In today’s world of technology, it is difficult to think of a business without being integrated with various applications. Integration not only makes it easier to operate but also helps businesses save on both cost and time.
Imagine this, you have just started an eCommerce business. From keeping track of operations to checking the account hygiene to boosting sales, it is difficult to manage all the functions together. That’s when eCommerce integrations come as a savior.
A brief overview of E-commerce Integrations
The eCommerce integration software helps businesses connect with other business systems to simplify their business processes. From accounting to marketplace management to shipping and order fulfillment, there are different types of integrations that you can leverage on.
In simple terms, e-commerce integrations help your e-commerce business seamlessly enhance the customer experience. With an efficient integration system, you can boost productivity and scale on higher profits. Additionally, eCommerce integrations help your brand to manage customers across multiple sales channels.
Things to consider while deploying third-party integrations
Before you deploy any sort of integration service in your system, it’s important to understand the major aspects that are frequently overlooked.
- Quick turnaround time: If integrating third-party software is taking longer than anticipated, it’s of no use for your business as it’s killing one of the most important benefits of employing an integration – save on time.
- Minimal technical support: Integrations are deployed to simplify the business process. So you must look for the integration that requires minimal technical assistance/expertise post its implementation.
- Gives a plethora of options: One of the features you must consider while deploying an integration is that it should give a wide range of options to scale business including eCommerce ecosystem, marketplaces, ERPS, POS, etc.
- Find integrations of flexible nature: The business environment is rapidly changing. Thus, before you employ any sort of integration, check whether it will change according to the evolving needs of your business or not.
- Check their target audience: Before implementing a third-party integration, you must analyze their audiences. You must share the same set of audiences as the association can further help in promoting your brand.
Advantages of using third-party E-commerce Integrations for your e-commerce business
Connecting your online website with various other sales channels and corporate systems can enhance many components of your eCommerce business. To have a deeper understanding, let’s take a look at some of its advantages:
- Manage error-free data: Integrating with different marketplaces and carts helps your eCommerce business maintain accurate data, eliminating the chance of duplicate data entry.
- Leverage on new-age business models: Businesses can make the best use of the latest D2C business models as they can sell through various sales channels directly without involving intermediaries.
- Enhance customer service: One of the crucial aspects of any sort of business is its customers. Integrations help brands provide real-time updates to the customer regarding their order status, price, availability of stock, etc.
- Give an omnichannel experience: To survive in an ocean full of businesses, being omnipresent is the basic requirement you need to fulfill. With integrations aligned, it becomes easier for businesses to operate across offline and online channels seamlessly.
- Track inventory across all channels: Manual data always poses a chance of error. With an integrated system, you can keep a record of inventory levels across multiple sales channels all while streamlining inventory synchronization.
Different types of E-commerce Integrations Software –
- Inventory Integration: Be it food and consumer goods such as milk, bread, etc., or fashion and personal care products including face cream, perfume, etc. consumers often look for expiry dates in each item they order. To keep the right amount of inventory, inventory integration service streamlines the whole process of inventory management and order processing.
- Sales & CRM Integration: CRM as the name suggests helps you make a better relationship with your customers. Sales & CRM integrations incline your online business with marketing tools.
- Shipping Integration: Shipping integrations improve the overall purchase experience of the customer. By giving regular shipping updates, you can help your customers track their orders. Moreover, it also simplifies warehouse management as you can coordinate shipping across multiple warehouses. Some of the best shipping providers to simplify the shipping process are DTDC, DHL, Shiprocket, Ninja Van, etc.
- Accounting integration: To grow your bottom-line efficiently, each business regardless of its size and nature, needs to keep a check on cash inflow and outflow. That’s when accounting integration such as Tally, Busy, etc. comes in handy. Manual maintenance of finances is also an option, but the reports could be prone to errors. Thus, look for an accounting system that supports your business operations.
- Cart Integration: Establishing your online presence is the most important aspect of growing your online store. Cart integration lets you build your website from scratch. Brands such as Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce, etc. help you expand your product portfolio over an online platform.
- Marketplace Integrations: Along with your website, you must have your listings over various marketplaces. Meesho, Lazada, Amazon Flex, Flipkart, Myntra, Amazon, Noon, etc. gives you an eCommerce integration platform to reach out to millions of customers.
- ERP Integration: Many times, business organizations have to maintain a range of software solutions for each function and employ resources to update those systems. To keep integrating various functions, ERP integrations help you run business smoothly. Unicommerce helps you make the most of your business with ERP integrations including SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Navision, etc.
- POS Integrations: From scanning and tracing the product to printing the order receipts, POS or Point of Sales integrations including Ginesys, Logic ERP, etc. lets you serve your customers faster than usual. Not to mention, you can also give real-time updates to your customers while giving an omnichannel experience.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on E-commerce Integrations
- Why is Integration Important?
Integration can completely boost productivity all while reducing time and cost. Additionally, they can help your business target future expansion as it saves manpower costs. Moreover, you can make better decisions and organize the workflow efficiently.
- What are API integrations?
API or application programming interface is a go-between that ensures the smooth working of the various enterprise systems. API acts as an intermediary between business applications and data.
- What does business integration mean?
Business integration is rather a process that is strategized to keep in sync between information technology and business cultures.
- What is an integrated marketplace?
An integrated marketplace is a platform where businesses can showcase their complete product portfolio to a wider set of audiences.
- What is ERP integration?
ERP integrations build a synchronization between various other applications and data sources. Moreover, an ERP integration builds a unified platform for you to perform different functions.
- What are three ERP integration methods?
Built on the three IT models, there are three types of ERP integration models; a top-down or ERP-centric approach, a center-out or MOM-centric approach, or a bottom-up or industrial automation-centric approach.
- How are ERP and eCommerce related?
When ERP is clubbed up with eCommerce, they work in a unified manner to help the organization run its operations smoothly. With the deployment of ERP software, your online website works more efficiently. Additionally, you can align offline and online sales together, giving an omnichannel experience to your customers.
- How to integrate eCommerce ERP?
To integrate eCommerce ERP efficiently in your system, the best way is to use a multichannel platform. The technology offers a platform that can help you resolve the problems that challenge your operational capabilities.
- Does salesforce integrate with eCommerce?
Salesforce simplifies your website operations as it helps you track down the behavior and experience of your customers for re-marketing opportunities. Moreover, the salesforce commerce cloud gives both B2C and B2B businesses a world-class platform that is ideal for eCommerce integration.
Integrate with Unicommerce – A solution to solve all your E-commerce problems
Just think, how seamlessly your eCommerce store will run if you have a robust eCommerce integration platform that updates, upgrades, and maintains the data in real-time.
Experience seamless eCommerce integration services with the simple, stable, and powerful cloud-based eCommerce supply chain technology platform serving 15,000+ customers across India, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. Enabling 150+ hassle-free integrations with global marketplaces, carts, logistics providers, ERP, and POS systems, Unicommerce automates all your business operations for improved order fulfillment rates, enhanced productivity, and profitability.
Are you determined to boost your eCommerce business? Let us help you!
Unicommerce offers you eCommerce API integrations with the likes of Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Noon, Lazada, Shopify, Magento, Delhivery, FedEx, Blue Dart, DTDC, SAP, Oracle, Tally, Microsoft Dynamics Navision, etc. that let you fill in the gaps between inventory, sales, shipping, returns, accounting and more.
Key Functionalities of Unicommerce’s Integrations:
- Automate your online operations by integrating your ERP software through APIs
- Integrate any system like SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, or any custom ERP to simplify your operations
- Manage to connect your POS, online store, and any other system
- Keep a check if the right order status is getting pushed to marketplaces through Unicommerce
- Get complete visibility of product returns
- Reduce your overall operational costs by reducing order fulfillment time
- Handle high sales volume with minimum manpower
- Automate end to end order sync as per business flow
- Systemize and automate invoice creation
In Conclusion
The eCommerce industry is evolving more than ever. Every business wants to stand out in the competitive market. To be one step ahead of your competitors, make the most of your business by integrating your system, scaling on amplified profits. Furthermore, you can enjoy long-term growth and improved services that will help you expand your business both locally and globally. Coupled with strategic planning, you can additionally cut on the operational cost by automating the routine functions.