In an inventory network, routing kicks in when the shop a customer bought from cannot fulfil an order from its own stock. The system selects a partner that holds the product, using objective parameters such as availability, distance, delivery time and any limits the partners have set.
Good routing happens in real time and is invisible to the customer: the order is placed, a fulfilment partner is confirmed, and the parcel ships — all without the customer leaving the original shop's experience.