> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://partners.usecharlie.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# The unified commerce gap.

> Why omnichannel retailers on Shopify are missing an OMS, omnichannel analytics, and in-store operations — and why now.

Shopify is the commerce layer for modern retail. Commerce and operations are not the same thing.

When a brand runs stores, a warehouse, and an online channel simultaneously, Shopify handles the sale. It does not handle what happens next.

## What Shopify doesn't do natively.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Intelligent routing" icon="route">
    Shopify assigns orders based on basic proximity logic. It doesn't factor in capacity, stock buffers, customer tags, or product rules.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Safety stock" icon="shield-halved">
    Shopify shows available inventory. It doesn't reserve buffer stock per location, which leads to overselling and misallocation.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Capacity management" icon="gauge-high">
    Shopify has no concept of daily order limits per location. Stores get overwhelmed — manually, or not at all.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Revenue attribution" icon="chart-line">
    Online orders fulfilled in-store generate no revenue credit for that location. Store managers have no visibility into their real contribution.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## What this costs your clients.

| Step                         | Shopify handles it? |
| ---------------------------- | ------------------- |
| Order placed online          | ✓ Native            |
| Which location fulfills?     | ⚠ Basic logic only  |
| Stock reserved correctly?    | ✗ Unknown           |
| Revenue attributed to store? | ✗ Not tracked       |

Stock is misallocated. Stores are underused. Revenue is under-optimized.

## Why the usual fix doesn't work.

The traditional answer is a standalone OMS. Classic OMS platforms were built before Shopify existed.

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="6-18 months" icon="clock">
    Average time to go live with a classic OMS
  </Card>

  <Card title="$100k+" icon="circle-dollar-to-slot">
    Average setup cost
  </Card>

  <Card title="2 screens" icon="desktop">
    Store staff have to juggle every day
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Warning>
  A classic OMS adds a platform your clients' teams have to learn, switch to, and maintain separately — forever.
</Warning>

## The gap Charlie fills.

Charlie does what Shopify doesn't — OMS, omnichannel analytics, and in-store operations, all inside the platform your clients' teams already use. No new tool, no migration, no engineering.

> Your clients are already running omnichannel. Their tools just aren't.

<Card title="Next: Who Charlie is built for." icon="arrow-right" horizontal href="/opportunity/who-charlie-is-built-for">
  Learn how to spot the right accounts in your portfolio.
</Card>