Shopify is a popular e-commerce platform that allows businesses to create online stores and sell their products to customers globally. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the eCommerce platform has become popular due to changes in customer behavior. They prefer to buy things online rather than in retail stores. With the rapid rise in sales through online channels, businesses opt for Shopify ERP integration to streamline their business processes.
In this blog, we will explore the benefits of Shopify ERP integration and why it’s a smart move for your business. So, let us dive into the world of Shopify ERP integration!
What is Shopify?
Shopify is a powerful eCommerce platform that allows individuals and businesses to sell products or services to customers globally by creating online stores. Shopify has a range of customizable features and tools that help businesses establish and manage business online through storefront themes, payment processing options, inventory management tools, marketing and sales tools, and analytics and reporting features.
Shopify, as an eCommerce platform, has many benefits. It is user-friendly and does not require any technical expertise for setting up the business online. Also, it is scalable and flexible in nature and fits the requirements of a growing business.
Shopify is a powerful and customizable platform that caters to a range of businesses, from small to large. The following are some of the essential features of the platforms:
- It has a user-friendly interface.
- It provides customizable themes as per the business requirements.
- It meets the highest security standards.
- Shopify helps streamline operations, automate tasks, and improve the overall customer experience.
- It comes with built-in marketing tools that help businesses optimize their online platforms.
In short, it is an excellent eCommerce platform that provides businesses with the tools and support to achieve success in the online marketplace.
What is an ERP?
ERP or enterprise resource planning (ERP) is software that is deployed by many companies to handle their day-to-day operations like accounting, planning, data management, and supply chain. It is a good choice for purchasing stocks, managing sales, human resources, and even marketing.
ERP is quite important for e-commerce business platforms since it provides a centralized database. It enhances productivity, helps retain customers, and increases revenue. Using ERP can significantly help reduce the hidden costs that are involved in eCommerce. It takes into account areas like customers, inventory, accounting, shipment, and pricing, among others. The software ensures that its deployment helps companies and guarantees the following benefits:
- Streamline Process
- Real-time reporting
- Improved performance
- Enhanced collaboration
- Improved communication
- Free flow of information
What is Shopify Integration?
Shopify integration plays a crucial role in the expansion of business online and reaching out to customers globally. The process of connecting Shopify with other applications or services to enhance the one-on-one processes of an online store is called Shopify integration. This is done through plugins or APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) which facilitate data transfer between the platforms. Through Shopify integration, businesses can streamline their day-to-day operations, automate tasks without manual interventions, and improve the customer experience.
UNO is one such plugin in MS Dynamics that integrates with any data source to automate business processes. It can be easily and quickly configured in an ERP and Shopify endpoints, giving you a competitive advantage.
Benefits of Shopify ERP Integration
Shopify ERP integration is gaining popularity since it can work wonders for your online store. There are multiple benefits of Shopify ERP integration, some of which we have listed below:
Streamlined business operations
With Shopify ERP integration, businesses can streamline their day-to-day operations by automating processes such as order management, inventory management, and shipping. This also results in increased efficiency, reduced errors, and faster turnaround times.
Improved inventory management
Shopify’s ERP integration helps businesses manage their inventory. It provides real-time visibility into inventory levels, product demand, and supplier information. The integration also helps businesses avoid stockouts and overstocking
Enhanced Productivity
Shopify ERP integration enables the company to automate different time-consuming and manual entries. This helps employees to focus on other strategic activities.
Better customer experience
With Shopify ERP integration, information related to real-time inventory information, accurate order tracking, and faster order fulfillment can be tracked and observed, which helps companies improve the customer experience.
Increased data accuracy and transparency
Shopify ERP integration eliminates the need for manual data entry, reducing the risk of errors and increasing data accuracy. Also, the integration provides companies with real-time business data, which helps them to make rational decisions and improve transparency.
Cost Effectiveness
Shopify ERP Integration helps businesses reduce costs by eliminating manual processes, reducing errors, and improving efficiency.
The process of Shopify ERP integration
By now, it is very evident that Shopify ERP integration plays a crucial role in the success of establishing a business online. After discussing the benefits of Shopify ERP integration, the next question that may come to mind is the process of integrating Shopify with an ERP system. Let’s discuss this process to gain a clearer understanding.
Assess your business needs
The first step in the integration process is to assess your business requirements and determine what data you need to sync between Shopify and your ERP system.
Select an ERP system
There are many ERP systems available, ranging from small business solutions to large enterprise systems. Some of the well-known ERP systems are NetSuite, Acumatica, and MS Dynamics.
Microsoft Dynamics is a cloud-based ERP system that offers comprehensive financial management, inventory management, and order management features. It has a pre-built connector for Shopify, making integration easy and seamless. Microsoft Dynamics is a good choice for mid-sized and enterprise businesses that require a highly scalable and customizable ERP system.
Choose an integration method
There are several integration methods available for Shopify ERP integration, which include pre-built connectors, middleware, and custom API integration. The method you choose will depend on the specific business requirements and budget. Let us now discuss the three integration methods to get a clear picture.
Pre-built connectors
This integration solution is designed to work with specific ERP systems. They typically come with a pre-configured set of features and functionality that allow you to sync data between Shopify and your ERP system quickly and easily. Pre-built connectors are often the easiest and fastest integration method to set up, as they don’t require any coding or technical expertise. However, they may be limited in terms of customization options and may not meet all of your business requirements.
Middleware
Middleware is software that acts as a bridge between Shopify and your ERP system to facilitate data syncing between the two systems. Middleware provides more flexibility and customization options than pre-built connectors, as you can configure the middleware to meet your specific business requirements. Middleware can also provide additional functionality, such as data transformation, data validation, and error handling. However, middleware can be more complex to set up and maintain than pre-built connectors and may require technical expertise.
Custom API integration
Custom API integration involves developing a custom integration solution using the APIs (application programming interfaces) provided by Shopify and your ERP system. This allows you to tailor the integration to meet your specific business requirements and provides maximum flexibility and customization options. Custom API integration can also provide real-time data syncing and advanced functionality, such as custom business rules and workflows. However, custom API integration can be the most complex and time-consuming integration method, as it requires technical expertise and development resources.
Set up the integration
Once the integration method is selected, you need to configure the integration settings and map the data fields between Shopify and the ERP system.
Test the integration
After setting up the integration, ensure that data is synchronized accurately and in real time. This involves creating test orders and transactions to ensure that data is flowing between Shopify and your ERP system correctly.
Go live
Once tested, ensure that it’s working as expected, and you can go live and start using it to manage your business operations. It’s important to monitor the integration after going live to ensure that it continues to work correctly and that any issues are addressed promptly.
In short, select the right ERP system, choose the best integration method, and set up and test the integration to grow your business online.
MAVI, a Turkish fashion retailer, successfully integrated Shopify with Microsoft Dynamics to improve inventory management and the customer experience. The integration resulted in a 56% increase in online sales and a 72% increase in mobile sales. Mavi also saw a 10% increase in customer satisfaction ratings.
Takeaway
In this blog, we have discussed Shopify ERP integration in detail. The process is decisive to growing your business online and causing sales to skyrocket soon. We have also elaborated on the three methods of integration that can work wonders based on your business requirements and the benefits of Shopify ERP integration. We hope this helps you out!
