E-commerce retailers are united by one thing above all: the desire for lasting success. And online retail offers the best conditions for this: enormous reach, a target group for almost every profitable market niche and systems such as Shopify that enable a quick start.
Usually, initial success always comes with side effects. If the demand for your product increases faster than you can expand your own capacities, growing pains are often inevitable. Warehouse management systems (WMS for short) such as pixi are there for cases like this. In this blog post, we explain what the software is all about and what added value a synergy of pixi and Shopify offers.
Table of contents
Would you like to expand your Shopify store for long-term success? As a Shopify Plus agency, we can also use our knowledge for your project. Get in touch with us now.
Was ist pixi?
Pixi, also known as Descartes pixi, is a warehouse management system (WMS) from the Descartes Systems Group. It acts as an interface between your online store and your warehouse logistics.
While orders, customer and article information are managed in Shopify and Shopify Plus, the pixi WMS can be used to map stocks, incoming goods, dispatch, condition and returns from your warehouse. The tool can also be equipped with additional ERP functions.
Descartes pixi is primarily aimed at fast-growing D2C brands and fulfillment service providers who have their own warehouse and want to optimize their logistics processes.
Reading tip: These partners support you with your Shopify fulfillment.
Functions and solutions: What does the pixi WMS offer?
Automatic order processing
Orders can be imported and processed automatically. Your customers are notified by e-mail as soon as the status of their order changes. When it comes to order processing, pixi software is geared towards the needs of international companies, among others. Incoming orders can be processed in almost any language and accompanying documents (e.g. invoice or delivery bill) and the order confirmation can be sent in the relevant language.
Reading tip: Speaking of automation: Shopify Flow allows you to automate numerous processes in your Shopify store. Find out more in this blog article.
Warehousing & incoming goods
With the help of so-called chaotic warehousing, you can optimize the use of space in your warehouse. Using barcode scanning, each item is assigned a unique storage location. Items can be grouped into bundles and automatically classified according to the ABC scheme based on their quantity sales. In addition, the pixi WMS manages best-before dates (BBDs) and batch numbers, which is mandatory for the food industry due to legal requirements.
Picking & shipping
Pixi Fulfillment supports retailers with intelligent and intuitive pick & pack processes to optimize their turnaround times. Picking can be carried out either in two stages (multi-order packing) or in one stage (rolling picking). Just-in-time and pre-orders can be taken into account, as can personalized and/or individually produced items.
Monitoring
Over 50 standard reports are available for measuring success. The most important key figures are clearly summarized in the KPI dashboard.
Pixi ERP: Optional add-ons
In addition to interfaces to third-party ERPs, pixi has its own ERP add-ons, as already mentioned, which can be added on request. These enable payment management, remittances, credit notes or DATEV export, among other things.
Browser and client access
Pixi Web can be accessed via the browser. Login is via web.pixi.eu. This means that the WMS can be controlled via any laptop or smartphone with Internet access. You also have the option of installing the pixi Connector on your PC or using the pixi Mobile app.
Bidirectional interfaces
The pixi WMS has interfaces to well-known providers with which the functions of your store can be usefully supplemented, for example PIM systems, ERPs or marketplace connections. Other systems can also be linked to the WMS via the pixi SOAP API.
Reading tip: With the Shopify API, the store system also has its own interface. You can find everything you need to know about this topic in this article.
When is it worth relying on Descartes pixi?
Pixi ensures that your logistics processes are just as scalable and capable of growth as your online store.
Pixi suits you if:
... your company is a direct-to-customer brand with its own online store.
... you are a fulfillment service provider specializing in B2C e-commerce.
... you have your own warehouse and ship to end customers.
... logistical processes are slowing down your growth.
... your order volume is at least 100 parcels per day.
Pixi may be less suitable for you if:
... your business model has a very high B2B component.
... you do not have your own warehouse or your core business is dropshipping.
... your picking process is based on containers or item repackaging.
... you are looking for an all-round ERP for e-commerce beginners
Reading tip: Which processes can be mapped with Shopify's internal warehouse management and what are its limits? You can find the answer here.
Advantages of pixi for retailers
If the above criteria apply to you, pixi offers a useful addition to your Shopify store with which you can optimize your business processes. You can manage order picking, warehousing and shipping in just one solution, which simplifies numerous standard processes and makes them more efficient. This ensures a better customer experience and ultimately has a positive impact on your company's turnover and sales.
Out-of-the-box, the pixi software already offers a large number of high-performance interfaces. This means that the WMS can usually be seamlessly integrated into your existing software landscape and previous investments in your tech stack are not lost. If a third-party provider is not supported straight away, communication can be established via the pixi SOAP API.
Pixi costs: What does the WMS cost?
pixi does not communicate its prices on its website. The reason for this is that the costs depend on the individual requirements of your company and vary from company to company.
If you want to know when pixi is worthwhile for e-commerce, you should contact the provider. Pixi offers ROI discussions on its homepage in which your personal return on investment is determined.
How does the integration between pixi and Shopify work?
Integration takes place via pixi's Shopify interface. Once configured, both systems synchronize data such as stock levels, orders and shipping information in real time. The exact steps and configurations may vary depending on your company's requirements. For example, if you use a PIM or invoicing software, it may make sense to connect these tools to pixi as well.
These customers already rely on solutions from pixi
As an official partner of pixi, we trust in the performance of the WMS solution and are happy to recommend it to others. pixi is particularly suitable for online retailers with large warehouses and order volumes. Latori customers such as Asphaltgold and Gate 194 therefore rely on the software.
Conclusion
With the pixi warehouse management system, retailers pave the way for efficient logistics and a smooth after-buy experience.
The WMS from Descartes has clearly defined its customer base and is not suitable for every company. However, D2C brands with their own warehouse and online store that are suffering from growing pains should definitely take a look at the pixi WMS if they want to exploit their full potential and be successful in e-commerce in the long term.
Latori will be happy to help you integrate pixi into your Shopify store. Get in touch with us.
Frequently asked questions about pixi and Shopify
For which industries is Descartes pixi suitable?
Pixi is particularly suitable for industries that sell to the end consumer, e.g. fashion, beauty & health, hobby, home, stationery or the food industry.
What kind of support and training does pixi offer?
Descartes typically provides training and educational materials to help users use pixi effectively. Assistance is also offered in the form of telephone support, online help and maintenance contracts to solve technical problems and keep the software up to date.
Is pixi an ERP?
Descartes pixi is first and foremost a warehouse management system (WMS for short). The software therefore focuses on warehouse management, which is a sub-area of dedicated ERPs. However, pixi has optional add-ons that allow the WMS to be upgraded to a fully-fledged pixi ERP. In addition, numerous ERPs can also be connected to pixi.
