By Ruth Richter • March 12, 2021
Last year, shoppers increasingly turned to e-commerce in order to avoid contact in stores, or to find items that are in short supply on shelves of brick and mortar stores. That meant e-commerce retailers were facing challenges and competition as never before. Gaining an edge on competition meant connecting their e-commerce platform to the ERP.
How Can ERP E-Commerce Integration Help?
E-commerce integration with the ERP is useful for combining sales and customer information with other existing systems. Connecting the front-end website and back-end system(s) keeps everything stored in one place. Done correctly, this integration will streamline processes across all integrated systems and facilitate business operations. For instance, data collection through integration can help businesses see the trends and purchase volumes so they know where to shift priorities when ordering stock, it can offer realistic timeframes on restocking and shipping, making them better prepared to meet shifting customer demands. In short, e-commerce integration allows a retailer to operate and maintain business functions efficiently; no more time-consuming manual data transfers that introduce opportunity for error.
Data transfer between systems, though, is more than just sending numbers and information back and forth. With a robust connection between an e-commerce platform and other systems, organizations can leverage benefits such as:
- Ability to retrieve and manage all information related to orders, customers, products, shipments, and even taxes
- Added functionality for customers with a connection to a variety of shopping platforms
- Increased profit due to a broader customer base
Finding the Right E-Commerce Integration Solution
One of the most common e-commerce integrations we are asked about is between e-commerce platforms and Sage 100 ERP. A successful Sage 100 to e-commerce integration requires asking a few smart questions to make sure your business gets the right integration solution for you.
- Which e-commerce platform(s) can we integrate? Find out up front if the solution has experience with your platform.
- Are data transfers real-time? Transfers can be done in real-time, near real-time (scheduled batches), or overnight.
- How many data sources can we connect to? Make sure the integration can connect to as many systems as you need, preferably more.
- How quickly can we onboard a new integration? Plan for exactly how long the go-live process will take.
- What will our team need to do for the integration project? Make sure you understand the role your team will play and how much time is estimated for the project.
- Is the integration solution scalable? Data volumes will only grow over time; a solution needs to be able to handle increasing data volumes.
- How secure is the transfer of business-critical data? Be clear about security needs and ensure your prospective partner can meet them.
As you work through these questions and compare integration solutions, the right system for you will become clear. It’s important to remember that you don’t need to settle—it is possible to get the functionality and efficiency that you are looking for.
Build Your 2021 Sage 100 Integration Plan
At ROI, we love sharing what our IN-SYNCH® Sage 100 integration solution can do for ERP integration. Our application provides real-time data synchronization between Sage 100 and any third-party system, from third-party carts and multiple e-commerce platforms. This flexible tool can handle everything from the most basic integrations to complex, customized systems. With a deep understanding of Sage 100 and third-party API integration, just about any integration you can ask for is possible. Its infinite versatility enables it to scale along with your business, no matter how fast you grow.
Find out just how easy it is to integrate your e-commerce and Sage 100 ERP with IN-SYNCH. Talk to one of our integration experts now.
