E-commerce & Automation

Automated order processing for e-commerce

A Czech e-commerce company selling consumer goods across multiple channels replaced manual order processing with a unified automated platform. The system connects their web store, Heureka, Mall.cz, and wholesale partners into a single workflow that handles everything from order intake to shipping label creation. With over 150 orders per day flowing through the platform, the operations team shifted from repetitive data entry to focusing on supplier relationships and catalog growth.

E-commerce, consumer goods, multi-channel retail
70%
Faster order processing
<1%
Error rate (down from 12%)
Same-day
Fulfillment for all orders
2 FTEs
Freed up for business growth
Background

A growing Czech e-commerce brand

The client is a Czech consumer goods retailer operating across multiple online sales channels, including their own web store, marketplace listings on Heureka and Mall.cz, and a network of wholesale partners. With a team of around 15 people and steady year-over-year growth, their order volume had outpaced the manual processes they started with. Their product catalog spans household goods, accessories, and seasonal items, with frequent inventory turnover that requires tight coordination between e-commerce automation, order processing, and multi-channel retail fulfillment.

The challenge

Four systems, zero automation

The company sold through their own website, Heureka, Mall.cz, and wholesale partners. Every order had to be manually entered into their invoicing system, stock levels updated in a spreadsheet, and shipping labels created one by one. With 150+ orders per day, the team of three was constantly behind. Overselling was a recurring issue because stock counts across channels were never in sync; a product could sell on Heureka minutes after the last unit shipped from a Mall.cz order. Industry data shows manual data entry carries a 1-4% baseline error rate, but this company was running at 12% due to the volume and complexity of juggling four separate channels.

Orders from 4 channels processed manually, copy-pasted between systems
12% error rate in order data leading to wrong shipments and returns
Each mis-shipment costing ~$43 in return, reship, and labor costs (at 18 errors/day, over $280K/year in error costs alone)
Average fulfillment time of 2 days, causing negative customer reviews
Staff spending 6+ hours daily on data entry instead of growing the business
The solution

What we built

We built a custom order management platform that automatically pulls orders from all sales channels, syncs inventory in real time, generates invoices through Fakturoid, and creates shipping labels for Zásilkovna and PPL. The entire flow, from order received to package shipped, runs without manual intervention. The platform includes a central dashboard where the operations team can monitor order status, flag exceptions, and handle edge cases like partial shipments or returns. Built-in retry logic and error alerts ensure that failed API calls or temporary outages on third-party services never result in lost or stuck orders.

Multi-channel order intake

Automatic import from web store, Heureka, Mall.cz, and wholesale via API integrations. Each channel adapter normalizes order data into a unified format, so the processing pipeline handles every order identically regardless of source. New channels can be added by writing a single adapter module.

Real-time inventory sync

Stock levels update across all channels instantly when an order is placed or stock arrives. The system uses event-driven updates with Redis pub/sub to push changes within seconds, preventing overselling. When a discrepancy is detected, the platform automatically flags it and pauses the affected SKU until resolved.

Automated invoicing

Invoices generated and sent automatically through Fakturoid integration. The system applies correct VAT rates, handles different billing formats for B2B wholesale and B2C retail, and attaches invoices to order records for easy lookup. Monthly accounting exports are generated on schedule.

Shipping automation

Labels and tracking codes created automatically for Zásilkovna and PPL. The platform selects the correct carrier based on package weight, destination, and customer preference. Tracking numbers are pushed back to each sales channel so customers see real-time delivery updates.

Implementation

How we built it

We started with a two-week discovery phase where we mapped every step of the existing order workflow, identified bottlenecks, and documented the API capabilities of each sales channel and service provider. From there, we built the system in incremental sprints, deploying one channel integration at a time so the team could validate each piece in production before moving to the next. The client's operations manager was involved in weekly reviews, providing feedback that shaped the dashboard layout and exception-handling rules. This collaborative approach meant the final system matched their actual workflow instead of an idealized version of it.

Timeline: 8 weeks from kickoff to production

Technology stack

Built with proven tools

Next.jsNode.jsPostgreSQLFakturoid APIZásilkovna APIPPL APIHeureka APIMall.cz APIREST APIDockerAWSRedisTypeScript
Why custom wins

SaaS order management vs. custom-built

Off-the-shelf platforms charge based on order volume and lock you into their workflows. Here's how a custom order platform compares to Linnworks and BaseLinker.

SaaS OMS

Pay more as you grow

Monthly fees that scale with your order volume (Linnworks ~$449+/mo)
Limited customization of fulfillment workflows
Vendor lock-in with proprietary data formats
Generic automation rules that don't fit your specific channels
Per-channel integration fees and marketplace add-on costs
Platform changes and pricing updates outside your control
Custom Platform

Built for your channels

Flat cost regardless of order volume, no per-order fees
Workflows built around your exact channels (Amazon, eBay, Shopify, etc.)
Direct API integrations with your invoicing and shipping providers (ShipStation, EasyPost, etc.)
You own the code and all order data
Custom validation and error-prevention rules for your catalog
Full control over fulfillment logic and routing

Real cost for 150 orders/day

Cumulative cost over 5 years: SaaS subscriptions vs. a custom-built order platform

Linnworks

~$449+/mo (volume-based)

BaseLinker

~$200/mo (high-volume)

Custom

~$3.4K build + $600/yr

Year 1
~$5,400
~$2,400
~$4,000
Year 2
~$10,800
~$4,800
~$4,600
Year 3
~$16,200
~$7,200
~$5,200
Year 5
~$27,000
~$12,000
~$6,400

You still own nothing

You still own nothing

You own the code, every integration, and all your data

Break-even vs Linnworks in ~8 months
5-year savings: up to $20,600
No per-order fees, ever

Pricing as of 2026. Linnworks ~$449+/mo (custom quote) · BaseLinker ~$200/mo (high-volume)

Custom platform from ~$3,400. Hosting & maintenance ~$600/yr.

Beyond software costs

Operational impact on your team

The real cost of manual order processing is not the SaaS subscription. It is the hours your team spends on data entry, the errors that lead to returns, and the growth opportunities you miss.

6+ hrs/daysaved on data entry

Manual order copying, stock updates, and label creation replaced by fully automated workflows across all sales channels.

12% to <1%error rate reduction

Automated validation eliminates copy-paste mistakes, wrong SKUs, and address errors that lead to costly returns and re-shipments.

2 FTEsfreed for business growth

Staff previously tied to manual data entry can focus on marketing, supplier negotiations, and expanding to new channels.

What a custom platform automates beyond order intake

Real-time margin calculation per order and channel
Automated stock alerts and reorder triggers based on velocity
Automatic carrier selection based on package dimensions and destination
Custom channel-specific pricing and discount rules

Error cost data based on WarpDriven AI mis-shipment study and OmegaTrove manual process cost analysis.

System architecture
Order Intake
Processing
Inventory
Shipping
Key takeaways

What made this work

01

Mapping the real workflow before writing code saved weeks of rework. The initial assumptions about how orders moved between systems turned out to be incomplete, and discovery interviews revealed manual workarounds that needed to be preserved.

02

Deploying one channel at a time reduced risk and built trust. The team could verify each integration in production with real orders before adding the next channel.

03

Automated error handling matters more than perfect uptime. Third-party APIs go down; the system needs retry logic, clear alerts, and manual override options so the business keeps running.

04

Freeing staff from data entry had a bigger impact than expected. The two team members who moved to supplier negotiations and catalog expansion contributed directly to revenue growth within the first quarter.

Before the new system, our mornings started with fixing yesterday's shipping mistakes. Now orders flow through automatically and we spend that time on things that actually grow the business. It felt like hiring two extra people without the overhead.
Petr K.
Operations Manager
Related service
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Software built around how your company actually works.

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