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Customer Implementation Requirements Guide

OrderFlow Ltd.

Document Version: 4.2.4

Document Built: 2024-02-16

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eCommerce Systems Integration

eCommerce Systems Integration

Integration (small)

We provide built-in integrations for a number of different eCommerce systems including Amazon, eBay, Magento and Shopify, as well as accounting and ERP systems such as Sage 200.

Integration with eCommerce Systems

OrderFlow has the capability to import the various types of data from an eCommerce system. The most commonly received are:

  • Products
  • Orders
  • Purchase orders

A typical integration enables OrderFlow to notify an eCommerce system of the following events:

  • Stock changes and end-of-day inventory levels
  • Shipment events such as when a shipment is packed, despatched or split
  • Deliveries and delivery lines applied
  • Purchase orders completed
  • Products activated
  • Returns applied

Please consider:

  • What specific eCommerce systems do you need OrderFlow to integrate with? Integration with an eCommerce system that is new to OrderFlow may require additional development.
  • How many OrderFlow sales channels do you require? Typically there is a different channel for each eCommerce system that supplies OrderFlow with orders.
  • If you will be using our built-in integrations, do you have any requirements beyond our standard import and notification offerings, above?
  • Which system should be the inventory master? This is usually OrderFlow, but some customers use third party systems such as Sage.
  • Will the products and orders imported into OrderFlow be provided by the same eCommerce system, or different ones?
  • If you are using sales channels such as Amazon and eBay, where the order details are not supplied in real-time, there may be a risk of over-selling stock. What stock-level threshold should be in place on OrderFlow to avoid this?
  • Do orders from different sales channels require different paperwork, courier or batch selection logic?
  • Do you have the contact details for each eCommerce provider if a problem is identified with a sales channel, in or out of standard business hours?

Order Import

OrderFlow imports specific order data fields from the third-party system and maps them to Orderflow data fields. In addition to order line details, other data include:

  • Billing and Shipping Address
  • Gross and Net Price
  • Barcode
  • Weight

Orders should be validated by the sales channels prior to import, however this cannot be relied upon for the key data elements that are required by OrderFlow to process an order. Please consider:

  • Do you require additional data fields to be imported over and above those provided as standard by OrderFlow? For example, you may want a 'gift' flag to be used to omit pricing from the recipient paperwork.

  • What data fields are mandatory, and what validation should be put on the content of incoming order data, for example:

  • Should it ever be possible to receive an order without any line items?

  • Should it ever be possible to receive an order for a product that is not defined in the warehouse?
  • Should OrderFlow reject UK orders without a delivery postcode or draw them to the attention of Customer Service?

Alternatives to Full Integration

Where a full system integration is not available, the file import and export options allow for the necessary information to be exchanged in bulk using CSV (comma-separated variable) text files, or even Microsoft Excel Spreasheets.

OrderFlow has an advanced file mapping capability that allows product and order data to be received in virtually any text-based file format.

This option may require some manual operator intervention on a daily basis, with users periodically generating files containing updated product definition or lists of orders that have been received and need to be fulfilled. However, in some cases it is possible to automate the export of these files and their import into OrderFlow.

An important integration requirement involves notifications on shipments despatched as well as stock levels for products. OrderFlow can be configured to general despatch and inventory reports that would be suitable for import into various external systems. These reports can be configured to automatically be sent to third parties using email, HTTP, or be posted to a remote file server using FTP.