ERP to eCommerce Integration Roadmap: A Step-by-Step Plan for Manufacturers

3 min read ● Silk Team

The most important part of this article is about developing a structured integration process for integrating an e-commerce platform to an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, specifically tailored to the unique complexities of B2B manufacturing. The article highlights the fact that a major reason why these integrations tend to be unsuccessful is due to an unstructured approach to the integration process, which tends to focus primarily on connecting two disparate systems as opposed to integrating them as a cohesive whole and treating the integration itself as an operational transformation.

The article provides a 10-step roadmap for implementing ERP to eCommerce integration in a B2B manufacturing environment. It also addresses some of the challenges that may arise and how to overcome them.

Step 1: Define the Core Benefit and Business Outcomes

Define the core benefit and business outcomes that need to be achieved from the integration. This can include items such as:

• Reduced manual order entry
• More accurate customer-specific pricing
• Reliable inventory visibility
• Faster order-to-cash cycle

This step is critical since the integration can quickly expand beyond its initial scope. Defining the desired business outcome helps to limit the scope of the project.

Deliverable: A document defining three to five measurable business objectives.

Step 2: Determine System Roles and Data Ownership

Determine the roles and data ownership of the different systems involved in the integration.

ERP is typically responsible for:

• Pricing
• Inventory
• Customers
• Orders
• Invoicing (System of Record)

eCommerce typically handles:

• Product presentation
• Merchandising
• User Experience (UX)
• Self-service (System of Experience)

Clarifying ownership helps prevent disputes regarding the handling of data during the integration process.

Deliverable: A table showing what each system is responsible for regarding each data domain.

Step 3: Document Existing Pricing, Inventory, and Order Workflows

Identify and document current processes to avoid surprises during build and testing phases. This includes:

• Contract pricing
• Tiered pricing
• Backorders
• Partial shipments
• Multi-warehouse allocation rules
• Returns
• Credit Memos
• RMAs (Return Material Authorization)

Deliverable: A table or flow chart documenting how each scenario is handled today.

Step 4: Select an Appropriate Integration Architecture

Choose an integration approach based on complexity and scalability requirements:

• Direct API integration (simpler environments)
• Middleware / iPaaS (complex pricing, multi-warehouse scenarios)
• Custom build (highly specialized workflows or customized ERP systems)

As requirements increase, ERP systems often require a decoupled architecture.

Deliverable: A diagram illustrating the integration architecture, data flow, and sync frequency.

Step 5: Prioritize Use Cases and Define a Phased Rollout

Avoid integrating everything at once. A common phased approach includes:

Phase 1: Commerce Basics

• Product catalog synchronization
• Customer login and account context
• Pricing display
• Order submission to ERP

Phase 2: Operational Accuracy

• Inventory allocation rules
• Backorders and partial shipments
• Order status updates
• Shipping confirmations

Phase 3: Full B2B Self-Service

• Order history and reorder
• Invoices and credit memos
• Return workflows
• Role-based buyer permissions

Deliverable: A phased feature list categorized into must-haves and nice-to-haves.

Step 6: Prepare and Normalize Data

Data inconsistencies surface quickly during integration. Focus on:

• SKU consistency and units of measure
• Customer account structure
• Pricing tables and discount rules
• Warehouse and location identifiers

Data does not need to be perfect, but it must be consistent.

Deliverable: A data preparation checklist and remediation plan.

Step 7: Build Monitoring and Error Handling from Day One

Design for observability to avoid silent failures:

• Logging for every sync event
• Retry logic for failures
• Alerts for stalled jobs or mismatched data
• Clear exception workflows for operations teams

Deliverable: A monitoring and error-handling plan established prior to go-live.

Step 8: Test for Realistic B2B Complexity

Testing should include:

• Contract pricing for multiple customer types
• Inventory constraints across warehouses
• Backorders and partial shipments
• Order changes and cancellations
• Payment terms and invoicing timing

Load testing should also ensure storefront performance is not dependent on ERP responsiveness.

Deliverable: Acceptance criteria and realistic test scenarios documentation.

Step 9: Execute a Controlled Go-Live

Avoid big-bang launches. Safer approaches include:

• Soft launch for a subset of customers
• Launching limited product categories first
• Running parallel validation with internal teams

Ensure caching and sync schedules are optimized before scaling traffic.

Deliverable: A controlled rollout plan with rollback and support procedures.

Step 10: Optimize Post-Launch

Integration is never finished. Track key metrics such as:

• Order error rates
• Manual touches per order
• Customer adoption of self-service
• Inventory accuracy vs. fulfillment
• ERP and integration performance

Iterate by improving sync frequency, reducing exceptions, and expanding self-service capabilities.

Deliverable: A 30/60/90-day optimization plan aligned with original business objectives.

Final Thoughts

An ERP to eCommerce integration is successful when it becomes mundane — reliable, monitored, and embedded into daily operations.

A well-designed roadmap keeps teams focused on business outcomes, clarifies data ownership, phases in complexity, and treats integration as infrastructure rather than a simple system connection.

For manufacturers, the discipline to treat integration as a scalable foundation for B2B growth is the key to turning integration into a durable operational asset instead of a recurring source of rework.