Warehouse and marketplace automation: where to start

8/16/2026

Warehouses get automated because of three recurring problems: selling what is not in stock, picking the wrong order, and customers calling to ask where their parcel is. All three are solved by connecting systems, not by buying software.

Step 1. One source of truth for stock

Decide where the real stock number lives — usually the accounting system. The website and marketplaces then receive data from it rather than holding their own version.

A sync every 10–15 minutes covers 95% of cases; real time is only needed for fast-moving, scarce items.

Step 2. All orders in one queue

Website, marketplaces, phone and messengers feed a single picking list with priorities, so nobody switches between five vendor dashboards.

Step 3. Shipping and tracking

Carrier waybills created automatically, tracking numbers sent to customers, status written back to the order. Any carrier with an API works.

Step 4. Replenishment

Below-threshold stock triggers a supplier request. Set the threshold from sales velocity: average daily usage × lead time + buffer.

Step 5. Stock counts

Phone-based scanning instead of paper sheets, with an automatic discrepancy report.

Timelines

Task	Timeline
Stock sync with the website	3–5 days
Connecting one marketplace	3–7 days
Tracking numbers and delivery status	about a week
Full loop across all channels	2–5 weeks

Do you need a WMS?

For a warehouse under a few thousand SKUs without bin-level storage, no. An accounting system plus workflows is enough; a WMS adds implementation and training costs. It earns its place once you have bins, batches and several pickers working at once.

FAQ

What if a marketplace has no API?

Scheduled file exchange — slower, but it works.

How do we avoid overselling between syncs?

Reserve stock when the order is created rather than when it ships, and keep a safety buffer on fast movers.

What does it cost?

From €1,100 for the warehouse and marketplace loop — see the full service.

Describe your warehouse and we will name the first thing to automate.