According to Business Research Insights, the worldwide e-commerce platform industry is around $7 billion as of 2023, with a projected value of $24 billion by 2031. Furthermore, the annual growth rate is expected to be 12.4%. Doesn’t this sound fantastic? But why is the ecommerce integration platform industry growing so rapidly?
First, ecommerce integration provides organizations with greater flexibility by allowing them to manage all of their online channels from a single location.
Second, it is a cost-effective solution for businesses, allowing them to reach a larger audience while generating consistent revenue regardless of time or location. That is why e-commerce integration has become a need rather than an option, especially if you want to feed your business with new solutions.
So, what role does e-commerce integration play in your business, and what solutions will work best for you? I will cover that further down. Keep reading.
Key Takeaways
- Integrating your online store with other business systems like inventory management, accounting, and CRM software creates a centralized hub for all your data. This eliminates manual data entry, reduces errors, and saves time.
- One of the biggest advantages of ecommerce integration is its positive impact on customer satisfaction. Consistent and accurate product information across all channels (online store, emails, social media) builds trust.
- When selecting an ecommerce platform, consider its integration capabilities. Look for platforms that seamlessly connect with popular apps like payment gateways, email marketing tools, and customer support software.
- While implementing ecommerce integration might have upfront costs, it’s an investment in the long run. The article shares a real-life example of a boutique owner who struggled with manual inventory updates. Integration eliminated these issues and improved both customer satisfaction and business efficiency.
What is e-commerce?
E-commerce, often known as electronic or Internet commerce, refers to the purchase and sale of products and services via electronic means. It is defined as the back-and-forth flow of all the information required to accomplish Internet transactions, also known as online transactions. Such information can range from customer and pricing data to inventory and delivery numbers.
The e-commerce sector encompasses not just the act of selling products and services online, but also all of the procedures that occur in between. It makes it easier to identify people who want to acquire products or services, as well as the volume and regularity with which they do so.
What is eCommerce Integration?
Simply put, e-commerce integration is the process of collecting, exchanging, and coordinating data between your company’s e-commerce data management system and other back-end channels like accounting, inventory, sales, ERP, CRM, and marketing. Data sharing typically requires an application programming interface (API integration). With so many e-commerce companies pushing their foot in the door, the rivalry is cutthroat. To remain competitive, a company must have an effective and adaptable model that incorporates accurate product data integration.
Why Is eCommerce Integration Important for Your Business?
A well-executed e-commerce integration plan across your data management systems is directly related to a company’s growth and profitability. You can save a lot of time and resources by using e-commerce integration software, which eliminates the need to feed product data into different platforms. Integration can help your business enhance sales and customer conversion rates by improving data accessibility and ensuring a smooth flow of information across all channels. It also limits errors caused by human data entry and minimizes subsequent losses.
What are the Benefits of ECommerce Integration?
eCommerce integration can provide your organization with the competitive advantage it needs to remain profitable. E-commerce integration allows you to successfully combine your company’s online and physical sales channels with back-end ERP.
#1. Eliminate manual and redundant data:
With e-commerce integration, you can develop and manage a centralized system for all of your product information. This helps to reduce redundancy or information loss, which is common with manual data entry and data kept across multiple systems. As a result, the database will be more organized and accurate.
#2. Improved data integrity and accuracy:
Accurate and dependable data is essential for running a lucrative e-commerce firm. The appropriate data enables organizations to gain a full understanding of industry trends and stay ahead of the curve.
The integration of exact inventory information, such as pricing, availability, and other essential product features, maintains customer loyalty. It also makes it easy to expand and sync inventory across all sales channels.
#3. Accelerated data exchange between systems:
Integration can help your company maximize data transmission between online and offline channels. Furthermore, adopting automation to track inventories and provide real-time updates can save you time. With a lag-free model in place, your company can focus on more vital activities, such as improving the quality of your products and services.
#4. Improved the consumer experience:
eCommerce integration enhances your consumers’ experience by making your company’s procedures plain and transparent. Integrating your data throughout your sales channels allows you to effectively give clients the greatest options available, ensuring their loyalty to your business. You can also analyze your consumers’ behaviors and needs and tailor your business plan to provide greater services.
#5. Streamlined business procedures and expansion:
Integrating your data across all systems and platforms guarantees that your consumers receive the appropriate information for the products that are relevant to them, keeping them happy and satisfied. It also assists your organization with customer acquisition and audience expansion. The convenience of adding inventory allows your firm to grow efficiently.
Ecommerce Integration Platform
Now, all of the advantages of ecommerce integration software that we discussed above sound great. But let’s be honest for a second: not all apps are designed to function flawlessly together. Still, having an ecommerce platform that connects seamlessly with the majority of the top apps on the market is beneficial, if not required. Fortunately, identifying the ones that complement each other is simple if you know where to look.
In other words, you must make an informed decision on your software, which I will assist you in doing. Here are a few crucial ecommerce integration software or platforms that any online firm should consider:
- Website platforms
- Customer support software integrations
- Email marketing integrations
- Payment gateways
- CRM management tools
- Shipping integrations
Let’s look at them one after the other below:
#1. Website Platforms
While website platforms are not really ecommerce data integration software, they should be mentioned nonetheless. That’s because site platforms serve as the backbone of any ecommerce firm.
Simply put, the platform you choose to run your online store will serve as the foundation for any future ecommerce integrations. Recognizing the significance of ecommerce website requirements is critical when choosing a platform. These requirements ensure that your site fits both your company demands and your customers’ expectations, thereby improving your store’s user experience and functionality.
WordPress, Squarespace, and Wix are some examples of full-fledged content management systems (CMS). They provide all the tools and extensions required to establish a successful e-commerce store and keep scaling your business. Here are some of the most popular ecommerce platforms:
1. Shopify
Shopify is a comprehensive ecommerce platform used by millions of entrepreneurs to manage their online enterprises. It allows you to easily create your storefront using the straightforward drag-and-drop storefront creator. It also works with more than 6,700 software. This comprises some of the top ecommerce tools, such as social media platforms and email marketing software.
2. WooCommerce
WooCommerce is a completely customizable e-commerce platform based on WordPress. It is also open-source software. So, you can quickly set up an online store by simply adding a free WooCommerce plugin to your WordPress site. It includes several important ecommerce features right out of the box, such as payment and shipping options, order management, and more.
3. BigCommerce
If you own a large ecommerce shop and require a platform to manage a large number of orders and products, BigCommerce is ideal for you. It has an open API architecture and pre-built tools and apps. All of this enables you to create separate storefronts for each aspect of your business. As a result, BigCommerce is unquestionably one of the most capable ecommerce platforms now on the market.
4. SureCart
SureCart is a new eCommerce integration platform for WordPress. It introduces a new method to create online stores by combining the best of WordPress and headless eCommerce. Your storefront is hosted on WordPress as usual, but the secure SureCart servers handle all of the heavy lifting.
#2. Customer support software integration
Customer support software is a must-have if you want to actually build your interaction with clients and increase their loyalty. This entails having software that includes technologies like live chat assistance, chatbots, helpdesk and ticketing systems, etc. Here are some of the most effective customer support platforms:
1. Tidio
Tidio is comprehensive customer care and marketing automation software designed for small and medium-sized businesses. It includes a sophisticated live chat widget and AI chatbot technology to help automate communication with your clients and take your customer service to another level. Many of its features are also available for free.
2. Zendesk
Zendesk is a customer support suite that can be used by enterprises of any size. It includes live chat software, a messaging tool, a ticketing system, and support desk software. The service is highly expandable and has fantastic features to help you keep all elements of your organization in sync.
3. LiveChat
LiveChat is a platform that allows you to deliver seamless real-time engagement with your customers. In addition to a live chat widget, this provider offers chatbot integration, helpdesk, and analytics functionality.
#3. Email Marketing Integrations
Email marketing is extremely important when running an ecommerce business. Solid email marketing integration software includes features that allow you to easily gather and sync all of your critical contact information in one place. Check out the best email marketing options available.
1. Mailchimp
Mailchimp, which combines marketing, automation, and an email platform, is one of the most popular solutions in its category. It is not only simple to use, but it also has a slew of features designed to help you increase your opens, clicks, and sales.
For example, you can use its crowd management capabilities to better understand your clients. Furthermore, you may segment the audience based on shared characteristics, create automation workflows using a customer journey builder, use pre-made email templates to get inspiration, and more.
2. Convertkit
ConvertKit is a sales automation and email marketing platform that can help you expand your audience and increase conversions. It also allows you to send professional emails using templates, build your email list with sign-up forms and landing pages, and send newsletters.
3. Drip
Drip is yet another email marketing software for increasing revenue that allows you to generate automated emails and drip programs. It includes pre-built processes, including welcome series, post-purchase, abandoned cart, and more. Furthermore, there are over 100 different integrations to choose from. These include popular website platforms like WooCommerce and Magento, as well as an ecommerce Salesforce integration for better customer relationship management.
#4. Payment Gateway Integrations
There would be no future for any online store unless it offered some form of online payment to its clients. This is precisely where payment gateway integrations come in. These ecommerce integration platforms enable clients to have a smooth and secure payment experience during checkout. Here are the top options for payment gateway solutions:
1. Stripe
Stripe is one of the most popular online payment processors throughout the world. You’ll be able to effortlessly incorporate Stripe payments into your existing eCommerce platform. Then, you can use its software and APIs to receive payments, send payouts, and so forth.
2. PayPal
PayPal is another popular online payment system that you may utilize to provide a smooth and secure payment experience to your shoppers. Furthermore, it integrates seamlessly with a variety of ecommerce, financial, marketing, and operational systems, allowing you to maximize your sales potential.
3. Authorize.net
Authorize.Net is an online payment system that allows you to collect payments at any time and from any location. You will be able to provide a wide range of payment alternatives to your customers online, accept payments via mobile devices, and much more.
4. Synder
Synder is a top-tier solution that enables ecommerce and subscription-based businesses to integrate data from all of their payment processing systems (PayPal, Stripe, Square, etc.) into their accounting software (QuickBooks Online/Desktop or Xero). This robust software functions as a bridge across all the platforms a firm uses, making it easier to handle money and track performance in one spot.
#5. CRM Management Tools
CRM software is the best tool for managing customer connections and understanding their demands. These ecommerce integrations allow you to acquire the most critical client data and track their interactions with your company. Here are some of the greatest, leading CRM tools:
1. Salesforce
Salesforce, one of the most popular customer relationship management solutions, is an excellent alternative for any organization looking to grow. With Customer 360, you can easily connect your marketing, sales, support, and IT departments to your customers. You will also be able to get a unified, shared perspective of your customers.
2. HubSpot
HubSpot is a comprehensive CRM platform that allows you to link your databases, customers, and teams in one place. It includes useful tools and integrations that enable you to perform marketing, sales, and customer service operations seamlessly and professionally. As a result, you will be able to automate your tasks while increasing visitor conversions and establishing much-needed client loyalty.
3. Zoho
Zoho is a CRM and cloud-based inventory management tool that can assist you automate your sales and taking them to the next level. Because of its capacity to automate workflows and campaigns, you will have more time to focus on developing customer relationships.
POS Ecommerce Integration
For businesses that operate both online and in physical stores, POS ecommerce integration is essential. Point-of-sale systems enable you to execute in-store transactions, but if your ecommerce and POS systems are different, things may get complicated quickly.
I witnessed this firsthand when assisting a friend with her boutique business. She had to manually update her online store’s inventory every day after shutting her brick-and-mortar store. One day, she discovered she’d oversold a popular item since her POS system failed to interact with her ecommerce business. What was the result? Customers are dissatisfied, and there have been numerous apology emails.
She had to set up her POS ecommerce integration, and all of her sales—online or in-store—were reflected in real-time across her inventory system. No more manual updates, and no more overselling. It worked out well for both her and her customers.
Some common POS systems with ecommerce connectivity capabilities are:
- Square POS: Square POS integrates perfectly with Square’s online shop platform, allowing you to easily sync inventory and sales data between physical and digital channels.
- Shopify POS: Allows Shopify users to manage sales, inventory, and customer data from one location, whether online or in-store.
Our checklist will help you identify the essential features and functionalities to look for in an ecommerce integration solution. Save time, improve efficiency, and boost your sales.
What is an integrated eCommerce platform?
An integrated e-commerce solution communicates directly with the ERP system. The e-commerce software is partially deployed within your ERP, eliminating the need for complex connections that other solutions claiming to be integrated (known as interfaced e-commerce solutions) require.
How much does it cost to integrate e-commerce?
The average cost of an ecommerce website with 100 to 1000 products is $5,000 to $55,000, which includes design, development, and any other initial expenses.
What is eCommerce ERP integration?
An ERP eCommerce integration connects a company’s frontend eCommerce website to its backend ERP system. This synchronizes data between the two systems, including products, orders, customers, and more. Automatic data synchronization improves efficiency and increases income.
What is ecommerce marketplace integration?
Ecommerce marketplace integration is a solution for connecting your eCommerce website to an online marketplace (such as Amazon, eBay, or Walmart). It syncs your product data, including pricing, inventory levels, and shipping regulations, with a certain marketplace.
Conclusion
Ecommerce integration is the foundation for a successful, efficient, and scalable online business. Whether you own a little shop or a huge corporation, integrating your systems can save you time, increase customer satisfaction, and allow you to develop your business without experiencing operational turmoil.
So, are you prepared to combine your ecommerce platforms and take your business to the next level?
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