Shopify NetSuite Integration Guide - How to Set it Up

Shopify Netsuite Integration

Shopify's expansion is being fueled by the eCommerce sector's explosive growth. When Shopify and the NetSuite system are integrated, you have two top-notch platforms at your disposal that can manage all of your main processes.

The best of both worlds in eCommerce may be had by combining NetSuite's robust ERP with Shopify's flexibility, functionality, and scalability.

Both platforms are rather well-known and I assume you're familiar with both. However, you should proceed cautiously, just as you would with any integration or migration. Because even the most effective technologies may not produce results if used improperly, you run the danger of losing clients and income to your rivals.

For this blog, we will go through how to manage a successful Shopify NetSuite integration and the benefits you could gain from it.

Options for Shopify NetSuite Integration

Here, we go over the best techniques to integrate Oracle NetSuite Shopify and synchronize data between the two platforms:

Point-to-point connectors/middleware

Data including inventories, orders, goods, and customers are synchronized using a point-to-point connection. This strategy requires sellers to decide which system to accentuate and how to manage data mapping. Additionally, the point-to-point NetSuite Shopify integration syncs data in batches in certain time increments. It is the greatest strategy for small enterprises with a constrained operating budget utilizing a Shopify store.

A NetSuite Shopify connector, however, cannot provide expected outcomes as a firm grows or for retailers with various channels to manage and connect. The complexity of integration rises as the number of systems does. Additionally, if the integration process fails in any way, it affects how the entire system functions and may even incur extra expenditures.

Custom Integration

Businesses are choosing bespoke APIs because of the advancement of technology and the ability for customization, which makes the integration process quick and seamless. With this strategy, you can get specialized API integration assistance from either the internal team or outside Shopify and NetSuite ERP development suppliers.

This method proves to be the most customizable and scalable in terms of NetSuite integrations. However, it is coupled with high costs as you will need a dedicated team of experts to implement the integration, and to also be available for future changes to the NetSuite account.

SaaS hosts

In this arrangement, third parties provide cloud-based services that lie between the Shopify or Shopify web store platforms and NetSuite. As a result, you can access and use services for NetSuite to Shopify whenever and wherever you like. 

SaaS-based modules are highly flexible and coded in accordance with business requirements, in contrast to the point-to-point integration approach. Owners of businesses have more control over data flow since they may set rules for how their data is sent between systems. 

With no hassles, these SaaS-based middlewares Oracle NetSuite to Shopify integration solutions expand with your company. With real-time inventory management information, product tracking, and enhanced security, it provides an unconventional consumer experience.

Things to do Before Integration

Here are a couple of things you might want to consider before moving ahead with your intended NetSuite to Shopify system integration:

Prepare your strategy for data management

Planning and determining which eCommerce operations you need to automate are the initial steps in integrating Shopify with NetSuite. It's important to map them out, use ROI as a metric for decision-making, list any connected applications, and determine the vital data you'll require.

You must also Choose a central data hub, which will enable you to handle all the data across the applications.

After that, you must make a decision on whether your data will go in one route or both directions, or both. The next choice is whether you require real-time updates or only scheduled updates at predetermined intervals.

This kind of approach aids in standardizing all the procedures and equipment used to add workflows and apps to more complex business procedures.

Consider whether the supporting components of your integration are a good fit for your team's skills and resources, or whether they can be executed quickly.

Double-check your data integrity

Dealing with unknowns should be avoided as well. Consider your risks before you begin, and take on the most difficult tasks first to give yourself time to change course if necessary. Early on in the process, test everything to ensure that you have a cushion to fall back on feasibly quick.

Errors are a frequent symptom of integration problems. Investigations reveal that the business process side, not the technology side, is frequently the real culprit. Some of those mistakes are to be anticipated, so before you start, consider your processes and lay them out.

Taking into account your use cases is also beneficial. The great majority of our integration-related tasks were formerly performed manually but are now automated. Use actual data from your eCommerce account or other applications when mapping and designing your business processes. It will assist to flush out implementation concerns to manually import that into NetSuite based on how you anticipate your integration to function.

Completely map out your process before starting

Additionally, keep in mind that integration concerns are process rather than technical issues. This means that in order to flush out implementation concerns, you will need to explicitly plan out your processes before you start.

According to how your integration is anticipated to function, and as mentioned earlier, it is advisable that you develop your use cases utilizing actual data from your eCommerce account and manually import it into NetSuite. Specifics will naturally come after.

Additionally, it's crucial to shift data validation upstream to prevent errors rather than just fix them once they are discovered. Your top priority should always be to solve the issue at its source, so get as near to it as you can. Track it and, if a pattern emerges, look for a solution.

Since you must go through records from beginning to finish, a seamless connection must be auditable and traceable from the start. Clear records and constant linking are requirements. Given that its tracking is as precise as it gets, NetSuite's flexibility is a huge benefit in this regard.

Consistent data between both NetSuite and Shopify

The information must be stored where you want it and where you need it, so you must verify that all the settings and setups you intended will do this.

What you need to look for are situations where you run the risk of having data dispersed between the two platforms, rather than just making sure the information is compatible on both sides.

And consider creating a mechanism or process to handle any potential future additions to attributes, fields, or data. By doing so, there is a clear course of action, and your data isn't spread out all over the place.

Choose your partner wisely

Your integration partner can either make or break your entire integration process. After all, they are the ones who will handle the entire process for you. If they don't know what they're doing, it's a guaranteed fail and waste of resources.

SUEG prides itself on being the best in NetSuite integration. It has a proven track record of successful implementations and integrations. When it comes to choosing a partner, no one is more qualified than SUEG. 

To find out more about the NetSuite-related services SUEG has to offer, click here.

Reasons for Shopify NetSuite Integration

There are a number of reasons why businesses would decide to integrate NetSuite with Shopify. However, these are the most common reasons for doing so:

Increased Market Competitiveness

The days of keeping extensive leather bound ledgers for sales calculations and inventory reconciliations are long gone. Because of this, an increasing number of companies are adjusting to the internet market and acquiring new tools to enable them to provide the best possible consumer experience. 

Although there are several platforms accessible for e-commerce business owners, Shopify is popular because of its adaptability and capacity to grow with your business.

Centralized data storage

When it comes to front-end software, Shopify offers business owners a robust online shop builder to cut down on administrative work, improve your understanding of the user experience, and let you design a simple purchasing process for clients. It aids company owners in gathering things and placing them online for online customers to purchase while taking orders.

The difficult part is connecting your Shopify instance to your ERP, or more particularly, to your back-end software. Your competition is tougher than ever in the internet era because it's not simply your nearby store anymore. Businesses from all around the world are in competition with you.

Don't let preventable impediments such as slow communication and obsolete processes slow you down. Customer acquisition has turned into a race throughout the market, and the fastest one will reap all the rewards.

Reduced data errors and redundancy

Manual information flow can result in costly errors. A simple error could cause your inventory to be off if you manually enter data into your NetSuite or into a spreadsheet someplace each time. We’re talking about the fast-paced world of online purchasing, where corporations spend millions on customer acquisition.

In addition to ensuring the smoothest user experience, you'll want to manage your back-office data as precisely and thoroughly as you can. Your system must be robust enough to handle automating gift certificate sync orders, data flows into a NetSuite instance, track Shopify export inventory levels, and other processes.

In order to effortlessly automate change orders for returns and refunds, Shopify integration with NetSuite's ERP infrastructure enables you to quickly match the transaction number from the order completed through Shopify with your back-office. It will essentially automate processes involving customer orders. When a customer places an order for a specific item, NetSuite systems will immediately convert the request into an order sync transaction and do an inventory count reconciliation.

If you are facing any of the above situations, then you are probably due for an upgrade with NetSuite to Shopify integration.

Conclusion

All front-end tasks can be handled by Shopify, and all back-end tasks can be managed via NetSuite. Each of these systems performs flawlessly while operating in isolation. But when integrated by a skilled team, these perfect individual operations can coalesce into a synchronized well-oiled machine.

Thus, if you're looking for a Shopify and NetSuite CRM integration partner, SUEG has you covered with all the technical resources you'll need. Feel free to contact us so we can discuss how to bring out the full potential of your business.

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