eCommerce has revolutionized the way businesses operate, and the wholesale distribution industry is no exception. It has become more of a common practice that wholesalers are selling their products online. Those that aren’t are at risk of falling behind.
One of the most important things that wholesalers can do to succeed in the eCommerce era is to integrate their eCommerce platform with their distribution and ERP software. This allows them to streamline their operations and provide a better customer experience.
Benefits Of eCommerce Integration For Wholesale Distributors
There are many benefits to eCommerce integration for wholesale distributors. The benefits are:
- Improved customer experience: When eCommerce and distribution/ERP systems are integrated, customers can be sure that their orders will be processed and shipped quickly and accurately. They can also track their orders in real time and get updates on their status.
- Increased efficiency and productivity: eCommerce integration can help wholesalers to automate manual processes such as order processing. This frees up their employees to focus on other tasks such as customer service and sales.
- Reduced errors and cost: eCommerce integration can help to reduce errors and costs by eliminating the need for manual data entry. It can also help to identify and resolve potential problems early on.
- Improved visibility and control: eCommerce integration gives wholesalers a real-time view of their inventory levels, orders, and customer data. This allows them to make better decisions about the business and respond quickly to changes in demand.
- Enhanced scalability and agility: eCommerce integration can help wholesalers to scale their businesses more easily and efficiently. It can also help them be more agile and responsive to changes in the market.
How Does eCommerce Integration Work?
The way that eCommerce integration works varies depending on the specific systems that are being integrated. The general process is as follows:
- The eCommerce platform and distribution/ERP system are connected using an integration solution. This can be a native integration solution provided by the vendor of the eCommerce platform or disribution/ERP system, or it can be a third-party integration solution.
- The integration solution is configured to synchronize the specific data that needs to be shared between the two systems. For example, the integration solution might be configured to synchronize orders, inventory, and customer information.
- Once the integration solution is configured, it will automatically synchronize data between the two systems on a regular basis. This ensures that the data in both systems is always up-to-date.
Best Practices For eCommerce Integration
Here are some of the best practices for eCommerce integration:
- Use a native integration solution: Native integration solutions are typically easier to set up and manage than third-party integration solutions. They also provide better performance and reliability.
- Automate as many processes as possible: The goal of eCommerce integration is to automate as many manual processes as possible. This will help to improve efficiency and reduce errors.
- Keep your data synchronized: It is important to ensure that the data in your eCommerce platform and distribution/ERP system is always synchronized. This will help prevent problems and ensure that your customers have a positive experience.
- Monitor your integration performance: It is important to monitor the performance of your eCommerce integration to identify and resolve and potential problems early on.
Additional Benefits Of eCommerce Integration
In addition to the core benefits previously mentioned, eCommerce integration can also help wholesaler distributors to:
- Expand their reach: By selling online, wholesalers can reach new customers who may not have been aware of their business before.
- Increase sales: eCommerce integration can help wholesalers to increase sales by providing them with a more efficient way to process orders and ship products.
- Improve brand image: A well-designed and integrated eCommerce platform can help wholesalers to improve their brand image and position themselves as leaders in their industry.
What We Do
CP Tech has integrated our software with many eCommerce providers, including well known services such as WooCommerce and BigCommerce.
The product data, descriptions, images, and pricing on the eCommerce site are synchronized in real-time from the DistributionPlus software. This means that both systems are always up to date. This also means that you do not need to maintain the information on your eCommerce site because, as updates are performed in DistributionPlus, they are synchronized with your eCommerce site. Orders placed on your eCommerce site automatically create a sales order in the DistributionPlus software.
