Multichannel Order Management System: The Complete Guide

Selling on multiple channels is one of the fastest ways to grow a product business.

It's also one of the fastest ways to create operational chaos unless your systems can actually keep up.

A multichannel order management system connects all your sales channels into one platform, syncing orders, inventory, and fulfillment in real time. We built Cin7 to be exactly that kind of system, an inventory management software (IMS) that keeps every channel in sync. This guide covers how these systems work, what features matter most, and how to evaluate whether one is right for your business.

Key Takeaways

• A multichannel order management system (OMS) connects all your sales channels (e-commerce, marketplaces, retail, and wholesale) in one dashboard with real-time inventory sync.
• Core features to look for: native integrations, automated order routing, AI-powered demand forecasting, and multi-location warehouse management.
• Real-time inventory sync prevents overselling and stockouts, two of the biggest risks in multichannel selling.
• Evaluate multichannel platforms on channel support, integration depth, implementation speed, and total cost of ownership.
• Cin7 offers 700+ integrations, including native connections to Amazon, Shopify, Walmart, Faire, QuickBooks, and Xero.

What Is a Multichannel Order Management System?

A multichannel order management system (OMS) is software that manages orders and inventory together for every channel you sell on. It pulls orders from your e-commerce stores, marketplaces, retail POS, and wholesale portals into one real-time dashboard. For multichannel sellers, that means one source of truth and true centralized inventory management, with no more juggling separate tools.

Think Shopify, Amazon, TikTok Shop, your retail stores, and wholesale portals, all talking to each other in real time. When something sells anywhere, stock levels update everywhere instantly.

Without a system like this, you're essentially running separate businesses under one roof. Your Amazon store doesn't know what your Shopify site just sold, and your warehouse team is stuck playing catch-up with spreadsheets. A multichannel OMS eliminates that disconnect. It's the foundation of effective multichannel inventory management.

Here's what a solid multichannel order management system typically connects:

• E-commerce platforms: Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce
• Marketplaces: Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Faire, TikTok Shop
• Retail: In-store POS systems
• Wholesale: B2B order portals and EDI connections
• Accounting: QuickBooks, Xero, and similar tools

At Cin7, we've built over 700 integrations because we know your tech stack isn't one-size-fits-all. Whether you're looking for an order management system for e-commerce or need to connect retail, wholesale, and online channels simultaneously, the right OMS should meet you where you already sell.

What Is Multichannel Inventory Management?

Multichannel inventory management is the practice of tracking and syncing stock for every channel you sell on from one system. A multichannel inventory management system keeps a single available-to-sell count for each product. When a unit sells, ships, or comes back as a return, every channel updates.

Think of it as the stock side of the story. Inventory management makes sure the product is there. Order management handles everything after someone clicks "buy."

Multichannel vs. Omnichannel Order Management

Multichannel order management centralizes orders and inventory from many separate sales channels in one system. Omnichannel order management goes a step further, connecting those channels into a single seamless customer experience, like buy online, pick up in store. Put simply, multichannel is about running your channels from one hub, while omni channel order management is about making them feel like one to the shopper.

Most growing brands start multichannel and add omnichannel touches as they go. A good OMS supports both, so you don't have to pick a side.

Why Multichannel Order Management Gets Complicated

The biggest challenges of multichannel inventory and order management are stock that won't stay in sync, guesswork fulfillment, blurry profit data, and manual mistakes. They all happen for one reason: each channel tracks its own inventory, orders, and customer data unless one system ties them together. Selling on multiple channels is great for revenue. It's less great for your sanity if you don't have the right systems in place.

You're not alone here: in Salesforce's Connected Shoppers Report, nearly 9 in 10 retailers say they have unified commerce initiatives underway, but only 15% say they've fully realized their value. For the bigger picture, see Salesforce's look at retail industry trends.

Inventory Never Stays in Sync

Here's a scenario that might sound familiar: you sell the last unit of a popular item on Amazon, but your Shopify store still shows it as available. Someone buys it there too. Now you've got two orders and one product.

This happens when inventory updates aren't automatic. Even a five-minute delay between systems can create conflicts during busy periods.

Order Fulfillment Becomes a Guessing Game

When orders come in from five different places, figuring out which warehouse ships what gets surprisingly complicated. Every step in the e-commerce order fulfillment process becomes a potential failure point. Without intelligent routing, your team ends up making manual decisions for every order, or worse, shipping from the wrong location and eating the extra cost.

You Can't See Which Channels Are Actually Profitable

Are your Amazon sales actually making money after fees, or are they just keeping you busy? Without centralized reporting across channels, it's tough to know. You might be pouring effort into a channel that's barely breaking even while neglecting one that could be your biggest profit driver.

Manual Processes Create Costly Mistakes

Copy-pasting order details between systems. Manually updating stock counts. Re-entering customer information into your accounting software. Each step is an opportunity for human error, and those errors add up fast in the form of wrong shipments, inventory discrepancies, and frustrated customers.

Essential Features of Multichannel Order Management Software

The essential features of multichannel order management software are native integrations, real-time inventory sync, automated order routing, AI demand forecasting, multi-location warehouse management, and built-in reporting. Here's what to look for when you're evaluating an order management system for e-commerce and multichannel selling.

Native Integrations With E-Commerce Platforms and Marketplaces

The software that connects your stores and marketplaces is a multichannel OMS with native integrations. A "native integration" is a built-in connection, so you don't need extra connector apps or custom coding. Connect Amazon, eBay, and Shopify once, and orders and stock flow between them automatically. Look for direct connections across every category you rely on:

• Marketplaces: Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Faire, TikTok Shop
• E-commerce platforms: Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce
• Accounting: QuickBooks, Xero
• Shipping and 3PL: major carriers and third-party logistics providers

At Cin7, we offer 700+ integrations across these categories, including Faire and built-in 3PL Connect for outsourced fulfillment, which you won't find in many other places.

Real-Time Inventory Updates Across Every Channel

Real-time inventory updates keep stock counts identical on every channel the moment anything changes. When stock changes anywhere (whether it's a sale, a return, or a warehouse transfer), it reflects everywhere. Real-time sync prevents overselling and stockouts, two of the fastest ways to lose customer trust, and it's the backbone of solid inventory management.

The stakes are global and enormous. IHL Group's September 2025 research puts the global cost of inventory distortion (out-of-stocks plus overstocks) at $1.73 trillion a year, or 6.5% of global retail sales. For context, IHL has tracked this problem for years, including in IHL's earlier 2023 study.

AI-Powered Demand Forecasting

Guessing what to reorder and when is a recipe for either too much inventory (hello, storage costs) or too little (goodbye, sales). Smart forecasting tools analyze your historical data and predict future demand so you can make informed purchasing decisions.

We've built AI-driven forecasting directly into Cin7 because inventory decisions work better when they're based on data, not gut feelings.

Automated Order Routing and Fulfillment

Automated order routing sends each order to the best place to ship it from, without anyone on your team lifting a finger. The system weighs stock availability, distance to the customer, and shipping cost, then picks the winner.

You set the rules, and the system follows them every time. For example, you can:

• Ship from the warehouse closest to the customer
• Send wholesale orders to your main distribution center
• Route marketplace orders to your 3PL
• Split an order across locations when one site can't fill it

Once an order is routed, the pick list and shipping label are generated automatically. Orders go from "paid" to "packed" faster, and nobody has to play warehouse roulette.

Multi-Location Warehouse Management

Need one inventory system for your warehouse and retail stores? A multichannel OMS tracks stock in every warehouse, 3PL, and store from one platform. You can transfer stock between locations and fulfill online orders from whichever site has the units.

Managing inventory across multiple warehouses, 3PLs, and retail locations from one platform keeps everything visible and coordinated. You can also handle dropshipping within the same system.

Built-In POS for Retail and Omnichannel Selling

If you have physical stores, an integrated Point of Sale system ensures in-store sales sync with your online channels. This is critical for true omnichannel operations where customers can buy online, pick up in-store, or return items through any channel.

Returns and Exchange Management

Returns and exchange management lets you process returns from any channel in one place and get sellable stock back on sale fast. The system records where the order came from, restocks the item to the right location, and syncs the refund to that channel.

Exchanges work the same way: one return, one new order, zero spreadsheets. Fast delivery wins customers. A painful return can lose them just as quickly.

Centralized Customer Data and Order History

A centralized customer view shows every order a customer has placed, on every channel, in one record. Your support team can answer "where's my order?" without logging into three platforms. Wholesale accounts keep their pricing and payment terms attached.

It also fixes a classic multichannel headache: shoppers getting a different answer depending on where they bought. (An OMS isn't a CRM, though. See the FAQ below.)

Comprehensive Reporting and Business Intelligence

Good reporting tells you what's selling, where it's selling, and how fast. You'll want analytics on sales performance by channel, inventory velocity, and profitability.

Seamless Accounting Software Connections

Orders and inventory data flowing directly into QuickBooks, Xero, or your accounting tool of choice eliminates double entry and keeps your books accurate.

Multichannel OMS vs. ERP: What's the Difference?

A multichannel OMS manages inventory, orders, and fulfillment across your sales channels, while an ERP is a broad suite that runs finance, HR, and procurement for the whole company. You've probably seen "ERP" thrown around a lot, so let's clear it up.

An ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system is a broad business suite that tries to do everything: finance, HR, procurement, manufacturing, supply chain, and yes, sometimes order management. They're built for large enterprises with complex organizational structures, and they come with price tags and implementation timelines to match.

A multichannel OMS, or more specifically, an inventory management system (IMS) like Cin7, focuses on what product businesses actually need day-to-day: real-time inventory tracking, order routing, multichannel sync, and fulfillment automation. It's purpose-built for the operational core of selling products across multiple channels.

It's also worth separating an IMS from an OMS. An IMS focuses on tracking stock levels, valuations, and replenishment across locations, while an OMS orchestrates the full order lifecycle, from capture to routing to fulfillment, across every channel. Cin7 does both, which is why we call it an IMS that also runs your order management.

Here's the key difference in philosophy: an ERP tries to replace your entire tech stack. An IMS connects to it. Cin7 integrates with your accounting software (QuickBooks, Xero), your sales channels, your 3PLs, and your shipping carriers. So you keep the tools that already work and gain centralized visibility across all of them.

For most product businesses, retailers, wholesalers, e-commerce brands, and manufacturers, an IMS gives you the operational power you need without the overhead you don't. If you're curious how Cin7 compares to traditional ERP options, check out our ERP for small business use case.

Benefits of a Multichannel Order Management Platform

A multichannel order management platform helps you stop overselling, automate manual work, scale order volume without adding headcount, and deliver a consistent experience on every channel. Features are great, but what do they actually get you?

Stop Overselling and Prevent Stockouts

Real-time inventory sync means you'll never sell something you don't have or miss sales because stock wasn't updated. Both scenarios damage customer trust, and both are entirely preventable.

Take Dock & Bay, a quick-dry beach towel brand selling across Amazon, regional Shopify B2B and D2C stores, and marketplaces like The Iconic and Nordstrom from 10 warehouses, a classic multi-warehouse setup. Before Cin7, the team had no real inventory control, oversold stock, and pushed their spreadsheets to breaking point. With Cin7 as a single source of truth, overselling all but disappeared, customer-service issues dropped sharply, Black Friday ran smoothly, and as Dock & Bay put it, Cin7 saved them from needing to expand their operations team, which is exactly how Dock & Bay brought overselling under control.

Fits B2C, B2B, and D2C Business Models

Selling wholesale and retail at the same time? A multichannel OMS lets you run retail, wholesale, and e-commerce orders through one system, so nobody updates each platform by hand. It adapts to your business model:

• B2C sellers keep marketplace and webstore stock in sync.
• B2B sellers get trade pricing, credit terms, and a self-service B2B portal.
• D2C brands connect their own stores and marketplaces under one source of truth.

Automate Repetitive Tasks and Save Hours Every Week

Think about how much time your team spends on manual data entry, updating stock counts across platforms, and creating shipping labels. Now imagine most of that happening automatically.

It adds up fast. In Cin7's 2025 State of Inventory Intelligence survey of 530 inventory professionals, respondents reported losing 16 hours a week syncing inventory across disconnected systems. Cin7 estimates that could cost almost $21,632 a year. That's a lot of copy-paste!

A multichannel OMS takes over tasks like:

• Importing orders from every channel
• Updating stock counts after every sale, return, or transfer
• Generating pick lists and shipping labels
• Sending invoices and payments to QuickBooks or Xero

"We save two-to-three work days, which is about 16-to-24 hours of manual labor. We don't have to manually upload and sync inventory or upload orders one-by-one, like we did with Fishbowl," says Ashley Gilbert, head of operations and business development at The Lip Bar. That's one customer's experience, and yours will depend on your setup. But it shows how much time manual syncing quietly eats.

Scale Your Order Volume Without Growing Your Team

Automation lets your current team handle significantly more volume. You can double your orders without doubling your headcount, which does wonders for your margins.

Deliver Better Customer Experiences Across All Channels

Faster shipping. Accurate stock availability. Consistent experiences whether someone buys on Amazon or your website. All of this becomes much easier when your operations run smoothly behind the scenes. It's the foundation of true multichannel selling.

How Multi-Channel Order Processing Actually Works

Multichannel orders stay organized when every order from every channel lands in one queue, drawing on one set of stock numbers. From there, multichannel order processing updates inventory everywhere, routes the order to the best location, and syncs tracking back to the customer. Curious what that looks like? Here's the typical workflow:

1. Order placed: A customer buys on any connected channel
2. System captures it: The order appears in your centralized dashboard instantly
3. Inventory adjusts: Stock levels update across all channels automatically
4. Routing decision: The system determines the optimal fulfillment location
5. Fulfillment triggered: A picking list is generated and a shipping label is created
6. Tracking shared: The customer gets shipping updates, and the order status syncs back to the sales channel

The whole process can happen in seconds, with minimal human intervention.

Signs You Need a Multichannel Order Management System

You likely need a multichannel order management system when manual work, stock mismatches, and overselling start eating into your time and profit. Not sure if you've outgrown your current setup? Here are some telltale signs it's time to upgrade.

• You're manually copying orders between platforms. If your team re-enters order data between systems, you're burning hours and inviting errors.
• Your inventory counts don't match across channels. When your Amazon listing says 12 units and your warehouse says 8, someone's going to have a bad day. If stock discrepancies are a regular occurrence, you need real-time sync.
• You've oversold products more than once. One oversell is a mistake. Two is a pattern. If customers are getting "sorry, that's actually out of stock" emails, it's costing you trust and repeat business.
• You can't tell which channels are actually profitable. Revenue looks great, but are your margins healthy on every channel? If you can't answer that without pulling data from three different tools, you're flying blind.
• Your team spends more time on admin than growth. When admin eats your day, there's no time left for growth work like new channels or new products.
• You're adding new sales channels and dreading the complexity. Expanding to Walmart, TikTok Shop, or a B2B portal should feel exciting, not terrifying. If your first thought is "how will we manage that?" instead of "let's go," it's a clear signal.

If you're nodding along to more than one of these, you're probably ready for a multichannel OMS. Here are five more reasons an inventory management system can transform your operations.

How to Evaluate Multi-Channel Order Management Software for Your Business

The best order management system is the one that supports every channel you sell on today and the ones you're planning next. To find it, map your channels, list must-have integrations, weigh implementation and support, and calculate total cost of ownership. Then compare the best order management software options side by side.

Map Your Current and Future Sales Channels

List everywhere you sell now and where you plan to expand. If you're eyeing Faire, TikTok Shop, or Walmart Marketplace, make sure your chosen platform supports those channels natively.

List Your Must-Have Integrations

Think beyond sales channels. What accounting software do you use? Do you work with 3PLs? What shipping carriers do you prefer? The more integrations available out of the box, the smoother your implementation will be. When evaluating any order management system for e-commerce, integration depth is often the difference between a smooth rollout and a frustrating one.

Ask About Implementation and Support

How long does it take to get up and running? What training is included? Is the support team responsive? These factors often matter more than a long feature list.

Calculate Total Cost of Ownership

Look beyond the monthly subscription. Consider implementation costs, training, add-ons, and integration fees. Some platforms charge extra for features that others include in the base price.

How to Set Up a Multichannel Order Management Workflow

Setting up a multichannel order management workflow takes six steps: audit, clean, connect, configure, test, and train. Here's how to do it without losing a weekend (or your mind).

1. Audit your channels and data. List every sales channel, warehouse, and tool, plus who touches each order today.
2. Clean up your product data. Standardize SKUs so the same product isn't three different listings on three channels.
3. Connect your sales channels. Link Amazon, eBay, Shopify, and the rest through native integrations, then import open orders and current stock.
4. Set your routing and stock rules. Decide which location fulfills which orders and how much stock each channel can sell.
5. Test with real orders. Run a handful of orders end to end before you switch everything over.
6. Train your team and go live. Walk everyone through the new workflow, then retire the spreadsheets. Celebration optional, but encouraged!

Most businesses go live within a few weeks to a couple of months, depending on integrations and data migration.

Common Implementation Challenges and How to Avoid Them

Most implementation hiccups come down to data, complexity, or people. Here's how to head them off:

• Messy product data: Fix duplicate and mismatched SKUs before you migrate, not after.
• Setup complexity: Connect one channel first, confirm it syncs, then add the rest.
• Resistance to change: Involve warehouse and support staff early, and show them the hours they'll get back.
• Missing integrations: Confirm every tool you rely on has a native connection before you sign.

What Does Multichannel Order Management Software Cost (and Is It Worth It)?

Multichannel order management software usually costs a monthly subscription that scales with your order volume, sales channels, users, and feature needs. Most platforms, including Cin7, offer tiered pricing for businesses ranging from startups to enterprises.

Typical pricing factors include:

• Order volume: Higher volume often means higher tiers
• Number of integrations: Some platforms charge per connection
• Users: Per-seat pricing is common
• Features: Advanced capabilities like AI forecasting may be premium
• Support level: Priority support sometimes costs extra

How to Estimate Your ROI

Price is only half the story. The other half is what you stop paying for. To estimate your return, add up:

• Hours your team spends each week on manual order entry and stock updates
• Revenue lost to overselling, cancellations, and stockouts
• Extra shipping costs from fulfilling out of the wrong location
• Fees for connector apps you'd no longer need

Compare that total with the subscription and implementation costs. If the savings column wins, you've got your answer.

For a detailed breakdown, review Cin7's pricing tiers to see how they map to your business size.

The Future of Multichannel Order Management: AI and Agentic Commerce

Multichannel order management is heading toward more automation, and AI is behind the wheel. Three trends to watch:

• Smarter forecasting by channel: AI predicts demand for each channel separately, instead of just your total sales.
• Agentic commerce: AI assistants are starting to help shoppers research and choose products. In September 2025, OpenAI launched Instant Checkout with the Agentic Commerce Protocol, an open standard built with Stripe. In March 2026, it shifted to letting merchants use their own checkout while it focuses on product discovery. Either way, when an AI recommends your product, your stock data has to be right.
• New channels, faster: New marketplaces keep popping up (hello, TikTok Shop), so plug-and-play integrations matter more every year.

The takeaway? The cleaner your order and inventory data, the readier you are for the future of multichannel selling and whatever channel shows up next.

Take Control of Your Multichannel Operations With Cin7

Cin7 is a multichannel order management platform built for product businesses: retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers, and e-commerce brands looking to manage inventory, streamline operations, and scale efficiently.

What sets us apart? Over 700 integrations (including native connections to Amazon, Shopify, Walmart, Faire, QuickBooks, and Xero), AI-powered demand forecasting, and solutions like Cin7 Core designed for businesses at every stage of growth. We're not an ERP. We're an IMS, inventory management software that actually fits how modern product businesses operate.

Ready to see how Cin7 can simplify your multichannel operations? Request a demo and we'll show you exactly how it works for your business!

FAQs About Multichannel Order Management Systems

Can a Multichannel Order Management System Handle Both B2B Wholesale and Direct-to-Consumer Orders?

Yes. A capable multichannel OMS manages wholesale and D2C orders from one platform, with separate pricing rules, workflows, and fulfillment options for each. Wholesale buyers see their trade pricing and payment terms, while D2C shoppers see retail prices. Both draw from the same real-time stock count.

How Long Does Multichannel Order Management Software Implementation Typically Take?

Most businesses go live within a few weeks to a couple of months. Your timeline depends on how many integrations you connect and how much data you migrate. Clean product data and a phased rollout, one channel at a time, are the fastest route to go-live.

What Happens to Orders if the Multichannel Order Management System Has an Outage?

Reputable platforms have redundancy and offline capabilities. Orders queue and sync once the connection is restored, so you don't lose sales data. Before you sign, ask each vendor about their uptime commitments and how they handle queued orders.

Can Multichannel Order Management Software Handle Dropshipping Alongside Owned Inventory?

Yes. You can manage your own warehouse stock and dropship orders from suppliers in the same system, with inventory visibility for both. The OMS sends each order to your warehouse or your supplier, depending on the product.

Does Multichannel Order Management Support International Selling and Multiple Currencies?

Most robust platforms support multiple currencies, tax rules, and international marketplaces. Verify that your specific regions and currencies are covered before committing. Check multi-currency pricing, local tax handling, and the regional marketplaces you're targeting, like Amazon's international stores.

How Do Returns Work in a Multichannel Order Management System When Customers Buy From Different Channels?

The OMS tracks the original sale channel and manages returns accordingly, updating inventory and syncing refund data back to the correct platform. A Shopify return syncs back to Shopify, and an Amazon return syncs back to Amazon. Once the item is back on the shelf, it's available to sell on every channel again.

What's the Difference Between Multichannel and Omnichannel Order Management?

Multichannel order management runs all your sales channels from one system. Omnichannel takes it further, making those channels feel like one experience to the shopper, like buying online and picking up in-store. Most modern multichannel OMS platforms support both.

What's the Difference Between an OMS and a CRM?

An OMS handles order processing, inventory tracking, and fulfillment across your sales channels. A CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system focuses on managing customer interactions, sales pipelines, and marketing. They serve different purposes but work well together: your OMS handles the operational side of selling, while your CRM manages the relationship side.

How Does a Multichannel OMS Prevent Overselling?

A multichannel OMS syncs inventory in real time across every connected sales channel. When a unit sells on Amazon, the available stock immediately updates on Shopify, your website, and any other platform. This eliminates the delay that causes overselling, so there's no more selling the same last unit to two different customers on two different channels.

What Is the Best Order Management System for E-Commerce?

The best order management system for e-commerce syncs inventory in real time, connects natively to every channel you sell on, and grows with your order volume. From there, match it to your business model. You might need multi-warehouse management, AI demand forecasting, or B2B tools. Native integrations beat third-party connectors every time.

Can a Multichannel Order Management System Integrate With My Existing Accounting Software?

Yes, most multichannel OMS platforms integrate directly with popular accounting tools like QuickBooks and Xero. This means orders, returns, and inventory data flow automatically into your books without manual entry, keeping your financials accurate and saving your team hours of reconciliation work.

What Are the 7 Steps of Order Fulfillment?

The seven steps of order fulfillment are receiving inventory, storing it, processing the order, picking, packing, shipping, and handling returns. The first two happen before a customer ever clicks "buy," which is what sets fulfillment apart from order processing. Nail receiving and storage, and picking and packing get a whole lot faster. For a closer look at each stage, check out our guide to the e-commerce order fulfillment process.

What Is Multichannel Fulfillment?

Multichannel fulfillment means shipping orders from all your sales channels out of one shared pool of inventory, whether that's your own warehouse, a 3PL, or a marketplace's network. One well-known option is Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfillment, Amazon's service that fulfills orders from channels outside Amazon using inventory stored in Amazon's fulfillment network. However you fulfill, you'll want stock synced everywhere so every channel only sells what's actually on the shelf.

What Is an Example of Multichannel Retailing?

Picture a small skincare brand that sells on its own Shopify store, on Amazon, through a wholesale portal for boutique stockists, and at a weekend pop-up shop. That's multichannel retailing: one brand, one product line, several places to buy. The trick is running all four channels from one system, so the pop-up doesn't sell the last jar someone just ordered online.

What Is a Multichannel Manager?

A multichannel manager is the person (or the software) responsible for keeping listings, pricing, and stock consistent across every channel you sell on. On a small team, that's often the founder or ops lead juggling a dozen browser tabs. A multichannel order manager takes the repetitive updates off their plate, so they can grow your channels instead of babysitting them.

What Is an Example of Channel Management?

A simple example of channel management is holding back a few units of a best-seller from Amazon so your own webstore never runs dry, while running a promotion only on TikTok Shop. Channel management is the set of rules you apply to each channel for listings, pricing, promotions, and inventory allocation. Manage those rules from one hub, and you change something once instead of logging into every platform.