As the number of businesses using Shopify Plus to power their eCommerce operations grows, so too does the demand for more sophisticated Shopify Plus integrations with third-party software. This is especially true when it comes to Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems which are used as a business becomes more mature or wants to understand and create more efficiencies in their business.
ERP integrations can take many forms, but the most common use case is integrating Shopify Plus with an existing ERP system that your business already uses to manage inventory, shipping, order fulfillment, accounting software or some kind of CRM software. This type of Shopify Plus integration work can provide a number of benefits for businesses. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of those Shopify Plus benefits and how other types of Shopify Plus integrations allow companies to take full advantage of Shopify’s power.
WHY ADD ERP SOFTWARE TO YOUR SHOPIFY PLUS WEBSTORE?
As a business scales, so does the complexity of its inner workings. You might start out managing everything with a couple of Excel spreadsheets or in a number of different systems that aren’t “talking” to one another, but pretty soon you’ll need something more robust and streamlined to keep track of inventory, customers, orders, and other data as well as remove a lot of unnecessary manual work by humans. That is when enterprise resource planning (ERP) software comes into play.
A really good ERP system gives a business owner a single database and interface for managing all your core business processes. This can make things much simpler and more efficient, since you don’t have to switch between different software programs or manually enter data into multiple places.
If you’re running a Shopify Plus store, you might be wondering if you need an ERP system. After all, Shopify already has built-in tools for managing inventory, orders, and customers.
The short answer is that an ERP system can still be beneficial, even if you’re using Shopify Plus. Here are a few reasons to consider adding an ERP system to your Shopify Plus store:
BETTER INVENTORY MANAGEMENT
Shopify’s built-in inventory management tools are fairly basic and as you may know by now only get you so far. If you need more advanced features, such as the ability to track inventory levels across multiple locations or create complex reorder or return rules, then you’ll need an ERP system.
MORE EFFECIENT ORDER FULLFILLMENT
An ERP system can help you automate and streamline your order fulfillment and returns process. For example, you can use the system to generate pick lists, track inventory levels, and route orders to the correct fulfillment center.
IMPROVED CUSTOMER MANAGEMENT
Shopify’s customer management features are limited to basic contact information and order history. If you need more robust CRM features, such as the ability to track customer interactions and segment your customer base, then you’ll want to use an ERP system.
GREATER INSIGHTS AND REPORTING
Because ERP software consolidates all your business data into a single database, it can provide greater insights into your business operations. You can use the system to generate more complex reports on things like sales trends, bottlenecks in your system, inventory levels, lost revenue opportunities, customer behavior, and much more.
ENHANCED SCALABILITY
You’ll need to be able to scale your operations quickly and efficiently. An ERP system can help with that by giving you the ability to add new users, locations, and functionality as needed.
EMPOWER YOUR BUSINESS GROWTH AND EFFICIENCY WITH SHOPIFY PLUS ERP INTEGRATION
You probably know by now that Shopify Plus is a powerful eCommerce platform that allows businesses to create and manage their online stores with ease. It provides users with all the necessary tools and features needed to run a successful online store, such as a built-in shopping cart, product management, order management, and more.
However, one of the biggest challenges that legacy businesses face when migrating to and using Shopify Plus is integrating it with their existing ERP system. This can be a major headache for businesses, as it can lead to data duplication, inconsistency, and other problems. This is where you have to plan in great detail and work with a development partner who can help walk you through pitfalls based on their experience.
Thankfully, there are now a number of Shopify Plus ERP integration solutions that can help businesses overcome these challenges and fully leverage the power of Shopify Plus. These solutions provide businesses with a complete and unified view of their data, which can help them make better decisions, improve efficiency, and boost growth.
Extend The Power of The Platform So You Can Streamline Your Business Operations, Gain More Oversight Into Your Business Flows and Customize Commerce Your Way
Shopify Plus integrations can connect your store to accounting software, customer relationship management (CRM) systems, shipping carriers, and much more. This can help businesses streamline operations and ultimately improve their bottom line.
SOME POPULAR SHOPIFY PLUS INTEGRATIONS:
SHOPIFY PLUS ERP INTEGRATION
Shopify Plus supports a number of different ERP systems, so you can choose the one that best fits your needs. However, not all integrations are created equal. To get the most out of Shopify Plus, you need an integration that is designed specifically for the platform.
One such integration is CommerceIQ, which is built on the Shopify Plus API. This gives you a direct connection to your Shopify data, so you can get real-time insights into what’s happening in your business.
CommerceIQ also provides a number of other powerful features, such as automated order management, inventory management, and shipping integrations. This makes it easy to keep track of your business and make sure that everything is running smoothly.
SHOPIFY PLUS POS INTEGRATION
Shopify Plus POS integration refers to the ability to connect your Shopify Plus store with a POS (Point of Sale) system. This allows you to manage both your online and offline sales from one central location.
Using a POS system allows a business to streamline the tracking of inventory levels across multiple online and offline storefronts, generate consolidated reports, and obviously process payments more efficiently. POS Shopify Plus integrations also make it easier to manage data across multiple locations if you have a brick-and-mortar store as well as an online presence. Think about a customer coming into your coffee shop and buying a bag of your coffee and then signing up for your app in store and using it later to buy more bags of coffee. It would be nice to know how this customer was found and connected via your multiple touchpoints.
With Shopify Plus, you have the option to integrate with either the Shopify POS system or a third-party POS system. If you choose to integrate with Shopify POS, then you’ll be able to take advantage of all the features that come with the Shopify platform, such as abandoned cart recovery and automatic tax calculations and this can make it easier for a development team to be able to manage your storefront when there are updates.
If you decide to go with a third-party POS system, then you’ll need to make sure that it’s compatible with Shopify Plus and you will need to be updating your code base potentially when updates to the third party software are made. There are many POS systems on the market that are compatible with Shopify Plus, but if you have questions about the different ones and how they may solve your business’ unique challenges you can reach out to our engineering and business teams.
SHOPIFY PLUS CRM INTEGRATION
Shopify Plus CRM integration is the process of connecting your Shopify Plus store with a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. This allows you to manage your customer data, different touchpoints the customer had with you, order history, feedback received, and other information in one place. It can also help you automate tasks such as marketing and customer service.
How does an enterprise CRM system help:
- First, it allows you to have a complete view of your customers across all channels. This includes their purchase history, where the lead came from, their interactions with your business, contact information, and any support tickets they may have submitted. Thus allowing you to provide faster and more efficient service and support.
- Second, it makes it easier to track and manage orders. You can also use the CRM to automate marketing tasks, such as sending abandoned cart emails or follow-up messages or you can have your CRM system speak to one of the many 3rd party public apps on Shopify that can do these workflow tasks for you like sending an email for an abandoned cart with a discount code.
SHOPIFY PLUS PIM INTEGRATION
One of the key features of the platform is its Shopify Plus integrations with Product Information Management (PIM) systems. PIM Shopify Plus solutions allow businesses to manage and keep consistent their product information, keep track of inventory levels, pricing, and other important product-related details. It also makes it easier to create and update product listings on Shopify Plus and reduces a lot of the chances for human error or the need for a human to be involved with making updates in multiple places.
This is a major advantage for high-volume merchants who need to be able to quickly and easily update their product data across multiple sales channels.
SHOPIFY PLUS SHIPPING INTEGRATION
Shopify Plus shipping integrations are a process that allows Shopify Plus merchants to connect their stores to a number of popular shipping carriers i.e. ShipStation, Fedex, UPS etc. This connection gives merchants the ability to automate their shipping processes, making it easier and more efficient to ship orders and saving them a lot of time and money.
Some of the benefits of these Shopify Plus Shipping integrations include:
- The ability to connect to multiple shipping carriers, allowing you to choose the best option/rates for each specific order
- The ability to automate your shipping processes, including labeling and tracking
- The ability to provide your customers with up-to-date tracking and return information
- Improved efficiency and accuracy in your shipping operations
- Happier customers
GROW YOUR SHOPIFY PLUS BUSINESS WITH SPIRAL SCOUT: SHOPIFY PLUS CASE STUDIES
Spiral Scout is a US-based software development company that specializes in Shopify Plus development services. Our team has worked with a number of large brands but one you may have heard of or seen their commercials on TV is Made In Cookware. Let’s have a look at how Spiral Scout was able to help Made In Cookware grow their business from an idea to a huge eCommerce website development, and what lessons can be learned from their experience.
Made In Cookware is a luxury cookware brand that sells high-end kitchen and cooking products. They needed an eCommerce platform that could support their large product catalog, and they also wanted a platform that would allow them to track website conversion rates quickly and optimize their site based on the data. Shopify Plus was the perfect solution for them, and Spiral Scout was able to help them set up their store, integrate an eCommerce website with third party apps and plugins, and get them running smoothly.
Our team of dedicated Shopify developers helped Made In Cookware optimize their business by utilizing and deploying ERP software in their company. As a result of this collaboration, Made In Cookware’s sales continued to be through the roof, they raised a number of large rounds of investment and they are still experiencing 20% business growth month to month. Is Shopify Plus worth it? We’ll leave that up to you.
If you’re looking for ways to grow your online business, Spiral Scout will use our experience to help guide you in the ERP world. Our team of Shopify Plus experts has helped businesses just like yours increase their sales and streamline their operations. Ready to take your business to the next level? We’d love to hear how you are using Shopify Plus and any of the unique challenges your business may be facing.
