Background

As part of a broader digital transformation initiative, TOMS set out to modernize both its eCommerce experience and operational infrastructure.

After evaluating platforms with CQL, TOMS selected Shopify for its:

• Speed to market
• Flexibility in managing the storefront experience
• Strong ecosystem of integrations and applications
• Modern checkout and customer experience capabilities

Shopify provides a scalable foundation for customer engagement. However, like many enterprise brands operating across multiple systems and fulfillment processes, TOMS recognized that post-checkout execution required additional operational coordination.

To support this next phase of growth, TOMS implemented Deck Commerce as the order orchestration layer alongside Shopify.

The Challenge

While TOMS recognized that Shopify would improve the customer-facing commerce experience, several operational challenges remained across fulfillment and backend systems.

Fragmented Order Workflows

Order processing logic was distributed across ERP systems and a legacy OMS, creating operational complexity and requiring ongoing manual intervention.

Limited Inventory Coordination

Inventory visibility across systems and fulfillment processes was difficult to maintain in real time, increasing the risk of inefficiencies, overselling, and order exceptions.

Manual Exception Handling

Operational teams frequently managed routing decisions, updates, and fulfillment exceptions manually, increasing both effort and the potential for inconsistencies.

Scalability Constraints

As TOMS evaluated future fulfillment expansion opportunities, the existing architecture lacked the flexibility required to support additional fulfillment locations and evolving operational models efficiently.

These challenges are increasingly common as brands scale on Shopify. While storefront modernization improves the customer experience, operational complexity across fulfillment, inventory, and backend systems continues to grow behind the scenes.

The Approach

To complement Shopify’s storefront capabilities, TOMS implemented Deck Commerce as a centralized orchestration layer responsible for managing post-checkout operations.

This created a separation of responsibilities across the commerce stack:

Shopify

• Customer engagement
• Storefront management
• Checkout and payments
• Front-end shopping experiences

Deck Commerce

• Order orchestration
• Inventory coordination
• Fulfillment routing and automation
• Operational workflows and exception handling

ERP and Backend Systems

• Financial management
• Inventory records
• Downstream operational processes

Rather than replacing existing systems, Deck Commerce was implemented to coordinate them through a modular and integration-driven architecture.

Implementation

Deck Commerce was integrated into TOMS’ Shopify-based environment using pre-built connectors and standardized interfaces.

Key capabilities enabled through the implementation included:

Centralized Order Orchestration

Orders placed through Shopify moved through a unified orchestration workflow, reducing fragmentation across systems and improving operational visibility.

Inventory Visibility Across Systems

Inventory data from ERP and fulfillment systems was coordinated centrally, enabling more accurate availability and fulfillment decisioning.

Across Deck Commerce implementations, brands have reported improvements in inventory exposure exceeding 63%, helping unlock more sellable inventory across channels.

Flexible Fulfillment Logic

Configurable routing rules provided the flexibility to support evolving fulfillment strategies, including future multi-node expansion.

This type of orchestration commonly contributes to:

• 10–15% reductions in fulfillment costs
• Lower operational overhead
• More efficient routing decisions

Integrated Payments and ERP Synchronization

Shopify Payments and ERP processes were aligned within the broader order lifecycle to improve operational consistency and reduce maintenance complexity.

Deck Commerce customers commonly report:

• 30–40% reductions in OMS-related IT overhead
• Fewer custom integrations and operational dependencies

Operational Impact

With Shopify and Deck Commerce operating together, TOMS established a more scalable and coordinated commerce environment.

Reduced Manual Intervention

Automated workflows and centralized orchestration reduced operational handoffs and minimized manual exception management.

Across enterprise implementations, Deck Commerce environments commonly achieve:

• 95–98%+ automation rates
• Reduced operational burden during peak demand periods

Improved Fulfillment Reliability

More coordinated inventory and routing logic helped improve fulfillment consistency and reduce operational friction.

Brands leveraging centralized orchestration have reported:

• 40%+ reductions in cancellation rates
• Cancellation rates below 0.5% in high-scale environments

Enhanced Customer Experience

Improved order visibility and fulfillment coordination reduced customer uncertainty throughout the post-purchase journey.

Organizations using Deck Commerce commonly see:

• 40–70% reductions in WISMO and customer support contacts
• More consistent delivery experiences
• Improved post-purchase communication workflows

Faster Operational Adaptability

The use of pre-built integrations and modular deployment accelerated implementation timelines while reducing integration complexity.

Deck Commerce deployments are commonly measured in:

• Weeks instead of months
• Faster onboarding of new channels and fulfillment workflows
• Lower disruption during operational changes

Scalable Platform Performance

The architecture now supports future operational expansion, including additional fulfillment nodes, warehouses, stores, and third-party logistics providers.

Deck Commerce infrastructure is designed to support:

• High-volume peak demand environments
• Distributed fulfillment networks
• 99.999% platform uptime architecture
• Zero-downtime peak event examples across enterprise brands

Conclusion

The combination of Shopify’s modern commerce experience, CQL’s implementation guidance, and Deck Commerce’s orchestration capabilities enabled TOMS to modernize both customer engagement and operational execution.

As more enterprise brands adopt Shopify, the ability to coordinate inventory, fulfillment, and backend systems efficiently is becoming increasingly important to long-term scalability.

By separating storefront engagement from operational orchestration, organizations can improve flexibility, reduce complexity, and better support growth across channels and fulfillment networks.