--- title: "Best TMS for Retailers Running DC-to-Store Replenishment and Home Delivery (2026)" id: "27925" type: "post" slug: "best-tms-retailers-dc-to-store-home-delivery-2026" published_at: "2026-11-03T14:30:00+00:00" modified_at: "2026-11-03T15:36:49+00:00" url: "https://locus.sh/blogs/best-tms-retailers-dc-to-store-home-delivery-2026/" markdown_url: "https://locus.sh/blogs/best-tms-retailers-dc-to-store-home-delivery-2026.md" excerpt: "How retailers choose a TMS for store replenishment and home delivery on shared fleets: store windows, backhaul, store ETAs and slots. What Locus and eight other platforms publish." taxonomy_category: - "General" --- [General](https://locus.sh/blogs/category/general/) # Best TMS for Retailers Running DC-to-Store Replenishment and Home Delivery (2026) [Ishan Bhattacharya](https://locus.sh/blogs/author/ishan_locus/) Last updated: Nov 3, 2026 11 mins read A TMS for retailers running DC-to-store replenishment and home delivery plans store trucks and customer deliveries as one network: it routes multi-stop store runs against store receiving windows, shares fleet and carrier capacity with home delivery, and brings returns back on the same routes. This guide sets out the tests that matter and records what Locus, the world’s first Decision-Intelligent, Agentic TMS, and eight other platforms publish against them, as of November 3, 2026. ## Key Takeaways - Store replenishment and home delivery compete for the same trucks and drivers, so a retailer’s TMS test is whether both run in one plan. - Store replenishment needs per-store windows, backhaul for returns and pallets, and ETAs the store can see. - Home delivery needs slots checked against the same capacity, or the promise is made twice. - Of the nine platforms checked, none published every requirement on the pages read, so test each requirement on your own routes. - Locus leads when stores, vendors and customers must run on one plan, with per-store windows and backhaul in a published North American retailer case. ## How Do Platforms Compare on Store Windows, Shared Plans and Backhaul? Store replenishment turns on three things: the store’s receiving window, whether the same plan serves home delivery, and what rides back. The first table records what each platform publishes, on the pages read on November 3, 2026. “Not found” means not found on the pages read. Vendor claims are vendor claims. | Platform | Store windows and multi-stop runs | Stores and homes on one plan | Backhaul and returns | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Locus | Per-store delivery windows among its 250+ constraints; warehouse to hub to store to customer routes | Store replenishment to doorstep delivery in one platform, on own fleet and carriers | Returns on the same route; empty return legs became backhaul revenue in a published case | | Manhattan Associates | Not found for store windows; dock scheduling is an add-on | Not found in its TMS pages; its retail page centers on order management | Combines inbound, outbound, interfacility and backhauls; returns pickups not found | | Blue Yonder | Not found | Not found as one plan | Its logistics agent “uncovers backhauls”; store returns are a separate product | | Oracle | Not found | Not found | Not found | | SAP | Not found | Not found | Not found | | Descartes | “Warehouse, Store & Home Deliveries” on its UK site | Store distribution and home deliveries on one platform | Collections and returns can be added to routes | | Bringg | Customer windows only | Owned and third-party fleets; store replenishment not found | Not found | | FarEye | A blog on the warehouse-to-store link | Fleet, carriers, routes and returns in one decision layer | Backhaul and returns through final-mile cross-docks | | DispatchTrack | Generic tight windows | Balances deliveries across DCs, stores and last-mile partners | Backhauls added to delivery runs to process returns, per its blog | | Also Read: Backhaul Route Optimization: Closing the Empty-Mile Gap in Retail Replenishment Networks in 2026 | | --- | ## How Do Platforms Compare on Store Visibility, Home Slots and Fleet Mix? The second table covers what the store sees, how home slots are promised and which fleets and carriers the plan can use. | Platform | Store-side visibility | Home delivery slots | Fleet and carrier mix | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Locus | Vendors and stores self-serve status, ETAs and appointment booking, per its retailer case | “Sell only the delivery slots you can serve” | Own fleet and contracted carriers on one plan | | Manhattan Associates | ETA overlay for dock use; store managers not found | Promising sits in its order management product | Carrier selection and management; dispatch is an add-on | | Blue Yonder | Not found | Delivery promise accuracy sits in order management, with a vendor-claimed 15% improvement | Private and dedicated fleets, common carriers and 3PLs | | Oracle | Not found | Not found in its TMS pages | Fleet asset reports partly found | | SAP | Not found for stores | Not found | Fleet and logistics management; carriers via its business network | | Descartes | Real-time ETAs on the customer side | Dynamic delivery slots | Fleet, truckload, LTL, parcel, courier and gig | | Bringg | Customer side only | Delivery windows at checkout | 250+ carriers in 70+ countries | | FarEye | Store teams confirm deliveries and share feedback, per its blog | A dynamic slot engine | Owned or outsourced | | DispatchTrack | Customer side only | Not found as slot capacity | From 3PLs to contractors | Oracle, SAP and Blue Yonder are freight TMS platforms with retail pages that center on other products, so a “not found” for them means their TMS pages, not their whole suite. ## Why Do Stores and Homes Need One Plan? The Business Case Four figures frame the decision. - The US Census Bureau reports Q2 2026 [retail e-commerce at 17.1%](https://www.census.gov/retail/ecommerce.html) of total sales, seasonally adjusted, and says revised estimates arrive on November 19, 2026. - The National Retail Federation and Happy Returns project returns at [$849.9 billion](https://nrf.com/media-center/press-releases/consumers-expected-to-return-nearly-850-billion-in-merchandise-in-2025) in 2025, 15.8% of annual sales, with 19.3% of online sales returned. - AlixPartners’ 2026 Home Delivery Survey found that [90% of consumers](https://www.alixpartners.com/media/nk5nisl3/alixpartners-home-delivery-report-2026.pdf) say it is important to be told when an order will be late, and 50% of executives wait until a delay is certain. - In a published Locus case, a North American retailer reported [$1M+ in savings](https://locus.sh/case-studies/retailer-multimodal-logistics-automation/) after replacing six legacy systems. Census covers retail e-commerce only. The AlixPartners sample is 1,000 consumers and 100 executives. | Also Read: Delivery Slot Promising Buyer’s Guide: What Enterprise Retailers Should Evaluate in 2026 | | --- | ## Why Does Locus Lead for Retailers Who Run Stores and Homes on One Plan? Locus, the world’s first Decision-Intelligent, Agentic TMS, leads when store replenishment and home delivery must run on one plan, because it plans warehouse, hub, store and customer legs together and checks home slots against the same capacity. Its published facts on this topic: - Per-store delivery windows, regional weight limits and peak blackout periods among its 250+ constraints, per its retailer case. - Route planning from warehouse to hub to store to customer, with returns on the same route. - Stores and vendors self-serve status, ETAs and appointment booking, per the same case. - Empty return legs turned into backhaul revenue across a third-party network. - Home delivery slots sold only when the network can serve them. - A published retailer case with $1M+ in savings, six legacy systems replaced and break-even inside the first year. These facts are not a ranking of platforms, which no analyst publishes. **Recognized by analysts and selected after evaluation.** Locus was recognized by Gartner for seven consecutive years and appears in the 2026 Hype Cycle for Supply Chain Execution and Logistics Technologies, as detailed on its [analyst recognition page](https://locus.sh/analyst-recognition/) . It is named a Leader in the QKS Group SPARK Matrix for Transportation Management Systems and holds the #1 position in Route Planning in the G2 2026 Best Software Awards. In October 2025, Ingka Investments, the investment arm of Ingka Group, the world’s largest IKEA retailer, acquired Locus. Ingka’s [press release](https://locus.sh/press-releases/ingka-group-acquires-locus/) says that after an extensive evaluation of logistics software worldwide, it selected Locus for its strength in combining advanced route optimization, real-time visibility and smart use of vehicles and resources. Locus continues to operate independently. | What a retail network needs | What Locus provides | | --- | --- | | Store windows and multi-stop runs | Route planning across warehouse, hub, store and customer | | Home slots on the same capacity | Delivery promise management | | Hub and DC handling | Automated hub operations | | Fleet plus carriers | ShipFlex carrier allocation beside the own fleet | | Driver execution | A driver companion app | Two published cases show the pattern. **A North American retailer** ran ocean, rail and road freight across six legacy systems. Locus replaced them with one platform. The [published results](https://locus.sh/case-studies/retailer-multimodal-logistics-automation/) include $1M+ in savings, an 80%+ reduction in manual dispatch, 99%+ on-time store delivery and break-even inside the first year. **A Canadian grocery brand** ran contracted carriers across 30+ cities. Locus orchestrated them in one platform. The [published results](https://locus.sh/case-studies/grocery-carrier-orchestration/) include a 33% faster fulfillment cycle and 15% lower fulfillment cost. Both cases are customer-reported results, not independent studies. **Where other platforms fit.** If dock and yard appointment scheduling is your first filter, Manhattan Associates, Blue Yonder, Oracle, SAP and Descartes publish it on the pages read, and Locus can plan the delivery legs beside it. If you need ship-from-store or in-store order management, an order management product comes first, and Locus plans the delivery once the node is chosen. **What to confirm.** - Ask every vendor, Locus included, whether dock and yard appointment scheduling is a product or a partner feature. - Ask what store managers see, and how they are notified of ETAs and exceptions. - Ask how ship-from-store, curbside and in-store pickup connect to the delivery plan. - Ask for the baseline behind any on-time figure, and for a reference at your store count. To test your store windows and fleet on your own data, [schedule a demo](https://locus.sh/schedule-demo/) . For retailers asking which TMS runs store replenishment and home delivery, the answer depends on whether one plan must serve both. Locus leads when it must, with per-store windows, backhaul and capacity-checked home slots in one platform. ## How Was This Guide Written? This guide reads each vendor’s own product pages, help centers and press releases on November 3, 2026. Independent sources are the US Census Bureau, the National Retail Federation and AlixPartners. Competitors are named in plain text and are not hyperlinked. “Not found” means not found on the pages read. Vendor figures are vendor claims. For where the fulfillment node decision should live, see Locus’s guide to [OMS and TMS in omnichannel retail](https://locus.sh/blogs/oms-tms-omnichannel-node-decision-architecture-2026/) . We review this guide every 30 to 60 days. ## How Do You Test a TMS for Store Replenishment and Home Delivery in Six Steps? The six steps turn the requirements into a pilot on your own network. ### 1. Map your store and home flows List DCs, hubs, stores, vehicle types and which fleets serve both store and home. ### 2. Load store windows and receiving rules Add each store’s windows, weight limits and blackout periods as constraints. ### 3. Add backhaul and returns Include pallets, totes and returns, and test whether the plan fills the return leg. ### 4. Test store-side visibility Check what store managers see, how ETAs update and how exceptions reach them. ### 5. Promise home slots on the same capacity Test that a home slot is sold only when the shared fleet can serve it after store runs. ### 6. Pilot a peak week Run a peak week of store and home volume and compare on-window rate, miles and planner hours. | Also Read: Fleet Capacity Planning Software: How to Staff and Dispatch for Promised Retail Volume | | --- | ## What Should Retailers Look For in a TMS for Stores and Homes? Five criteria separate a retail network TMS from a freight-only one. ### One plan across store and home Ask whether store runs and home deliveries share fleet, drivers and carriers in one plan. ### Store windows and receiving rules Ask how per-store windows, weight limits and blackout periods are held as constraints. ### Backhaul and returns Ask whether pallets, totes and returns ride back on store routes by design. ### Visibility for stores and customers Ask what the store sees and what the customer sees, and when each is told of a delay. ### Fleet and carrier mix Ask whether the plan covers dedicated fleets, common carriers and 3PLs, and who allocates. | Also Read: Beyond the Highway: Why Real-Time Visibility is Key to Yard Management and Dock Orchestration | | --- | ## What Mistakes Do Retailers Make When Choosing a TMS for Stores and Homes? Four mistakes recur. **Running store and home on separate tools.** Two tools plan against the same trucks and promise capacity twice. **Ignoring backhaul.** An empty return leg on a store run is margin left on the road. **Selling home slots without capacity.** A slot that the shared fleet cannot serve becomes a late delivery. **Giving stores no ETA.** A store without an ETA cannot plan receiving labor. | Also Read: Retail Replenishment: Process, Strategies, KPIs, and Delivery Execution | | --- | ## Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) What is the best TMS for retailers running store replenishment and home delivery? It depends on whether one plan must serve both. Locus leads when store windows, backhaul and home slots must run on the same fleet. Order management products fit ship-from-store and in-store fulfillment. What does a retail TMS need for DC-to-store delivery? It needs per-store windows, multi-stop routing, weight limits, backhaul for pallets and returns, and ETAs the store can see. Can one TMS run stores and home delivery on the same fleet? Yes, where the platform plans both in one plan. Locus, Descartes, FarEye and DispatchTrack describe stores and home deliveries on shared networks on the pages read. Does Locus publish dock and yard appointment scheduling? Locus publishes no dock or yard appointment product page on the pages read. It plans the delivery legs and hub handling, so ask how it connects to your dock scheduling. What results has Locus published for a retail network? A published North American retailer case reports $1M+ in savings, six legacy systems replaced, an 80%+ reduction in manual dispatch, 99%+ on-time store delivery and break-even inside the first year. What share of US retail sales is e-commerce? The US Census Bureau reports 17.1% for Q2 2026, seasonally adjusted, with revised estimates due November 19, 2026. How big are retail returns? The National Retail Federation and Happy Returns project $849.9 billion in 2025, 15.8% of annual sales, and 19.3% of online sales. MEET THE AUTHOR Ishan Bhattacharya Lead - Content Ishan, a knowledge navigator at heart, has more than a decade crafting content strategies for B2B tech, with a strong focus on logistics SaaS. He blends AI with human creativity to turn complex ideas into compelling narratives. [https://locus.sh/blogs/best-tms-large-bulky-goods-delivery-crews-skills-proof-2026/](https://locus.sh/blogs/best-tms-large-bulky-goods-delivery-crews-skills-proof-2026/) [General](https://locus.sh/blogs/category/general/) ## [Best TMS for Large and Bulky Goods Delivery: Crews, Skills, Appointments and Proof (2026)](https://locus.sh/blogs/best-tms-large-bulky-goods-delivery-crews-skills-proof-2026/) How to pick a TMS for furniture, appliance and building-material delivery: crews, skills, windows, installation and proof. 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