This article is relevant if you are tasked with designing or scaling order fulfillment in NetSuite for an eCommerce operation that must manage its own deliveries, accommodate cash-based payments, and integrate a third-party Delivery Management System across a fragmented geography.
TL;DR Summary:
A fast-scaling eCommerce retailer operating in a cash-based, infrastructure-limited economy needed a reliable system to handle thousands of daily orders across a fragmented delivery network. By utilizing NetSuite as the centralized orchestration platform and integrating with LogiNext for geospatial routing, Prolecto developed a scalable architecture that aligns business commitments with field execution. This article outlines the business logic, integration patterns, and optimization strategies used to align drivers, suppliers, vehicles, and inventory across a demanding geography.
Background
A growing eCommerce retailer in the Middle East approached us at the outset of their NetSuite implementation. After years of building brand equity on the Magento eCommerce platform, they wanted to centralize their business operations using NetSuite while preserving years of work on their existing storefront. Orders needed to flow cleanly into NetSuite, triggering fulfillment and delivery workflows across a dispersed national footprint.
However, their logistical model introduced real-world challenges uncommon in more mature infrastructure markets. Cash dominates over credit cards or digital payments. Deliveries range from fine jewelry to large appliances. Only a fraction of the listed inventory is stocked; most goods are sourced from a vast network of local suppliers. Without reliable third-party carriers like FedEx, the client operates its own delivery fleet, which includes specialized vehicles for handling varied inventory types.
To ensure control and accountability, drivers not only pick up and deliver items but also handle cash and mobile inventory. Orders must be routed intelligently to account for driver limitations, staging warehouses, traffic, and pickup-to-delivery dependencies. To solve this, the client selected LogiNext, a Delivery Management System (DMS), for route planning. We were tasked with designing the business logic and systems architecture so that NetSuite would remain the single source of truth and coordination for all business commitments.
NetSuite as the Logistics and Business Control Tower
In global eCommerce logistics, many organizations turn to specialized third-party systems for functions like route planning or delivery tracking. While these tools are essential, the risk is that business logic and operational authority become fragmented. At Prolecto, we advocate for what we believe is a superior approach: NetSuite should always lead (see related article). It’s where business commitments live, and any external systems, however specialized, should serve the logic articulated in NetSuite. This is the basis of a discussion I offered in my 2024 article, Using NetSuite to Drive ROI via Centralized Business Systems Architecture.
This principle was especially critical in this client’s Middle Eastern operation. Here, NetSuite functions not just as an inventory and accounting program but as the architect of all movement—inventory, money, and promises. It captures Magento orders, evaluates sourcing options, coordinates pickups from suppliers, assigns deliveries to drivers, and reconciles inventory and cash at day’s end. It’s in this model that we see our ambitious clients unlock the true promise of the NetSuite ERP platform under our leadership.
We integrated the LogiNext DMS for geospatial routing, but critically, we avoided deferring business decisions to the DMS. Instead, NetSuite determines what must happen; LogiNext simply executes with geographic intelligence. For example:
- Sales Orders originate from Magento and enter NetSuite as the authoritative demand signal.
- Linked Purchase Orders are generated to coordinate supplier pickups—mimicking drop-ship logic, but with our client’s drivers performing the actual transport.
- Item Receipts and Item Fulfillments tie to inbound and outbound legs in the DMS to ensure physical movements are matched to system events.
- Vehicle Inventory is tracked using NetSuite location bins, with bin transfers used to load and unload goods from vehicles—offering precise visibility.
- Cash Management integrates with driver routing to enforce reconciliations and accountability by route, shift, and vehicle.
Thousands of orders flow through this network daily. Yet by designing NetSuite as the conductor, not a bystander, the business maintains centralized control, transparency, and the ability to grow without technical fragmentation.
A Scalable NetSuite-Led Delivery Management Integration
To meet the demands of a fragmented delivery landscape and a high daily order volume, we structured an integration where NetSuite owns the operational logic while LogiNext provides dynamic routing capabilities. LogiNext supplied our drivers with a simple mobile app for routing, while NetSuite handled the business narrative. The approach enabled flexibility, accountability, and performance without requiring massive overhead.
Key Elements of the NetSuite Lead Architecture
- Magento to NetSuite Order Capture: All sales orders originate in Magento and are imported to NetSuite in real-time. This ensures that business-level commitments are housed centrally from the outset.
- Linked Purchase Orders to Support Pickups: For items not in stock, NetSuite auto-generates linked purchase orders—simulating drop-ships. However, instead of a supplier shipping to the customer, our client’s drivers perform the pickup.
- Use of Item Receipts and Item Fulfillments: These core NetSuite records tie into LogiNext’s “inbound” and “outbound” events. This allows the physical handoffs—whether from a supplier or to a customer—to be reconciled to system flows.
- Location Bins Represent Vehicles: Every vehicle is modeled as a NetSuite bin. When goods are transferred into a vehicle, a bin transfer is performed, ensuring real-time visibility of the inventory within each vehicle and driver’s possession.
- Driver and Vehicle Constraints Modeled via Planning Logic: Vehicle capabilities (e.g., lift gates for large appliances) and driver time constraints were modeled in NetSuite but then fed to the DMS, ensuring assignments comply with real-world logistics before routing optimization begins.
- Warehousing and Staging Logic Supported via Transfers: Some inventory pickups are staged at a regional warehouse before final delivery. NetSuite handles this logic through inventory transfer records and routing schedules.
- Driver Cash Handling and Reconciliation: Since drivers handle cash payments, we implemented tracking for cash on hand, cash drop-offs, and reconciliations per vehicle and route. NetSuite’s transactional integrity makes this enforceable.
- Performance Without Additional Licensing Overhead: Despite handling thousands of daily transactions, we avoided the need for SuiteCloud+ threading licenses. This was achieved through sequencing logic—batching pickups in the morning and deliveries in the afternoon—to spread processing loads intelligently.
- Purpose-Built Integration to LogiNext: Rather than rely on canned connectors, we built a targeted integration using LogiNext’s API. This allowed us to inject only the information needed for routing, keeping NetSuite in the lead and the DMS as a helper. This approach gives our clients complete control without any ongoing subscription connector costs.
Video Walkthrough of the NetSuite DMS Integration Concept
To visualize the architecture and key concepts, watch the 14-minute video overview below. It introduces the integration logic and logistical patterns in action. This is Part 1. Part 2 will be presented in a subsequent article, which will detail the technology challenges overcome to wire it up.
NetSuite Systems Integration Leadership Driving Business Led Delivery Logistics Management
This initiative demonstrates how NetSuite, when modeled to lead, can drive complex business logistics across challenging geographies and operating conditions. By avoiding over-reliance on third-party systems and instead treating them as tactical tools, we preserved clarity and control in the client’s operational DNA.
The solution delivered meaningful outcomes: consistent cash reconciliation, real-time visibility into mobile inventory, scalable order processing without platform overload, and alignment of business intent with field execution. Most importantly, the client retained strategic autonomy—able to operate at high volumes and iterate their logistics model without being beholden to proprietary systems.
This project showcases what we believe sets our firm, Prolecto Resources, apart: deep listening, rigorous modeling, and a commitment to excellence without shortcuts. We offer our intellectual property freely, including algorithms and integration strategies, because our value lies in our judgment and execution. Special thanks to Chidi Okwuidire and our Prolecto Technology and Operations teams for their leadership and ingenuity.
If you found this article relevant, feel free to sign up for notifications to new articles as I post them. If you are ready to orchestrate complex logistics using NetSuite as your operational command center, let’s have a conversation.
Loved this article Marty. Such an interesting project.
While I think your solution is best here, it’s interesting to think about whether the native NetSuite Field Services Module can be adopted to delivery type scenarios such as this where the requirements are more varied and particular. Certainly the route optimization would need to be built, but the FSM is very customizable and the Google Maps Route Optimization API is very flexible and dev friendly.
Looking forward to part 2!