesale order at 2:02 PM, inventory is reserved instantly.
At 2:03 PM, you know exactly what’s available. No mental math. No “let me check.” No collisions.
The Tuesday Scenario, Fixed
2:00 PM — You have 600 units in Vectis
2:01 PM — Wholesale buyer emails for 500 units
2:02 PM — You create the order in Vectis. 500 units reserved. 100 available.
2:03 PM - 5:00 PM — Shopify customers can only buy 100 units (Vectis syncs available inventory to Shopify)
Result: Wholesale order ships complete. DTC customers only see what’s actually available. Nobody gets disappointed.
Two Channels, Two Workflows, One System
DTC and B2B aren’t just different order sizes. They’re different businesses:
| DTC | B2B/Wholesale | |
|---|---|---|
| Order entry | Automatic from Shopify | Manual, email, phone, portal |
| Order size | 1-3 items | 50-5,000 items |
| Payment | Credit card, immediate | Net 30/60, purchase orders |
| Shipping | FedEx/UPS to homes | Freight, pallets, to loading docks |
| Packing | Individual, gift-ready | Case packs, pallets |
| Timeline | Ship today | Ship when ready, partial OK |
Vectis handles both. Same inventory. Different workflows.
DTC Workflow
- Order syncs from Shopify automatically
- Inventory reserved
- Pick, pack, ship (individual items)
- Tracking syncs back to Shopify
- Customer notified
B2B Workflow
- Create order manually or via API
- Attach customer PO number
- Inventory reserved
- Pick in bulk/case quantities
- Ship via freight or parcel
- PO number included on packing slips for your records
Same system. Same inventory. Right workflow for each order type.
Features That Matter for Hybrid Operations
Purchase Order Tracking
B2B customers have PO numbers. Vectis tracks them:
- Attach PO to order
- Search orders by PO number
- Include PO on packing slips
Backorders and Partial Shipments
Wholesale orders don’t always ship complete:
Scenario: Customer orders 500 units. You have 300.
Options in Vectis:
- Ship 300 now, backorder 200
- Wait until you have all 500
- Ship 300 now, cancel the rest
Each shipment tracks separately. Customer knows exactly what’s coming and when.
Inventory Management
All channels share one inventory pool:
- Shared pool — First come, first served across all channels
- Real-time sync — Inventory updates instantly across Shopify and manual orders
- No overselling — Atomic reservations prevent double-booking
Getting Started
Most hybrid operations are configured in a few days:
- Connect Shopify — DTC orders flow in automatically
- Import wholesale customers — Add B2B accounts as you go
- Configure workflows — Different rules for different order types
No migration required. Start with new orders and build from there.
See Both Channels Working Together
We’ll show you:
- How DTC and wholesale orders share inventory safely
- How split shipments and backorders work for wholesale
- How inventory allocation rules prevent overselling
Bring your specific scenarios. We’ll show you exactly how Vectis handles them.
Common Questions
Can wholesale customers place orders directly?
Options include:
- Manual entry by your team (phone, email orders)
- API integration (connect your existing B2B systems)
What about EDI for large retailers?
Currently, EDI orders can be imported via CSV or API integration.
How do I prevent wholesale from eating all my DTC inventory?
With unified inventory, it’s first come, first served—whoever reserves inventory first gets it. Monitor inventory levels across channels and manage large wholesale orders proactively.
Can I have different return policies per channel?
Vectis supports returns management. You can process returns from any channel through the system.
What if a wholesale customer also buys retail?
Customers can have multiple profiles. Same company, different terms depending on how they’re ordering.