Multichannel retail: one order stream from Shopify, bol.com, Marktplaats Pro and the store

Four channels, one stock, one customer

A retailer that wants to be relevant today typically sells through its own webshop (Shopify, Magento, Lightspeed), one or more marketplaces (bol.com, Marktplaats Pro, Amazon), physical stores, and for B2B clients an own portal. Four channels, four order systems, four sets of stock numbers, and one customer expecting the same everywhere.

The work around it, linking orders, syncing stock, matching returns, applying channel-specific rules, is exactly the kind of coordination that scales poorly with people. An AI coworker runs on top and keeps the ERP as the source of truth.

Order intake and routing

The AI coworker pulls orders from each channel through official APIs and webhooks. Per order it decides: from which warehouse, with which carrier, at which price (in the right channel the same SKU can have different prices), and which promised date holds against stock. Stock is reserved in the ERP immediately, so overselling between channels becomes history.

Returns as a process, not a side note

In retail the return process often shapes margin as much as the buying side. The AI coworker registers every return, links it to the original order across channels (including a channel switch: customer buys online, returns in store), determines the right credit note, and books the return back to stock (or to QA scrap if condition demands it).

Channel-specific rules in one place

bol.com asks for different meta-information than Shopify. Marktplaats Pro has its own return windows. The store works with receipts, not customer numbers. The AI coworker knows those differences and applies them at intake and return. For the back office everything looks the same: one order screen, one return stream, one stock.

What an AI coworker in retail typically picks up:

• Order intake from all channels into one standardised ERP order.
• Price and stock sync across channels, including bundles and promotions.
• Return matching across channels, with proper credit note and stock posting.
• Customer service on routine questions via linked service tools.
• Marketplace performance monitoring (cancellation rate, delivery promise, reviews).
• Stock rebalancing between store, warehouse and marketplace inventory.

What operations end up with

Overselling between channels typically drops more than 90 percent. Lead time from order to shipment becomes predictable, including under peak volume. Returns are processed within 24 hours instead of five working days. And the team behind the scenes works on policy and assortment instead of channel-specific copy-paste. Plan a Quick Scan if you'd like to see which channel in your mix generates the most manual work.