Fluent Commerce has announced an upcoming launch of AI-powered order sourcing logic with A/B testing for its Fluent Order Management product.
The company said the feature runs two sets of order sourcing logic in parallel on live orders. Retailers can then compare results and see which logic performs better against a defined set of measures.
Fluent Commerce said retailers can use the feature to measure net margin, fulfilment and delivery costs, split shipment rate, order-to-door time, and average delivery distance. The company linked average delivery distance with carbon impact calculations.
Retailers often treat order sourcing as a complex part of order management. They make decisions across stores, warehouses and carriers. They also balance cost, speed, and inventory constraints.
Measuring outcomes
Fluent Commerce said the measures it lists can prove difficult to calculate and compare. The company said this problem becomes more pronounced when retailers try to do it in real time and on live orders.
The company described the new feature as an AI-assisted way to configure tests and manage the results. Fluent Commerce also said the system can promote the winning sourcing logic once a test indicates a better outcome.
It said that approach reduces the work involved in designing tests and implementing the result. It also positions order sourcing as a process that retailers can adjust more frequently based on performance data, rather than rely on static rules.
"Order sourcing is one of the most complex decision points in commerce, and historically it's been driven by static rules and intuition," said Graham Jackson, CEO at Fluent Commerce. "By applying AI to both the configuration of A/B tests and running them in real-time, retailers can move from guessing to knowing, and see exactly how different sourcing strategies affect profitability, delivery speed, and operational efficiency."
How it works
Fluent Commerce said retailers will be able to use AI to define and configure test scenarios. It gave examples such as prioritising margin or reducing delivery cost or distance.
The company said retailers can set the time period for a test. It also said retailers can decide what percentage of orders should run through each set of sourcing logic, such as a 50-50 split or a 90-10 split.
Fluent Commerce said the tests run across live orders and inventory data. It said this approach avoids disruption to the customer experience while the test is underway.
The company also said the feature measures outcomes across financial, operational, and customer-experience KPIs. It said retailers can then deploy the highest-performing sourcing logic at scale.
Embedded in OMS
Fluent Commerce said the feature sits inside Fluent Order Management, rather than operate as a separate testing tool. It said the tests run in real time and use production data.
The company also said the tests use the same constraints and inventory signals as day-to-day fulfilment decisions. It positioned the design as a way for retailers to compare trade-offs, such as a higher net margin against a faster delivery time.
The announcement places attention on how retailers choose fulfilment locations, allocate inventory, and manage split shipments. These decisions can influence last-mile delivery costs and delivery time variability. They can also change stock availability for in-store shoppers and online orders.
AI roadmap
Fluent Commerce said the launch fits into a broader strategy around real-time data and decision-making for commerce operations. It said the feature generates comparable performance data across tests.
The company said the resulting data supports continuous learning across a retailer's fulfilment network. It also said the approach prepares organisations for more AI-driven optimisation over time.
Jackson described A/B testing as a step toward more autonomous optimisation of sourcing decisions. "A/B testing is a critical step on the path to autonomous sourcing optimization," said Jackson. "Before AI can optimize decisions on its own, retailers need a clear understanding of cause and effect. This capability delivers that clarity."