Unify tracking for multi-shipment orders
Authors:
Michael Wholohan, Holger Lierse
Changed on:
17 Nov 2025
Problem
Orders fulfilled from multiple locations create separate shipments with different tracking numbers, making it difficult for both customers and support teams to monitor complete order status.
Without consolidated tracking views, customers become confused and frustrated, leading to increased support inquiries and poor delivery experiences. Retailers cannot effectively manage customer expectations or proactively communicate about complex multi-shipment orders.
Example
A furniture retailer frequently split large orders across multiple fulfillment locations, creating 3-4 separate shipments per order with different carriers and tracking numbers. Customers received a confusing list of tracking numbers with no context about which items were in which shipment. Customer service spent significant time explaining complex tracking scenarios, and many customers missed deliveries because they were monitoring the wrong tracking number. The retailer had no consolidated view to proactively manage these multi-shipment orders or identify when problems occurred.
Solution Overview
Fluent Commerce Order Management resolves multi-shipment complexity by acting as the central hub that consolidates all fulfilment and delivery data associated with a single customer order, allowing retailers to present a Unified Tracking View.
Fluent achieves this through Consignment Data Aggregation, automatically ingesting tracking numbers, carrier names, and real-time status updates for every individual fulfilment tied to the primary order, regardless of the fulfilment location or carrier used. This consolidated data is then exposed via the Fluent Commerce APIs, enabling the retailer to deploy a single, clear tracking page for the customer.
Crucially, Fluent maintains Line-Item-to-Shipment Mapping, which clarifies for the customer exactly which products are in which shipment. This unified approach also enables Proactive Multi-Shipment Notifications that communicate the overall order status.
By implementing Fluent OMS for unified tracking, retailers can simplify post-purchase complexity and improve service efficiency in the following ways:
- Eliminate Customer Confusion: Customers Experience applications only have to access one tracking source that clearly explains the status of all items, resulting in a significantly better delivery experience and fewer missed deliveries.
- Reduced Support Volume: Customer service no longer spends time manually managing and explaining multiple tracking numbers, allowing them to focus on true exceptions.
- Proactive Management: The retailer gains a consolidated view to easily identify and manage risks (e.g. a delayed shipment) across the entire multi-shipment order, before the customer calls.
