Warehouse software for small Shopify stores: the options compared
Once a Shopify store ships enough orders that stock counts drift and picks go wrong, there are five usual ways forward. Here is what each is good at, what it costs you, and when it is the right choice.
The short answer
- Under a few dozen orders a day, one person packing: Shopify on its own, or Shopify with a spreadsheet, is usually enough.
- Selling on several channels and the main problem is keeping stock counts in line: an inventory or multichannel app for Shopify.
- You don’t want to run a warehouse at all: a 3PL (third-party logistics provider).
- You pack your own orders, have a small team, and mistakes or overselling are costing you: a small-business WMS such as Polyphase WMS.
- Large team, several warehouses, a budget for a months-long rollout: an enterprise WMS.
Side by side
| Shopify alone or with a spreadsheet | Inventory or multichannel app | Polyphase WMS | Enterprise WMS | 3PL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who runs the warehouse | You | You | You | You | The 3PL |
| Barcode-checked picking and packing | No | Sometimes, often basic | Yes | Yes | The 3PL’s own |
| Bin locations, pick paths, stock holds | No | Varies | Yes | Yes | The 3PL’s own |
| Live Shopify stock sync | It is Shopify | Yes | Yes, two-way | Usually, via a connector | Usually |
| Selling on several channels | Shopify only | Its main strength | Shopify live; others by file import | Usually | Usually |
| Typical cost | Nothing extra | Monthly subscription | $99 or $199 AUD a month, plus a $149 AUD one-time fee | Thousands a month, plus setup projects | Per order, per pallet stored, and receiving fees |
| Time to get going | None | Days | Same day to sign up; a few days to load locations and stock | Months | Weeks, plus moving your stock |
1. Shopify on its own, or with a spreadsheet
Shopify tracks stock per location and lets you print packing slips. For one person packing a few dozen orders a day, that is often all you need.
Where it breaks: nothing checks that the right item went in the box, there are no bin locations to guide a picker, and once two or three people are picking, stock counts drift and you start overselling. A spreadsheet on the side adds a second copy of the truth that is always slightly out of date.
2. Inventory and multichannel apps
These keep stock counts in line across Shopify, marketplaces and other stores, and often handle purchasing from suppliers.
Choose one when your main problem is selling the same stock in several places. They fall short when the problem is on the warehouse floor: wrong picks, no scan check at the pack bench, no record of who picked what, no bin-by-bin stock.
3. A small-business WMS, such as Polyphase WMS
A warehouse management system runs the floor: where every item is, what to pick next, and a scan at each step so mistakes are caught before the parcel leaves. Polyphase WMS is built for Shopify sellers with a team of up to five, at a monthly price rather than a project budget.
What you get: live two-way Shopify sync, picking and packing by barcode scan, pack station weight checks, short-pick handling, kits and bundles, returns with refunds through Shopify, stock holds and storage rules. The Pro plan adds purchase orders and receiving, lot and serial tracking, cycle counting, reorder alerts and wave picking.
Not a fit when: you need a live connection to a store other than Shopify, carrier labels printed from inside the WMS, more than about five warehouse users, billing for 3PL clients, or manufacturing. You will also need a barcode scanner.
Full details and prices: Polyphase WMS facts and pricing.
4. An enterprise WMS
Large systems handle many warehouses, big teams, labour management, dock scheduling and deep carrier integration.
Choose one when you have that scale and the budget and time for an implementation project. For a small team, the cost and setup usually outweigh the benefit.
5. A 3PL
A third-party logistics provider stores your stock and ships your orders. You stop running a warehouse.
Choose one when you would rather not employ packers or rent space, or you need warehouses in several regions. The trade-off: per-order and storage fees, less control over packing and presentation, and slower changes when something goes wrong.
How to decide
- Count how often things go wrong now: oversells, wrong items shipped, orders lost between inbox and bench. If it’s rare, stay where you are.
- Decide whether you want to keep running the warehouse. If not, talk to 3PLs.
- If you keep it, ask whether the problem is stock across channels (inventory app) or work on the floor (WMS).
- Try before you commit. Run your real orders through a trial for a week.
See whether Polyphase WMS fits your warehouse
14-day free trial on the subscription*. Or read the facts and pricing first.