Midsize enterprises (MSEs) are under pressure. Amazon has reset customer expectations for speed and service. Supply chain disruptions have become the norm, not the exception. And growth? It’s happening faster and more unpredictably than ever before.
For many MSEs, the warehouse management system that once kept things running smoothly has become the bottleneck. What worked five years ago can’t keep pace with today’s demands—and it’s holding companies back from reaching their full potential.
If you’re facing the WMS question—upgrade, replace, or hold on a little longer—you’re not alone. And you’re not without guidance.
The Pressure Points Midmarket Companies Can’t Ignore
1. When Your WMS Becomes a Roadblock to Growth
Outdated warehouse management systems weren’t built for the complexity MSEs face today. Multiple sales channels. Fluctuating inventory levels. Customer demands for faster fulfillment. When your WMS can’t adapt, everything slows down—order processing, inventory visibility, decision-making.
Growth stalls not because you lack ambition, but because your system can’t keep up.
2. The Amazon Effect: Everyone Wants Prime-Level Service
Amazon didn’t just change retail—it changed expectations. Today’s customers want same-day shipping, real-time tracking, and flawless order accuracy whether they’re buying from a Fortune 500 company or a fast-growing midmarket brand.
And it’s not just B2C. B2B customers expect the same level of service. Increasingly, midmarket shippers are even partnering directly with Amazon, which comes with its own demanding requirements for speed, accuracy, and integration.
The question isn’t whether you need Amazon-level capabilities. It’s whether your WMS can deliver them.
3. Building Resilience in an Unpredictable Market
COVID-19. Tariffs. Port congestion. Labor shortages. The past few years have proven that supply chain disruptions aren’t anomalies—they’re part of doing business.
A modern WMS doesn’t just help you manage day-to-day operations. It gives you the agility to pivot when the unexpected hits. Real-time visibility, configurable workflows, and flexible integrations mean you can adapt without a complete system overhaul every time the market shifts.
The Mid-Market WMS Dilemma: Upgrade or Replace?
When performance issues emerge, the instinct is often to upgrade. After all, you’ve already invested in your current system—why not squeeze more life out of it?
Here’s the reality: upgrading an outdated WMS can be just as expensive—and sometimes more expensive—than replacing it. You’re still working within the constraints of old architecture, limited configurability, and systems that weren’t designed for today’s challenges. The ROI often doesn’t materialize the way you’d hope.
The mindset has shifted: mid-market companies once viewed WMS as simply a cost of doing business. Today, savvy MSEs recognize it as a strategic investment—a core part of how they compete and win customers.
What the 2025 Gartner Midmarket Context Says MSEs Need
For MSEs embarking on the WMS selection journey, the 2025 Gartner® Midmarket Context: Magic Quadrant™ for Warehouse Management Systems offers valuable guidance.
According to the report, midsize enterprises prioritize:
- Simplicity – in use, setup, and maintenance
- Rich functionality – without unnecessary complexity
- Shorter time to value – rapid implementation and faster ROI
- Lower cost of ownership – affordable to deploy and maintain
The report suggests, “Key considerations that supply chain technology leaders should weigh when evaluating and selecting MSE-focused WMS technology and services include:
- WMS vendors with an explicit and demonstrable focus on MSEs
- Vendor WMS domain expertise, especially experience and track record in MSEs
- Deployment model (dedicated or multitenant cloud)
- Intuitive, easy-to-learn and easy to adapt user experience
- Simplicity (in use, setup and maintenance)
- TCO and effective ROI period
- Shorter time to value/rapid and remote implementation support
- Implementation tools embedded in the WMS that help streamline implementation
- Implementation and support partner ecosystem
- Technology partner ecosystem to reduce the burden of building point-to-point (PTP) integrations
- Low-code development options and graphical tools to make application layer changes
- Ease of integration with upstream (ERP , for example) and complementary applications (including transportation management systems)
- AI/ML-driven warehouse optimization capabilities”
Made4net: Made for the Mid-Market
Made4net is among 19 Notable Vendors named in the 2025 Gartner Midmarket Context and one of just five vendors recognized across both the Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Warehouse Management Systems and the Mid-Market Context.
What sets Made4net apart? Our WarehouseExpert™ WMS was purpose-built for midmarket agility:
- Cloud-based architecture enables you to pivot quickly, affordably, and seamlessly
- Maximum user configurability means less reliance on expensive professional services
- Strong implementation tools and prebuilt templates accelerate time to deploy
- Robust integration capabilities connect easily with your existing systems
- Workflow-based configurations introduce extensibility without custom coding
Over 800 customers in 30 countries have deployed Made4net solutions to date. According to the report, “Deployments are common in Level 2 and Level 3 warehouses, though the platform can scale to Level 4 and 5 operations as needed.” In our opinion, the extensibility highlighted in the report is what makes WarehouseExpert so popular with midsize operations. The report states, “Extensibility is supported through no-code tools such as screen generators, interface builders, and workflow designers. Implementation accelerators include simulation environments, prebuilt templates, guided deployment, and vertical-specific configurations. Integration is enabled via REST APIs and prepackaged connectors.”
Ready to Make Your Next Move?
Supply chain technology leaders of midsize enterprises can use the research in the 2025 Gartner Midmarket Context: Magic Quadrant for WMS to better understand the MSE-focused WMS market and make informed decisions.
If you’d like to learn more, reach out to our team—we’d be happy to walk you through the report and discuss how Made4net aligns with your specific needs.
You can also download a copy of the latest Gartner research here.
Gartner, Midmarket Context: Magic Quadrant for Warehouse Management Systems, Rishabh Narang, Simon Tunstall and Federica Stufano, September 19, 2025
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