Guest post by eBridge Connections
As most eCommerce merchants know, the holiday season is nothing short of hectic. If you’re struggling to keep up with orders during the busy season, an accounting—eCommerce integration solution could be just the answer you’re looking for...
An accounting—eCommerce integration solution allows you to connect your online store directly with your accounting package/ERP system in order to automate orders, invoices, shipping notices, tracking numbers, inventory levels, etc.
It allows data to be pulled from one system and automatically be entered into the other—nothing will make an eCommerce merchant’s life easier!
How will it help my business?
By integrating your accounting package with your eCommerce store, you: Eliminate the need for manual data entry, freeing up valuable time and resources Reduce the likelihood of errors caused by re-keying data from one system to another Save money—no need to hire and pay employees to enter orders into your accounting system Allow your business to grow and flourish—the faster you are at processing orders, the more volume you will sell Maintain happy customers—your customers want their orders to be processed quickly and efficiently. Keep track of inventory. Nothing is worse than realizing you sold a product online that is actually out of stock, all because your inventory levels weren’t updated fast enough.
What does all this have to do with the Holiday season?
The holiday season means higher order volumes. That’s a given. But while you’re stuck manually entering orders into your accounting system and updating tracking numbers by hand in your eCommerce platform, your competitors that have a more automated system will be processing orders and making sales that could’ve been yours.
Not to mention, your customers are likely ordering gifts for their friends and family that need to arrive on time for their Holiday celebrations. If you’re unable to keep up with the volume of orders coming in, your shipments may be sent out too late, you may be selling products that are actually out of stock, and your customers will surely be frustrated with the inefficient service. That’s not good for business.
Prepare well in advance of the holiday rush.
The best advice we can give you is to plan ahead. The busy season is coming fast and an integration solution can take time to set up, so you don’t want to wait until the last minute.
Here’s some things you can do to prepare for an integration in order to make set-up as smooth and quick as possible:
Start by determining which data “touch points” you’ll need integrated. These may include inbound sales orders, outbound purchase orders, inventory updates, shipping updates, etc. Clean up your existing data—purge duplicates and correct incomplete or inconsistent records Add an accounting SKU as an extra field for each product in your eCommerce store so that it can be used for matching during integration Choose an integration solution provider that makes sense for the unique needs of your business. Is their solution proven and reliable? Have they helped customers like you before? Do they offer support? Can their solution handle the number of connections and amount of volume you need?
Getting your ducks in a row before implementing your accounting—eCommerce integration solution will make the whole process easier.
So, what are you waiting for? Rather than feel overwhelmed by orders this holiday season, integrate your eCommerce store with your accounting package today, so that you can enjoy the magic of the Holiday’s!
About eBridge Connections
eBridge Connections delivers powerful, cloud-based ERP and accounting integration solutions that automate vital business processes while eliminating the need for manual data entry. eBridge Connections can implement and maintain integration solutions with greater efficiency, ultimately leading to a lower total cost of ownership for customers. Our universal platform supports over 30 accounting and ERP systems. With connections to the leading eCommerce carts and marketplaces, CRM applications, and hundreds of EDI trading partners.