If you’ve never implemented e-commerce and ERP integration for your business, this article may change your mind.
In our digital-first world, most customers purchase their needs online. This is why we’ve seen a huge growth in e-commerce adoption globally. However, the growth mustn’t stop there.
Businesses must find ways to improve their e-commerce solutions and ensure that they provide the best customer experience for online buyers.
That’s when integrating your e-commerce platform and ERP system comes in – this process seamlessly connects your business data and processes with your web store.
How do E-commerce and ERP integration work?
So, you may be wondering how this works. We’ll try to go through a sample step-by-step process with you.
- A customer completes a purchase on the e-commerce platform and this order is automatically recorded on your ERP system.
- Afterwards, the ERP system makes can send updates to customers regarding the status of their order via email.
- The ERP system also pulls out the product from the inventory and generates a shipping label for it.
Aside from this, an ERP solution also connects your inventory data to your e-commerce platform to make sure that your customers see up-to-date stocks for the items they need.
An ERP solution can also help monitor shipping, deliveries, and many other e-commerce processes. Overall, e-commerce leverages an ERP’s accounting, customer relations management (CRM), and inventory management capabilities.
The benefits of connecting E-commerce and ERP
Now that you have idea of how it works, you probably see the advantages that may come with the integration. Below, we’re listing down some key benefits.
1. Saves time
ERP automation can reduce time spent on tasks such as manually updating stocks, customer service requests, and much more. An ERP-integrated online store provides customers with access to the latest information so that the staff can focus on more important work.
2. Simplifies order tracking
Customers can receive updates on the status of their orders through an ERP system, making order tracking much simpler. Employees can also monitor shipping labels and shipping status within the system with ease.
3. Reduces manual tasks through automation
Automated accounting work leaves less space for human error and more room for data consolation. An ERP solution that assists with accounting can ensure your business turns in accurate numbers to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) each year, reducing the likelihood of tax errors.
4. Handles increasing in demand
If your business has a sufficient ERP solution, you won’t have to worry about increased sales or e-commerce traffic. ERP software and continue to automate services for you, without the need for additional staff. Being visible online also enables you to capture more prospects, creating a more substantial pipeline for your sales staff to work on.
5. Improves data accuracy and consistency across teams
Without manual data entry, businesses can avoid errors and inconsistencies in data. Data comes straight from the source through an e-commerce platform and because the ERP system acts as the central repository, your entire team can access the same information.
6. Boosts collaboration
To add to the point above, this integration also boosts collaboration because everyone is on the same page. Teams from different departments gain access to the same data while also having visibility over the activities and data from other teams.
7. Provides insights for customer pain points
ERP systems can be a game-changer for your business when it comes to customer relationship management or CRM. Not only will you be able to provide better service to customers through order updates sent through the system, but you will also be able to analyse CRM data and review common issues for customers and ways to address them.
That being said, there are a whole bunch of other ways that an E-commerce and ERP integration can change your customer experience.
Transforming customer experience
Many of the sales and orders processes can be automated and streamlined for a smoother customer experience with your e-commerce solution and ERP system working hand in hand.
Order placement – Once your e-commerce processes are synced to your ERP, orders are automatically processed in the system including tasks like calculating shipping costs or creating shipping labels.
Customer updates – You can also automatically send updates to your customers when your ERP system is integrated to your e-commerce platform.
These can include messages for when an item is received, shipped, or faces delays in delivery.
Simplify changes – An ERP system can simplify the process of changing prices across different product categories.
Inventory details – Automatically update inventory count or product details with an ERP system. This ensures that customers have an accurate picture of items that are in stock.
AlphaBiz Solutions can help you with your integration.
Our ERP experts can assist you with connecting your ERP system to your e-commerce solution. You may visit our MYOB Help Centre for MYOB Advanced Support or MYOB Exo Support. You can also contact our team for Sybiz Vision support.
