New business models, the pandemic, and online shopping have rapidly transformed retail in recent years. To stay competitive, businesses need agile, flexible, and modern systems that allow them to excel on all fronts.

Of course, saying this is easier than doing it. Many retailers struggle with rigid systems, making it hard to stay ahead in management and customer service.

How to use this guide?

We’ve created this eBook to help retail decision-makers explore the technological options available to keep up with this changing landscape. We’ll outline ways to boost productivity through technology, accelerating your business’s digital transformation by creating a digital shelf.

Use this free guide to:

Inform yourself
Evaluate
Compare
Select

This includes:

Tips to identify your needs
Key functional aspects to consider during evaluation
Tools and features to look for

Digital Channels

Digital shelf

This refers to all the online touchpoints a customer uses to discover, research, explore, and purchase products or services.
Today, most retailers recognize the importance of showcasing, promoting, and distributing products across multiple channels—not just as many as possible, but the ones most relevant to their customers. This could be through:

A dedicated website
Marketplaces like Mercado Libre, Amazon, or Google
Social media with built-in shopping features (e.g., Instagram

Should a retailer have an E-Commerce platform?

E-commerce used to be synonymous with retail sales, but that’s changing. A web store is now standard for most distributors—not always for direct sales, but to display products and provide detailed information, replacing traditional catalogs and brochures.
Integration with a management system ensures data consistency and streamlines operations. A two-way sync between e-commerce software and ERP systems is essential for real-time updates on products, inventory, and orders.

Leading E-Commerce Platforms:

Magento (for large stores)
VTEX (for large stores)
PrestaShop (for mid-sized stores)
Shopify (small to mid-sized stores)
WooCommerce (for small stores)

Some systems offer built-in e-commerce, which is ideal for seamless data integration.

Own Store, Marketplace, or Both?

When selling online, the first thought is often to open a web store. However, many brands and sellers also use marketplaces—large platforms hosting thousands of products.

Own Web Store:

The seller handles everything: website setup, inventory tracking, logistics, shipping, and customer service.

Marketplace:

Easier entry into e-commerce. Sellers list products while the marketplace handles warehousing, logistics, shipping, and customer service (for a fee).

What do today’s consumers prefer: ecommerce or marketplace?

The current trend shows that more consumers are conducting product searches and comparisons directly on marketplaces rather than on brand websites. However, a significant number of online buyers still begin their search through Google, and they’re more likely to visit an ecommerce site directly via an ad, snippet, or featured link.
In Latin America, without a doubt, the preferred search and shopping system for most online buyers is Mercado Libre. This is the main reason why so many brands have focused more on online marketplaces than on their own websites.

Pros and Cons of Selling on an Ecommerce Site

Greater control over your store.

More customization, both in website design and user experience (you can define how the checkout process works, product notifications, etc.).
Better visual representation of your brand.
Control over discounts and sales periods.
Your own customer list and access to their data for marketing actions.
Behavioral analysis (visits, clicks, cart abandonments).
More buyer loyalty.

Cons of Ecommerce:

Requires more time and financial investment.
Higher software costs.
You need a trained team to maintain and launch the ecommerce platform and integrate with other systems like payment gateways and logistics.
Stock control and synchronization, distribution network and shipping management.
Greater effort required to drive traffic to the website.

Pros and Cons of Selling on Online Marketplaces

Pros of Marketplaces:

Easy to get started.
Platforms are more trusted by buyers.
Opportunity to stand out in categories among direct competitors.
Higher incoming traffic.
Saves on administrative processes (the marketplace handles transactions and payments for you).
Dropshipping option (the marketplace can manage stock, shipping, and returns on your behalf).

Cons of Marketplaces:

More competition (even with the marketplace’s own products, which will always be prioritized).
Less customization.
Transaction fees (for listings, product categories, and each sale, depending on the marketplace).
Limited promotions per seller or based on marketplace campaigns.
Need to offer lower prices due to competition.
Customer service is handled by the marketplace.

So, is ecommerce or marketplace better?

Most marketplaces like Mercado Libre or Amazon gather medium and small businesses and brands, making them excellent platforms to generate revenue when you’re just starting out and want to save resources.
However, online marketplaces are not effective tools for building brand awareness. This is because of the user behavior, which leans toward quick, cheap product comparisons on these platforms.

Want to have both an ecommerce and a marketplace? It’s one of the most common decisions—a multichannel or omnichannel strategy that combines owned sales channels with third-party platforms.

How can you achieve this?

By centralizing Product Information Management (PIM)Centralizando el Product Information Management (PIM)

To get the best of both worlds efficiently, you’ll need to automate product management as much as possible. This can be done by centralizing product data through a PIM (Product Information Management system).

Save time and money by reducing the need for separate systems for each task.
Make it easier for businesses to share product data across departments.
Help digital sellers create and manage product catalogs.

How can I unify and centralize my product data?

Instant product catalogs.
Share product data across channels: marketplaces, ecommerce, social media.
Team workflows with roles for editing, data entry, review, and approval.

Business Maturity Levels

Basic

Product data is scattered.
Images stored in cloud repositories.
Descriptions and pricing in Excel spreadsheets.
No system integrations.

Centralized

Centralized product data management.
Centralized image management.
No collaborative workflows.

Advanced

ERP integrated with ecommerce and marketplaces.
Enriched product attributes.Approval workflows for publishing.
Collaborative data entry.
Centralized order management.Centralized payment processing.
Centralized inventory management.
Centralized shipping management.

Product Publishing

Publishing and maintaining product listings is a time-consuming task that requires attention. You can bulk-create products using Excel sheets or CSV files, and list or export publications for control purposes.

Universal Product Codes (UPC)
SKUs
Product names
TitlesDigital assets (images)
Tecnical specifications

Workflows:

You can create working groups with different roles to enter, review, and publish information.

Physical Stores

Point of sale – POS

Your brick-and-mortar stores can play a new role in today’s omnichannel reality with a fast, secure, and convenient checkout that supports multiple payment and delivery options.

Real-Time Inventory Management

Track stock in real time and optimize in-store operations like shipping, stock counts, or mobile deliveries.

Smart Product Search:

Store and POS terminal opening/closing
Price and promotion management
Multi-currency payments
Price checks
Exchanges
In-store inventory management

Inventory Management in store

Inventory is the lifeblood of retail, and proper control ensures products are always where and when they’re needed. Systematizing inventory in an era where it’s impacted by multiple channels determines reliability and supports data-driven decisions.

Goal: Minimize manual processes and ensure full traceability for all operations.

Store Replenishment

Automated replenishment systems:

Minimum stock alerts
Sales-based replenishment
Central inventory management

Central Warehouse Options

The classic approach is a central distribution hub supplying physical stores and e-commerce. Alternatives include hybrid models (own + outsourced warehouses).

Outsourced Logistics?

Growing companies often outsource part or all logistics—your software should accommodate this.

Third-Party Deliveries

Label external transporters for tracking, verification, and payment reconciliation.

3PL Warehousing

Integrate outsourced warehouses with your management system to streamline order transfers and execution.

Routing orders to 3PLs:

Export sales orders via files
API sync with the logistics provider’s software (real-time inventory updates).

warehouse-employee-counting-cardboard-boxes

Order Management

Order Hub

With multichannel sales, ensure efficient, flexible order management backed by unified inventory visibility. Connect all sales channels to your system for complete, controlled.

Order preparation:

Route orders to specific stores or central fulfillment.
Filter by delivery requirements.
Schedule pickups with transporters.

Order Delivery

Omnichannel management lets you centralize deliveries while honoring customer preferences or company options.

Digital Payment Processing

Payments auto-record with selected gateways, including transaction fees.
Full traceability simplifies payout reconciliation.

Invoicing

Generate invoices directly from sales orders, automatically matched to payments.

Credit card reconciliation

Automate reconciliation for high-volume card payments:

Import data from Visa/Mastercard (Excel/CSV).
Auto-match transactions, flagging exceptions for manual review.

Fees & Payouts

The system calculates:

Processor fees (deducted).
Payout orders (paid by the processor).

Private Label Management

Retailers with owned brands (locally or imported) need streamlined design workflows:

Product branding/logos
Legal text
Packaging
Collaboration tools and approval flows simplify tasks for requesters, designers, and approvers.

Do you manage your own brand and must you manage its design?

Retailers with owned brands (locally or imported) need streamlined design workflows:

Product branding/logos
Legal text
Packaging

Collaboration tools and approval flows simplify tasks for requesters, designers, and approvers.

Why Retailers need an ERP?

If you sell across multiple channels (or plan to), centralize and automate:

Product listing
Order management
Payments
Shipping

Modules:

Procurement
Warehousing (own/3PL)
Orders
Sales (POS/e-commerce)
Performance dashboards

Dashboards for Retail

What is a Dashboard?
A real-time visual summary of key business metrics—because “what isn’t measured, isn’t improved.”

Purpose:

Track KPIs (sales, inventory, trends).
Compare periods via charts (bars, pie, trends).
Identify action points visually.
Role-Based Dashboards
Tailored views for each team member (e.g., finance, logistics) with relevant data for decision-making.

Lo que no se ve, no se analiza. Y, si no se analiza, no se mejora.

Choosing a Retail ERP

Once you are convinced that you need to change your management system for your retail business, the next question is what type of ERP is right for you?

Options:

Retail-Specific ERP (vertical) vs.
Generic ERP
Full-Suite vs. Lightweight
On-Premise vs. Cloud

Growth Stages:

Startups: Basic accounting + disjointed tools (inventory, POS).
Scaling businesses: Robust ERPs for efficiency and integration.

Must-Have Features:

Custom reports/KPIs
Data import/export
E-commerce/marketplace sync
Agile POS
Credit card settlement

What software does my business need?

Invoicing & Inventory System, Local Retail ERP, or Full Retail ERP?

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution for every type of business—only you can determine what truly suits your needs and which system will work best for you.
The right software depends on your business size, workflow, and growth expectations.
Basic invoicing and inventory systems may be enough for small businesses with simple operations and no expansion plans. On the other hand, specialized retail ERPs cater to different types of retailers. While these systems offer sector-specific features, they often come with rigid structures, outdated technology, limited connectivity, and functionality constraints.

Key Features to Look For:

Customization (tailored to your business needs)
Custom reports, dashboards, and KPIs
User-friendly data import/export
Full integration with your own and third-party eCommerce stores
Credit card settlement control
Fast and agile POS (Point of Sale)

Features of Retail ERP Systems

The following table compares different types of retail ERP systems:

Modern ERP systems have evolved by incorporating the best industry practices. As a result, most ERPs may appear similar at first glance, but upon closer inspection, they often differ significantly.

Retailers must pay close attention to details when evaluating ERP solutions to distinguish between them and assess their scalability.

Resume

An ERP system can be a key ingredient in building the success of your retail business.

Today, open systems that automate processes and promote collaboration are the leaders in this sector.

Maximizing Profits with the Right ERP your next system should seamlessly sync with Third-party marketplaces (like Mercado Libre and Amazon), your own eCommerce store, your physical retail location.

It should also manage:

Orders
Inventory
Deliveries
Payments

For wholesale-focused businesses with more complex sales and logistics processes, your ERP should integrate:

Mobile sales & warehouse devices
Sales commissions & bonuses
Discount management
Controlled customer return processes