How to Choose a Shopify ERP Integration Solution: Benefits for Retailers and How To Integrate

Here is what merchants need to know about choosing a Shopify and Shopify Plus ERP integration solution to automate Shopify orders and products between your store and ERP system. Find out the benefits of automating your Shopify orders and products with your ERP system.

In today’s fast-changing landscape, brands face an escalating number of challenges, from shifting consumer behaviors to the imperatives of digital transformation. To stay ahead of the curve, retailers must adopt robust strategies to remain competitive. This starts with investing in technology to power great customer experiences.

Choosing your eCommerce platform of choice is at the heart of your eCommerce operations. In fact, that is probably why you chose Shopify or Shopify Plus. Their robust platform comes with complementary features for multi-channel selling. Ideally, it works best in unison with other key eCommerce technology like an ERP to help you grow.

What is an ERP System? The Benefits of ERPs for Merchants

As your business grows, more complexity adds up. In this context, brands must strengthen their back-office operations for scalability. Using a robust backend system like an ERP alongside your eCommerce platform can ensure your brand remains efficient as order volumes increase and your fulfillment processes evolve.

An ERP system, also known as Enterprise Resource Planning, is designed to centralize your core back-office processes like accounting, sales, customer relationship management (CRM), Inventory, and other sales channels.

Since ERPs work as a process integration engine, they unify various customer-facing activities such as orders, fulfillment, and shipping. That’s why many Shopify and Shopify Plus users turn to Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems to run more efficiently and effectively.

The Need for an ERP Software For Inventory Management

ERP software helps businesses make better decisions by providing accurate inventory data and optimal levels of stock. This is key to reducing errors and improving efficiency through the automation of back-end processes. An ERP system that’s optimized for inventory management automates necessary functions so that stock purchasing, logistics, inventory, and transferring are in sync.

Why Your Brand Needs An ERP

More merchants are adopting ERP software for greater transparency and operational efficiency. One thing to note: As your brand continues growing, supply chain complexity adds up, and maintaining your ERP becomes impossible. To enable a seamless customer journey, brands must connect their ERP to other applications and data sources.

In general, a Shopify Plus merchant who is dealing with these challenges requires an ERP to grow at scale:

• Selling through multiple channels (eCommerce, marketplaces, brick-and-mortar, social) with 10,000+ SKUs
• Shipping products late or wrong due to volume
• Managing multiple suppliers
• Dealing with large or complex product catalogs
• Long, tiring manual tasks
  
  

The Benefits of Shopify ERP Integration

High-growth businesses require robust ERP integration to deliver exceptional customer experiences. Here is where agile and scalable integration provided by enterprise integration platforms like VL OMNI can help extend the reach and flexibility of your ERP system, Shopify Plus store, and core back-office operations.

An ERP software integration provides you with a unified view of information from different systems in real-time, whether the data originates in the ERP or other systems. For instance, a Shopify ERP integration solution helps integrate your sales channels and automate processes to fulfill orders and create flawless customer experiences.

What to look for in Shopify ERP Integration Solutions

An essential factor to look for in a Shopify ERP integration solution is how well it integrates with Shopify and Shopify Plus. When it comes to functionality, ensure you are not limiting your business potential.

Look for the following 4 criteria:

1. APIs and Robust Integration
2. Agile, Scalable Solution That Fits Your Business Needs
3. Timely and Improved Workflow Functionality
4. Find the Right Integration Partner
   
   

1. APIs and Robust Integration

Businesses looking for a Shopify ERP integration solution must think strategically about their business goals. What those goals are will dictate the type of robust integration is needed to achieve them. When looking for a Shopify or Shopify Plus ERP integration solution, make sure to understand how the solution will integrate to any and all present and future applications and their APIs.

APIs and their capabilities are critical in understanding the kind of integrations your brand needs. Application program interfaces (APIs) are cloud-based applications that make it possible to move data into and out of applications: no API, no data movement!

2. Agile, Scalable Solution that fits your business needs

Remember your business and product are unique and one size fits all Shopify ERP solutions will likely not fit at all. Entertain and research various solution options with your growth goals and business rules in mind. Find an integration approach that promotes agility, flexibility, and efficiency.

For instance, iPaaS solutions have the unique ability to modify and clone real-time integrations without hitting ‘pause’ on normal business operations. An iPaaS solution like VL OMNI is well-suited for brands with a growing number of transactions that don’t have an internal IT team to maintain hardcoded integrations.

See why enterprise brands trust VL OMNI integrations to keep up with their growth and deliver great customer experiences from start to finish.

3. Timely and Improved Workflow Functionality

When evaluating the capabilities of a Shopify ERP integration, you need to know how the integration will send and receive data, or how it will “talk” with other systems. If the Shopify ERP integration doesn’t connect easily to other systems, it will limit what processes you can automate between your ERP, Shopify store, and other sales channels.

As orders come through your Shopify and Shopify Plus store, a scalable integration would ensure orders populate in your ERP system. Products and Inventory will then be updated with your online store to reflect the sale. This promotes efficient shipment updates between your systems for timely fulfillment.

4. Find The Right Integration Partner

Dedicate time to find the right strategic partner to integrate your Shopify Plus store with your ERP system. A true partner will also invest time in your business success and guide you thoroughly.

But Merchants need to ensure they come to the table prepared as well. You must dig into the technical requirements your business needs to grow. This includes how integrators work with APIs, webhooks, GraphQL, etc. This applies to any technology application you are thinking of adding to your Shopify and Shopify Plus stores.

Remember to think at scale. The Shopify ERP integration you choose must fit your business long-term. If you want to consult on how to seamlessly connect Shopify and your ERP system, contact us.

Scale your business with Shopify ERP Integration

Shopify and Shopify Plus growing businesses need to focus on strategic growth. This involves understanding how their ERP will integrate with their online store and other systems. Ultimately, it’s up to your brand to choose the Shopify ERP integration that fits your needs, goals, and required functionality. Narrow down the integration solutions that meet those needs and then start your integration journey with the right partner to future-proof your business!

VL OMNI integrates a wide range of ERP systems with Shopify and Shopify Plus, including From Microsoft Dynamics Nav, Oracle Netsuite, AS/400, Epicor, BlueLink, Dynamics 365 Business Central, and Finance and Operations, SAP, Oracle JD Edwards, and many more!

Our Shopify ERP integrations enable brands to easily integrate applications and streamline repetitive order management processes. VL OMNI is a Shopify Plus Integration Partner and provides Shopify Plus partners and customers with B2C and B2B integrations.

Want to consult on the right Shopify ERP solution for your business?