The fast-growing eCommerce industry is reaching new heights. It already accounts for a considerable part of overall retail spending, but experts expect this to increase even further. The number of eCommerce businesses is growing, and brands are continuously scaling. So, having several software solutions working independently is no longer enough to support their management. This is where eCommerce integration comes into the picture.
Keep reading to learn what integrated eCommerce is, how eCommerce systems integration works, and why it’s so significant for your eCom business.
What Is eCommerce Integration?
Running an eCommerce business nowadays involves more than one business process. So, having just one eCommerce platform is not enough. You have to leverage separate backend systems to handle accounting, sales, inventory management, enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer-managed relationships (CMR), and so on.
Integrated eCommerce represents a system where your eCommerce website is linked and coordinated with the backend systems it needs to function. This type of integration allows data and information to flow between the systems, creating a cohesive network that can run whilst your team sleeps.
How Does Systems Integration Work in eCommerce?
The best way to understand how systems integrate in relation to an eCommerce business is through a concrete example.
Let’s say you’re using an eCommerce platform to sell your goods and a separate ERP system to track the number of sales, record the products sold, and keep track of the rest of the data as part of inventory management.
When these two systems function separately, each piece of data has to be manually entered into the ERP system to be recorded and saved. Since sales take place continually, this can be not only tedious but also incredibly time and energy-consuming.
An eCommerce ERP integration can solve those problems. Integrated systems work together and update data automatically in real-time. In that way, they eliminate the need for constant duplicate data entries.
We should note that system integration is not limited to two systems only. Integration with eCommerce platform can involve several backend systems, ensuring that all your data is always current and accurate.
Importance of Systems Integration in eCommerce
The eCommerce industry has been flourishing for some time, and the Covid-19 crisis has only accelerated that process. Nowadays, eCommerce businesses are developing faster than ever, sales are growing in volume, and customers are becoming more demanding. Handling so much work is close to impossible without systems integration.
Backend systems’ integration with eCommerce platform will improve your business operations by optimizing them in the following ways:
- No manual data entry — An eCommerce platform’s integration with its backend systems would remove the burden of manual data entry from your employees. In that way, you’ll save time, energy, and money and let your employees focus on other more intellectually demanding tasks.
- Data accuracy — Continuous manual data entries are long and tedious processes with no data accuracy guarantee. Employees are prone to errors that can be highly detrimental to your business in the long run, even when they initially appear insignificant. Automated data flow will reduce such mistakes to a minimum.
- Easy system updates — Integration will help your eCommerce business have a better view of all data and keep all types of information in the databases up to date, from prices to product details.
- Flexibility — eCommerce ERP integration will help your business handle and adapt to changes such as increased demand more efficiently. Automated processes will also allow you to expand your marketplace radius without losing functional efficiency.
- Profitability — Your business’s ability to handle a great number of orders and the facilitated entrance into other marketplaces we’ve mentioned above will also positively affect your revenue.
Conclusion
As your eCommerce business grows, it’ll be harder to manage it without any help. Systems integration will reduce the amount of manual work your employees have to do, keep your data updated, accurate, and visible, and improve your business’s efficiency and profitability. Contact us to take advantage of all of these benefits immediately and set your business on a path of growth!