What is Ecommerce Integration and Why you Need to Implement it?

According to Statista, global retail ecommerce sales are expected to rise by $5.4 trillion in 2022. Such growth in retail sales and scalability of eCommerce stores cannot be handled with a single system or software.

The use of multiple software solutions for your business brings with it multiple sign-on, multiple data feeds, and team training to use each platform.

As a growing brand, you need to integrate a third-party system to manage all the processes of your eCommerce store.

Through eCommerce integration, you can streamline your business appropriately with all the vital processes and information flowing into one place.

This guide provides you with a detailed overview of eCommerce Integration and why you need to implement it in your business.

What is eCommerce Integration?

ECommerce integration involves transferring data from the eCommerce platform to link five crucial components like accounting, inventory, sales, CRM, and marketing. When you use integrations for your eCommerce store, it helps you to create a bidirectional flow of information between the systems.

It is a time and resource saver that allows you to enter data only into a single system and access it in different forms for different departments.

It relieves your employees from updating the inventory count into the system manually. With the information fed on a single platform using an automated approach and real-time inventory figures, you get access to precise sales data in separate systems.

eCommerce integration assists you to trace the customer’s conversion on multiple channels at once as well as tracking the path of your product channel.

In a nutshell, eCommerce integration enables businesses to combine all their necessary processes into a single system for smooth and efficient function and operations.

Types of eCommerce Integration

ECommerce retailers can integrate their businesses in multiple ways. However, they need to integrate with a system that is suitable for long-term goals according to their business needs. We have provided you with significant types of eCommerce integration to help your organization run smoothly and efficiently.

Real-Time (API)

You can typically connect the two systems with the help of the Application Programming Interface (API). It helps in pushing the data towards the application and the eCommerce environment automatically. This real-time system can either be one-way or two-way.

One-way integration sends messages from the eCommerce to the nearby system, while the two-way process allows both the systems to communicate efficiently.

Manual (CSV File Upload)

In the manual method, you can manage the data within your eCommerce platform manually. It tends to send a specific file in the direction without additional setup, integration, or development cost. It makes up a scenario where you have to use an import and export engine to upload files.

Scheduled (SFTP or API)

Mostly, merchants prefer real-time sync over bank sync. Sometimes, they also sync inventory and order data without any delay or changes in the product description. However, it is not a necessary process. It is because some scheduled activities like invoice updates or fulfillment of information can even run during off-peak hours.

Why Do We Need eCommerce Integration?

eCommerce integration creates a flow of information across the organization, big or small. It provides them a platform that enables them to keep a track of the records about the movement of the product from the warehouse until it reaches the customers.

 It also allows the organizations to trace the activities of different users in several channels and improve their logistics accordingly. CRM integration with ERP and CPQ creates a smooth functioning work environment not only for sales reps but also for the back end and customer support.

It improves and maintains accounting security and customer care effortlessly. Explaining in detail, you need eCommerce integration because:

Improves Functionality

When you integrate your eCommerce portal with its leading website, it improves the functionality significantly for both parties. It makes the people working in your company look into the features quite effortlessly.

ERP integration is also very useful to your customers as it assists them in looking at all the shopping processes closely. While browsing the product, if the inventory level changes significantly, the ERP immediately notify the platform, which then delivers the information of low inventory to the customer.

Similarly, it verifies the data of the customers so that it can determine the warehouse for shipping and provide an estimated delivery time to them. This improvement in functionality provides a positive customer experience and increases your sales dramatically.

Saves Time and Increases Productivity

In a growing business, employees have to spend a lot of their time doing repetitive tasks manually. ERP integration automates these tasks, which initially saves them from hours of manual work, thereby reducing cost, improving efficiency, and minimizing human errors.

On the other hand, with the help of CRM integration, you can handle crucial sales and marketing processes on a single platform. It will streamline workflow and reduce costs significantly.

Minimizes Data Redundancy and Errors

With the help of eCommerce integration, you can acquire reporting details like customer data, web orders, shipments, and payment methods. Also, it enables you to upload the details of the inventory and item in a specific form from the ERP to the eCommerce platform. It eliminates adding the same data again and again.

Minimal human involvement ultimately leads to reduced data redundancy and human errors. Moreover, employees do not have to work consistently on a specific process because it will be managed by software. It will increase productivity and efficiency as well.

Controls Business Appropriately

With ERP and CRM integration, you can control your business quite efficiently. When you integrate your business processes, including manufacturing, order, financial, CRM, and other such functionalities in a single system, you tend to operate your business from any location.

It will also improve the communication between the system as well as revenue. You only have to add data into the system once because it becomes a two-way process when you appropriately integrate an eCommerce website with their main website.

It will ultimately save a lot of time and make the management of human resources even easier.

Improves Customer Care

Customer satisfaction is a crucial aspect of every business. It becomes more critical for an eCommerce platform as the majority of them are entirely dependent on customer satisfaction. 

ERP integration provides transparency to the customers for the operations like tracking, inventory, and so on. Customers get satisfied with the business when they are aware of the work. This way, they feel that their requirement is valued by your organization, which in turn, offers credibility to your company.

Improves Security On Accounting

After integrating your eCommerce business with accounting, it provides access to financial reports concerning sales as well as begins producing balance sheets, P/L accounts, trial balance, cash flow, etc. It also improves transparency and security all across the website because everything is software-generated.

Reduces Cost

Integration of your eCommerce store with CRM, and ERP offers several benefits. Among them, the most crucial one is that it allows customers to acquire a sufficient amount of information that helps them a lot, thereby reducing the cost of operation significantly.

Also, inventory cost is considered as the most crucial cost reduction. Since you get all the sales-related information timely with the help of ERP, you can forecast and plan the inventory accordingly.

VARStreet integrates your eCommerce store with applications like ERP, CRM, Accounting, etc. to sync vital information regarding sales, products, inventory, and customers to your own systems.

Key Takeaway

Integrating your eCommerce business helps you to expand to a whole new level. It not only provides significant control over the business but also assists you in building a better relationship with your customers. You tend to optimize every parameter of their business using ERP software, but when it gets integrated with eCommerce, it changes the working system of the business.