Key Takeaways
- Gain a competitive edge by using unified commerce platforms to get a single, accurate view of profits and margins across all your sales channels.
- Combine order management, real-time inventory, and financial tracking into one *unified commerce platform* to end fragmented reporting.
- Reduce business stress and manual spreadsheet work by integrating sales data from different platforms into a single source of truth for your team.
- Recognize that traditional inventory tools fall short because they do not offer the forecasting and financial insights a modern brand needs for smart growth.
Selling online used to be a lot more straightforward than it is these days – both in terms of competition, and tracking everything.
Long gone are the days of selling one product on one platform – eCommerce brands today rely on selling multiple products across dozens of platforms like Shopify, Amazon, Walmart, and more.
This leads to a major issue in tracking sales across different platforms and channels, as each platform have their own preferred way to report orders.
In this guide, we’ll dive into the mysterious world of eCommerce sales tracking across multiple platforms to see how real brands are managing this in 2026 and beyond.
Why Multichannel Sales Tracking Is So Challenging
There are three main problems that usually pop up with multichannel sales tracking:
1. Fragmented data
Each platform reports sales differently, which can lead to some major headaches.
Marketplaces focus on payouts and fees, storefronts emphasize orders and customers, and wholesale channels often lag behind in reporting.
When data lives in separate systems, it becomes difficult to answer simple questions about performance.
2. Inventory blind spots
Inventory tracking becomes a lot harder when multiple channels are involved.
You can quickly figure out how this would look if inventory was not properly managed – overselling, stockouts, and frustrated customers are just a few examples.
3. Operational disconnects
For eCommerce brands to function properly, sales need to be attributed to the right channel with the profit, inventory and future demand accounted for.
What Good Multichannel Tracking Software Actually Does
The best software here needs to compile all of the data into one place and keep things easy to understand.
At a a bare minimum, we’re looking for:
- A unified view of orders across all channels
- Real-time inventory visibility
- Clear insight into revenue, costs, and margins
- Purchasing and replenishment tracking
- Forecasting tools to support growth
Without these elements working together, reporting quickly becomes unreliable as order volume increases.
Types of Multichannel eCommerce Tracking Tools
Most tracking tools fall into one of four categories.
Let’s take a quick look at each one.
Channel-specific analytics tools
These easy to set up and useful for high-level performance tracking, but they rarely connect deeply with inventory or fulfillment.
Inventory management tools
These can be great to prevent overselling, but they’re not very good at forecasting or providing financial insight.
Traditional ERP systems
Enterprise Resource Planning systems can cover every multichannel tracking need, but this isn’t really an ideal solution for a growing eCommerce brand.
Unified commerce platforms
Unified commerce platforms are the best choice for most eCommerce brands, simply because they are easy to set up (most of the time) and track everything needed.
The Best Software to Track Multichannel eCommerce Sales
After comparing usability, scalability, and real-world fit, these platforms stand out for multichannel sellers.
1. GoFlow (Best Overall)
GoFlow is built for eCommerce brands that sell across multiple channels and need more than surface-level reporting. Rather than acting as a standalone analytics tool, it functions as a central operating system that connects sales, inventory, purchasing, and fulfillment in one place.
Where GoFlow really shines is in how it removes fragmentation. Orders from Amazon, Shopify, Walmart, wholesale, and EDI channels are brought into a single interface, giving teams a clear, real-time view of what’s happening across the business.
This makes it super easy to manage high order volumes without manual work in a spreadsheet.
Inventory management is another key strength. GoFlow provides live visibility across warehouses and fulfillment partners, helping brands avoid overselling, reduce stockouts, and allocate inventory more strategically as demand shifts between channels.
Some of GoFlow’s main advantages include:
- Unified order management across all sales channels
- Real-time inventory visibility across warehouses and 3PLs
- Built-in purchasing and replenishment tracking tied directly to sales velocity
- Clear revenue and margin insight, factoring in fees and fulfillment costs
- Forecasting tools that support smarter inventory and cash flow planning
Because GoFlow connects operational data with financial performance, it gives brands a more accurate picture of what’s actually driving growth and profitability. For multichannel sellers that have outgrown basic dashboards and want a single source of truth, GoFlow consistently stands out as the strongest overall option.
2. Skubana (Extensive Order Manager)
Skubana, now part of Extensiv, is a well-known platform in the multichannel space, particularly among marketplace sellers.
It offers solid order and inventory management capabilities and integrates with major sales channels. However, some teams find it less flexible when dealing with complex workflows or advanced forecasting needs.
3. Linnworks
Linnworks is popular with sellers operating across multiple marketplaces, especially in the UK and Europe.
It provides strong channel integrations and automation features, but its interface and reporting can feel less intuitive for teams that want deeper purchasing and margin insights.
4. NetSuite (ERP Option)
NetSuite is often considered once brands reach enterprise scale.
While it offers robust accounting and customization, it comes with higher costs, longer implementation timelines, and ongoing complexity that many eCommerce teams don’t need at earlier growth stages.
How to Choose the Right Tool for Your Business
The right software depends on your current scale and future goals.
You should be asking yourself the following questions:
- How many sales channels do we actually manage?
- How does our visibility look like for inventory management across different locations?
- Do we purchase proactively?
- How easily can we see profitability across SKU and channels?
If answering these questions feels difficult, it’s often a sign that existing tools are no longer sufficient.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
The most common mistakes we see with brands tracking multichannel sales are the following:
- Heavy reliance on spreadsheets, which only scales up to a certain point
- Choosing tools that provide analytics only
- Implementing complex systems that are hard to understand and eventually end up being underused
If you’re struggling with tracking multichannel sales, you are not alone – it is much more common than you would think.
Final Thoughts
Multichannel eCommerce opens up a world of opportunities, but the road to success is filled with pitfalls that are easy to fall into.
Using a multichannel tracking system can make your life a lot easier, but even then, choosing the right option is tricky.
We hope this guide has helped you start your journey into multichannel eCommerce, and if you have any questions please let us know!
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is tracking multichannel sales much harder now than it was before?
Tracking multichannel sales is harder today because brands sell on many different platforms like Shopify and Amazon. Each platform reports sales, fees, and orders in a unique way. This creates fragmented data which makes it difficult to get one clear, single view of your business performance.
What are the three biggest challenges when tracking sales across different platforms?
The three main problems are fragmented data, inventory blind spots, and operational disconnects. Fragmented data means sales numbers are not consistent across systems. Inventory blind spots refer to being unsure how much stock you have in different locations. Operational disconnects mean sales, inventory, and profit are not connected, which slows down your business.
What is the major mistake brands make when they rely on spreadsheets for sales tracking?
Relying too much on spreadsheets is a common mistake that only works up to a certain point. Spreadsheets quickly become unreliable and involve a lot of manual work as your order volume increases. They also make it nearly impossible to get real-time inventory visibility and accurate profit or margin insights.
What is a “Unified Commerce Platform” and how does it help simplify sales tracking?
A Unified Commerce Platform is a system that combines all your sales, inventory, purchasing, and fulfillment data into one single place. It acts as a central operating system for your e-commerce brand. This helps to remove data fragmentation and gives you a clear, real-time picture of your entire business.
What is the most important feature to look for in multichannel tracking software?
The most important feature is a unified view of orders across all your sales channels. This means orders from Amazon, Shopify, or wholesale customers all appear in one central interface. Without this single source of truth, teams cannot confidently manage high order volumes or make smart business decisions.
Will an Inventory Management Tool solve all my multichannel sales tracking problems?
No, an inventory management tool is great for preventing overselling and managing stockouts, but it is not a complete solution. These tools typically lack good forecasting capabilities and do not provide needed financial insights. You will still need a separate system to understand your true revenue, costs, and profit margins by channel.
How can a brand tell if they have “outgrown” their basic sales tracking dashboards?
You have likely outgrown your basic tools if you struggle to answer simple questions like “What is our profitability per SKU across all channels?” or “Do we purchase inventory proactively?” When performance questions become hard to answer, it signals that your current systems are no longer sufficient to support your growth.
What practical, immediate step should I take to improve my multichannel tracking today?
Compare your current inventory visibility across all your different locations and 3PLs right now. If achieving that real-time view requires combining information from more than one system, you should prioritize exploring unified commerce solutions. Better inventory visibility directly cuts down on oversells and stockouts.
What is the difference between an ERP system and a Unified Commerce Platform for growing e-commerce brands?
Traditional Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems cover many business needs, but they involve higher upfront costs and long, complex setup times. A Unified Commerce Platform is usually easier and faster to implement for a growing brand. It focuses more directly on connecting the core sales, inventory, and fulfillment pieces that drive e-commerce success.
Why is linking purchasing and replenishment tracking to sales velocity so crucial?
Linking purchasing to sales velocity means you base new inventory orders on how quickly products are selling. This is crucial for managing your business cash flow and avoiding both costly stockouts and profit-eating overstock situations. Forecasting tools in good software help you plan smarter inventory buys for the future.


