E-commerce and ERP Integration: Why It Is Important for an Omnichannel Strategy

A Harvard Business Review report found that roughly 73 percent of customers today shop on various channels while looking to buy a product. There's another study that we'd like to quickly mention before we proceed further -- this one expects that sales via digital mediums will carry on with the momentum it is currently experiencing. It predicts that the year over year market share of online shopping will go from nearly 13 percent of retail sales in 2017 to 17 percent by the year 2022. The numbers are ample demonstration of the potential of e-commerce, and it is no wonder that businesses today think of it as an essential requirement to sustain and grow their business.

However, for e-commerce to be truly effective and deliver the kind of convenience today's consumers seek, it is imperative that businesses combine their e-commerce operations with their back-end resources, like the ERP system. Why? Because such integration will enable it to bring together all of its sales channels, consequently allowing its sales and inventory data to be stored in a single place. What does this help with, you ask. Well, for starters, it automates operations, thus giving all parties involved real-time information about aspects such as pricing and availability of products on offer. Moreover, such benefits can be further pronounced if it is an omnichannel strategy you seek.

To help you further understand, here are some of the ways the integration of e-commerce and ERP plays a vital role when it comes to an omnichannel approach.

1. Robust management of inventory: With e-commerce and ERP integration, a business can connect its various channels, i.e., it doesn't see every channel as a single store. It enables high-quality management of inventory and ensures it is updated to provide an overview of all the sales channels of business.
2. Unhindered access to data: For an omnichannel approach to be successful, it needs unfettered access to information; ability to collaborate; and transparency. The integration above builds a central hub of data, which then helps drive omnichannel experiences without taking a toll on the business' bottom line.
3. A comprehensive view of customers: The integration allows e-commerce order information to be reflected in the ERP system, thus facilitating a 360-degree view of the business' customers. As a result, companies gain the ability to deliver tailored experiences across their customer's journey, irrelevant of the channel used by them.
4. Better customer experience: The integration of e-commerce and ERP empowers companies to deal with complex challenges. E.g., buyers can buy products online and then pick up their orders from a brick and mortar location. Since the online order is instantly reflected in the ERP software, the company can seamlessly make in-store deliveries.

As complex as it may seem on the surface, omnichannel isn't all that challenging provided you do your homework. So, if you too wish to achieve high-quality customer experiences, we suggest you find yourself a reliable epicor e-commerce integration service provider, or one for whatever software you use, right away!

Hi, I am Dorothy and I write technology related articles