When someone buys something online, the only thing they think about is when it will arrive at their door, but there are a lot of steps that happen between the purchase and the delivery. For ecommerce businesses, shopping cart integration plays a key role in the efficiency of this process. Shopping cart integration means getting each software you use (warehouse management systems, accounting software, tracking software, and more) to integrate with one other. This allows each part of your supply chain to use data from your shopping cart to complete orders faster and more efficiently.
For example, when someone makes a purchase in your shopping cart, that order would be sent directly to your (or your 3PL’s) warehouse management system so they could start fulfilling the order immediately. The billing information would also be sent to your accounting software for processing, and to your tracking software to allow your customers to track their orders as soon as possible. Having a successful shopping cart integration is key to your efficiency and more importantly, your customers’ satisfaction and loyalty.
How does ecommerce integration work?
With all the different moving parts that go into running a business and fulfilling orders, ecommerce integration is a must. The integration itself can be a complicated process, especially if you want your shopping cart to integrate with a large number of your other systems or need customization to fit your needs. Most of the time, integrations are done using APIs. This allows information to flow flawlessly from one application to another and vice versa. If you are using a 3PL, they are most likely experienced with these types of integrations and will be able to perform them as part of your startup process. Depending on how robust the needs of your company are, the integration fees and complexities vary.
Ecommerce platforms
There is a huge variety of shopping cart and ecommerce platforms and it can be confusing when you’re trying to pick the best one for your business. Below we’ve outlined a few of the most common shopping cart platforms.
Shopify
Shopify is a very popular program that offers many different services, but one is their shopping cart platform. They boast having more than 100 payment integration options, flexible setup, automatic shipping cost calculations from mainstream carriers, a simplified checkout process, and of course maximum security.
Magento
Magento Commerce boasts out of the box features and seamless third-party integrations. They offer an instant purchase option, enhanced mobile shopping experience, point of sale integration, and the latest web technologies for a great customer experience.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce is a popular WordPress shopping cart plugin that accepts secure payments via credit cards as well as PayPal. You can add shipping payment methods and control countries you sell in.
BigCommerce
The BigCommerce shopping cart offers coupons and promotions and asks customers for testimonials. They also have abandoned cart notifications that are automatically customized and sent to customers that abandon the cart with and invite to finish their purchase.
NetSuite
NetSuite allows you to support both B2B and B2C transactions on one platform, creating different experiences for each audience. It also has the capability to sell through multiple languages and currencies and offers an ecommerce platform that grows with you.
Shopping cart integration with ITS Logistics
At ITS Logistics, we can integrate with the top shopping cart platforms. If you are looking for something more custom, we have a full development team that is highly experienced in all platforms. Our goal is to make sure your supply chain runs as smoothly as possible, so you can focus on running your business.
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