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 only about a secure integration into the shop system. It is also about carrying out and processing returns and information from the supply chain.
The direct connection to the web shop has the advantage that order processes run without errors and their data is always and automatically updated. The ERP can thus become the central information base, as the data is uniform 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 steps that cost time and money and are also prone to errors.
The connection of an ERP to the webshop automates these processes. From the moment a customer makes a purchase, the essential data is transferred to the system. Order confirmation, delivery note and invoice are created there and automatically transferred to the accounting handed over.
The ERP system also helps with all processes around the sale. Among other things, it controls the stocks, the availability of individual items or the processing of orders.
Besides, this system, known as a business management application, also offers efficient cost control. The ERP provides sales evaluations and statistics on customer purchasing behaviour. It offers e-merchants the possibility of always being able to react to developments thanks to constant reporting.
As a company in online retail, the basis for a connection to several webshops or other sales platforms should already be planned 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 cheaply. It is best for start-ups to define all processes and dependencies in the concept phase. If these can be comprehended by the provider as coherent documentation, the prerequisite for such a flexibly modifiable system is created.
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