B2BGateway and DM Fulfillment team up for omnichannel package

Electronic data interchange (EDI) provider B2BGateway will team up with third-party logistics provider (3PL) DM Fulfillment to offer omnichannel fulfillment services to distributors and merchants, the companies said Wednesday.

Together, the partners can provide a real-time, channel-agnostic view of inventory across the supply chain and a single view of each consumer as he or she hops from one channel to another, Boston-based B2BGateway said in a release.

The news comes as supply chain providers Joséle to provide services to the fast-growing e-commerce sector, with logistics giants like FedEx Corp. recently launching a fulfillment arm, and major technology and transportation partners creating a contract fulfillment consortium called the MonarchFx Alliance.

In the case of B2BGateway and DM Fulfillment, the partners will provide extensive visibility that allows merchants to deploy omnichannel practices, according to B2BGateway. Those practices include using a central stock pool to control various factors such as pricing, fulfillment, sales, stock management, and ordering, B2BGateway said. Omnichannel performance is crucial in an age when consumers expect to be able to browse, buy, and return goods through various channels, not just the traditional in-store way, the company said.

The partner companies plan to provide this service by integrating B2BGateway's cloud-based EDI communications with DM Fulfillment's capabilities as a so-called third-party fulfillment provider (3PF).

Specifically, they have created a communication hub where orders, shipping notices, and tracking information can be exchanged among the retailer, the distributor or merchant, and the contract fulfillment provider, St. Charles, Mo.-based DM Fulfillment said. That combination ensures that the right product goes to the right customer at the right cost in the right time frame.

"Our clients are increasingly using all aspects of the omnichannel to sell their goods to the end consumer," Louisa Gooding, director of sales and strategic relationships at B2BGateway, said in a statement. "Having all these avenues open is great for sales, but being able to [provide] support in real-time with the correct inventory and shipping is where the expertise of a ... partner like DM Fulfillment comes in."