Manage All of Your Customer Orders in One Place

Omni® is a cloud-based software solution built for retail hardware stores to manage and track all customer orders in one unified platform. Eliminate the need to log into multiple systems—Omni keeps everything in one place.

What Are Customer Orders?

Customer orders are retail sales that require follow-up actions to complete. They come in many forms—ranging from simple online pickups to complex, multi-step service orders.

For example:

• A customer buys a BBQ grill in-store and requests next-day delivery. This order requires assembly, delivery coordination, and confirmation.

• A customer orders LED light bulbs online for in-store pickup through Ace’s AOS system. Store staff must confirm, pick, and stage the order for fulfillment.

Special order sales are also considered customer orders. Take Mr. Smith, who called his local Ace Hardware to purchase a Stihl chainsaw that wasn’t in stock. The store created an order in Omni®, sent a payment link, and after payment, had to:

• Order the item,

• Receive it into inventory,

• Assemble it,

• Notify Mr. Smith it was ready for pickup.

Each step required manual tracking and coordination.

Service orders like window screen repairs are another example. These jobs often take several days to complete, and busy stores may have over 100 screens in progress at any time—each needing to be tracked, repaired, and fulfilled.

Customer Order Types

Customer orders come in many forms—often requiring tracking, coordination, and follow-up days or even weeks after the initial sale. Omni® handles them all, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks:

• Assembly – BBQs, patio furniture, sheds, and more

• Delivery – Store delivery, DoorDash, third-party delivery, and others

• Will Call – In-store pickup or curbside pickup

• Service – Screen repairs, key FOBs, paint matching

• Special Orders – Items not currently in stock

• Remote Sales – Orders placed via phone, text, or email

• B2B – Recurring purchase orders from business customers

• Online – Orders placed through Ace’s AOS platform or other e-commerce channels

Managing Customer Orders in Today’s Retail Hardware Stores

As e-commerce, home delivery, and in-store services continue to grow, customer orders have become a critical part of daily operations in retail hardware stores. But they come with a challenge: each one requires consistent, timely, and accurate follow-up to ensure success.

Without a reliable system to manage and fulfill these orders, stores risk missed opportunities, lost profits, and dissatisfied customers. To grow omni-channel sales efficiently and profitably, organized order management is no longer optional—it’s essential.

Introducing the Omni® Solution

Today’s omni-channel retail environment demands that stores manage a wide range of transactions—including the rapidly growing world of e-commerce.

The traditional in-store experience—where customers browsed aisles, got assistance, paid at the register, and took items home—is being replaced. Now, convenience means fast home delivery after a few clicks online.

To stay competitive and profitable, retailers must adapt to these more complex, service-heavy sales. Omni® gives stores the modern tools they need to efficiently manage every type of customer transaction—from online to in-store and everything in between.

Omni® Suite: Three Tiers

Omni® offers a flexible suite of tools to help stores manage customer orders while supporting and growing their core in-store sales. Choose the tier that fits your needs and budget:

1. Omni Core® — Entry Level (POS-Based) – $250/month

Ideal for stores looking to bring order management into the digital space using existing POS data. Includes:

• Import customer orders from POS

• Create digital work orders for screen repair

• Manage assembly & delivery orders

• Manage all AOS (acehardware.com) sales

2. Omni Plus® — Advanced Level (Digital Payments & Remote Sales) – $400/month

Designed for stores ready to handle remote transactions and process payments digitally. Includes everything in Core, plus:

• Create customer orders & work orders (e.g., paint) for export to POS

• Process remote orders (phone, email, text) using secure payment links

• Requires Epicor add-on (Epicor cost varies)

• Stripe integration (no extra charge)

3. Omni Pro® — Enterprise Level (B2B Portal for Contractors) – $600/month

Built for stores serving business customers, such as small contractors and property managers. Includes everything in Plus, plus:

• B2B customers submit purchase orders directly via online portal

• Streamlined processing of recurring B2B transactions

• Export B2B payments from Omni to POS

Growing Sales with More Customer Orders

A typical hardware store might be able to manage a few customer orders per day using slips of paper. But as order volume increases—especially with added steps like assembly, delivery, or repairs—this approach quickly falls apart.

Handling 20 or more orders per day can become overwhelming. Over time, a busy store might have 100+ open orders at once. Without an organized system, it's easy to forget or lose orders, leading to unhappy customers and lost revenue.

But there’s also opportunity: customer orders can be a powerful driver of sales growth.
For example, a store that processes just 20 customer orders per day at an average ticket of $40 would generate $800 per day, or $288,000 per year in incremental revenue.

With Omni®, stores can easily manage this volume—and more—while delivering the kind of service that builds customer loyalty and drives repeat business.

Key Features in Omni®

As customer order volume increases, stores have the opportunity to grow sales beyond their four walls—helping them better compete with big-box and online retailers. However, success with customer orders requires new tools and practices.

Omni® is a comprehensive order management system designed to guide stores through every stage of the order process—from creation, to payment, to follow-up, and final fulfillment. This process is called the Order Life Cycle.

To support the critical follow-up phase, Omni® breaks down tasks into three core action areas:

1. Inventory – Confirming orders by locating, ordering, and receiving items
2. Tasks – Preparing orders through assembly, repair, service, or staging
3. Fulfillment – Completing orders via in-store pickup, curbside delivery, scheduled delivery, or appointment

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Omni® Key Features

• Inventory Manager – Vendor purchasing, receiving, and tracking
• Task Manager – Task creation, scheduling, and tracking with a calendar view
• Delivery Manager – Delivery scheduling and tracking tools
• POS Importing – Converts POS transactions into customer orders
• Order Creation – Build special orders, screen repairs, and paint work orders
• Quote Generation – Create quotes and estimates for B2B and retail customers
• Omni Order Payments – Export payments to POS or send secure email payment links (via Stripe)
• Customer Order Tracking – Visual order status dashboards, including AOS integration
• B2B Customer Portal – Allow recurring B2B customers to submit POs remotely
• Analytics – View and evaluate Omni sales performance over time

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All online sales (AOS) are treated as customer orders in Omni®, since they always require store-level follow-up—like accepting, picking, or staging. Omni® automatically imports these orders and syncs them with the Ace Retailer App, maintaining full visibility as orders progress through each phase of the life cycle.

Omni® also integrates directly with Epicor inventory and POS data, as well as Ace Hardware’s AOS sales platform. Payments are handled securely and privately through Stripe.

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The Benefits of Using Omni®

Omni® delivers powerful advantages for managing customer orders—whether they originate in-store, online, or through services like repairs and deliveries. By consistently fulfilling orders quickly and accurately, stores can improve customer satisfaction, build loyalty, and boost both revenue and profitability.

Omni® Benefits

• Centralized access to all customer order activity
• Prevent lost or forgotten orders and reduce complaints
• Scale up customer order volume without chaos
• Improve communication with customers throughout the order process
• Boost operational efficiency with streamlined workflows
• Drive higher sales and improve overall store profitability