What is an ERP?
ERP is usually referred to as a category of business-management software—typically a suite of integrated applications—that an organization can use to collect, store, manage and interpret data from business activities.
ERP provides an integrated and continuously updated view of core business processes using common databases maintained by a database management system. ERP systems track business resources—cash, raw materials, production capacity—and the status of business commitments: orders, purchase orders, and payroll. The applications that make up the system share data across various departments (manufacturing, purchasing, sales, accounting, etc.). ERP facilitates the information flow between all business functions and manages connections to outside stakeholders.
What is ShopifyPlus?
Shopify Plus is Shopify’s enterprise e-commerce platform for enterprises having online stores and brands. It is a hosted platform which is customized, staffed and priced for big brands.
“Make Commerce Better” – That’s Shopify’s goal. But then something happened and they realized there was another group of customers who needed better e-commerce capabilities and a better eCommerce experience – Enterprise customers.
So, they went for the goal to “Make Commerce Better for Everyone”, and created Shopify Plus. Don’t forget to join the upcoming Webinar: Why Shopify is the Best Fit for Enterprise Ecommerce Businesses?
Shopify Plus specifically gives enterprise merchants the best of Shopify and a lot more:
- A highly-scalable, totally reliable SaaS-based e-commerce platform (99.98% uptime).
- No transaction fees, no bandwidth limitations, and unlimited products.
- Exclusive APIs to help, extend and customize platform capabilities as per the business requirements.
- The ability to customize the checkout process and let it live on your domain.
- Priority customer support.
- Dedicated white-glove account management.
The reasons for coming to Shopify Plus are simple:
- Traditional enterprise e-commerce solutions are difficult to use without IT support.
- It takes too long to construct and deploy simple changes.
- Traditional enterprise solutions are way too expensive to own and operate.
Best ERPs to Integrate with Shopify Plus:
ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) is somehow akin to a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software which helps to accelerate specific processes to clear up time for other projects & to save your business.
When considering integration of an ERP with an eCommerce store to power your business venture, it’s important for you to find one that incorporates directly with your e-commerce portal provider. However, if you plan to upgrade your e-store to the next level, we strongly recommend you opt for Shopify Plus, as it is exceptionally scalable, robust and yet simple to utilize by integrating it with some of the most renowned ERP solutions in the marketplace. Here is how Shopify Plus will be a better option for Enterprise customers:
- It is totally scalable.
- It has awesome support.
- It has themes that are considered as some of the best on the marketplace & you have loads to select from.
- Shopify has simple tools for people who don’t know how to code. However, the company also provides technical ways for experienced developers to get in there and customize as much as they want.
- The Shopify platform keeps on launching new updates & in case you can’t create a function you can always turn to the superb app store to find a solution.
When it is about integrating an ERP and an eCommerce platform seamlessly and automating the business process, how can we forget APPSeCONNECT. APPSeCONNECT is a smart and intelligent business application integration and data management platform. With the help of this iPaaS service, one can easily integrate Shopify Plus with an ERP without any hassle.
In fact, Shopify Plus has what it takes to satiate newbies & pro users alike & the SEO tools to deliver awesome methods to reach out to new folks who might be interested in your online products/items. Although, most of the ERPs mentioned below function with other solutions too, each of the recommendations as cited below fit in effortlessly with Shopify Plus:
1. SAP ERP
Typical Shopify Plus integration scenarios in which customers can implement using the BPA Platform include:
- Automatic insertion of Shopify Plus orders into SAP Business One.
- Dynamic transfer of order status and current stock levels and/or images from SAP to Shopify Plus.
- Automatic placement of an order with a selected courier service(s).
- Automatic upload of products from a master catalog.
Common commercial benefits achieved by integrating Shopify Plus with SAP include:
- Improved customer service levels.
- Substantially diminished order fulfillment times.
- Enhanced employee productivity.
- Eliminated frequent data entry actions and the capacity for human error.
SAP ERP is one of the most popular and efficient solutions for small and midsize businesses. It lets you capture all your business information in a single, scalable system, and the accounting and financial management tools integrate your accounting, sales and purchasing data seamlessly as well.
2. Oracle
Simple and effective integration. Shopify Plus integration with Oracle provides:
- Accelerated productivity – boost your performance with automated data entry and dedicate your time to more important areas of your business.
- Improved insight – make better decisions based on real-time information and data.
- Future-proof your business – incorporate new sales channels and software packages quickly and easily.
Oracle offers cloud-based ERP solutions for a modern, efficient production system. The Oracle ERP is marketed as a tool for companies, using several cloud options like the Oracle Financials Cloud, which has data sheets, research reports, and streamlined processes to your financial team.
3. NETSUITE
NetSuite is yet another popular ERP, and for many good reasons. Supply chain and inventory management is a huge bonus for online businesses, and the order and billing management cuts down the time you may need to spend in your own Shopify dashboard. The financial planning area helps NetSuite to standout since it offers interesting “what-if” financial projection tools and reports to navigate the constantly changing online business field.
To start with, it provides financial management tools for linking into your accounting tools and cutting out some of the software you may have been using in the past. Smart and intelligent data integration will help you boost your business in many more possible ways.
4. Microsoft Dynamics
Microsoft Dynamics GP functions superb with businesses & it delivers a full-fledged solution for your growing business venture. Sales & service contracts are well managed within the sales & service area, and you can also track how much you are indebted to your staff with the HR & payroll system function. Lastly, you can monitor your performance with business intelligence & reporting features, loaded with analytics & real-time tools for comprehending what your business will appear as – in the future.
With Microsoft Dynamics GP you can test out features for financial management & accounting, track your inventory, production & orders with the operations tools.
5. SAGE
Although Sage markets various products, the Sage 100 ERP & Sage 300 ERP are the choices a Shopify Plus customer might seek.
It all begins with order fulfillment & inventory handling – as they optimize your inventory, making certain that all the order figures are correct. Product management is also added with your purchase & the sales area functions to support your sales team with transparent pricing data, inventory counts & much more.
Integrating ERP & Shopify Plus:
Because every company is unique, there’s no single indicator that says, “You need ERP now!” However, the companies that would benefit most from ERP software often face similar problems and frustrations. Is your business facing some of these same issues? Read on to discover the top five signs that your company is ready for ERP.
#1: You Have Lots of Different Software for Different Processes
#2: You Don’t Have Easy Access to Information About Your Business
#3: Accounting Takes Longer and Is More Difficult
#4: Sales and the Customer Experience Are Suffering
#5: Your IT Is Too Complex and Time-Consuming
Rather than adding more software—and complexity—to an already ineffective system, ERP technology can give you the agility to respond to changing business needs rapidly. New functions are easy to add as your business grows and changes.
Now if you want to integrate your ERP with the Shopify Plus store, then there are some points below which might be helpful –
Features
- Bi-directional, automated data integration between Shopify Plus and the integrated ERP.
- Multi-store, and multi-platform (Marketplaces, CRM, EDI) support
- A fully-managed solution with connectivity, data translation, and compliance all handled in the cloud; no on-premise software required
- Shared business rules that replace the need for mapping and reduce the total cost of ownership
- ePortal – a web-based application for data/document management and archiving
As we already know, one will have a better control and view over the business by working along with Shopify Plus integration with an ERP. Here are some of the benefits that might interest you, depending on the requirements of the business:
Benefits
- Eliminate manual data entry and avoid costly errors
- Increase the speed of data exchange, improving customer service efficiency
- Reduce deployment time by utilizing turnkey integration solutions
- Free up time and resources to focus on your business
By the end of this article, we are clear as of what the benefits we might procure by integrating Shopify Plus with an ERP system. It is, however, completely dependent on the business needs and the company requirements to choose an ERP for the Shopify Plus e-store.
You may also like:
Why You Should Choose Shopify Plus
7 Tips to Speed up your Shopify Store
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