An ERP system in online retailing and eCommerce only offers a significant advantage if there is a direct connection to the Web shop has. The demands on the solution are very high, because it is not just about secure integration into the shop system. It is also about the implementation and processing of returns and information from the supply chain.
The direct connection to the web shop has the advantage that order processes run error-free and their data is constantly and automatically updated. The ERP can thus become the central information base, as the data is standardised and controllable in all sales channels. If, for example, the product descriptions or the item price are changed in the ERP, the individual sales channels - as the web shop or other connected sales platforms - adapt to the changed data uniformly and immediately.
All in all: an integration of web shop and ERP ensures the replacement of manual work steps, which cost time and money and are also prone to errors.
Connecting an ERP to the web shop automates these processes. From the moment a customer makes a purchase, the essential data is transferred to the system. The order confirmation, delivery note and invoice are created there and automatically sent to the accounting handed over.
The ERP system also helps with all processes relating to the sale. Among other things, it checks stock levels, the availability of individual items and the processing of orders.
This system, known as a business management application, also offers efficient cost control. The ERP provides sales analyses and statistics on customer purchasing behaviour. It offers e-retailers the opportunity to react to developments at all times thanks to continuous reporting.
As a company in online retail, the basis for a connection to several web shops or other sales platforms should already be planned for when developing an ERP solution approach. If the interfaces are not already in the system, they must at least be able to be integrated quickly and cost-effectively. Ideally, start-ups should define all processes and dependencies in the concept phase. If these are comprehensible to the provider as coherent documentation, the prerequisite for such a flexibly modifiable system has been created.
Shopware 6 for SAP Business One
E-invoicing - The flexible EN 16931 standard
Return rates - on the trail of returns
Web shop integration with SAP Business One Integration Hub
eRetail / Part 3: Branch and online businesses need each other
