When Acumatica ERP Integration Becomes Critical for Scaling Ecommerce Sales
3 min read ● Silk Team
In early eCommerce development, systems can be separated and still appear functional. Orders can be downloaded manually; inventory can be updated using spreadsheets; accounting can reconcile all data at the end of the week.
However, as eCommerce sales increase rapidly, manual processes will start to create limitations to further growth.
At this point, connecting your Acumatica ERP system with your eCommerce platform will go from “nice-to-have” to “business necessity.”
Below are steps to determine if you have crossed the tipping point into needing integration and why you need it to continue growing.
1. Daily Orders Are Increasing and Becoming Unsustainable
Manual entry of orders into an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system will become impossible when orders reach double or triple on a regular basis.
Signs that manual workflows have grown beyond their limits include:
- Longer-than-normal fulfillment times
- Delayed shipping due to data entry backlog
- Order entry errors due to high volume of manual data entry
- Staff working overtime to complete order entry process
Automatically syncing orders from your eCommerce platform such as Shopify or BigCommerce to Acumatica ERP will eliminate these issues.
Why does scalability require automation? As revenue increases, so do the number of orders. Manual processes do not increase linearly with revenue.
2. Inventory Errors Cause Loss of Customer Confidence
Increases in the number of SKUs (stock keeping units), and expanding multi-warehouse operations add layers of complexity to inventory management.
If there is no integration of your ERP system with your eCommerce platform, you may experience:
- Over-selling (selling products when they are out-of-stock)
- Canceling orders because the products are not available
- Stock shortages, resulting in delayed shipments
- Loss of marketplace goodwill and loss of revenue through marketplace penalties
Syncing accurate inventory levels from your eCommerce platform to your ERP system provides protection to your bottom line and your brand.
3. Month-End Close is Taking Longer Each Quarter
Finance teams often spend a lot of time reconciling:
- Orders
- Payments
- Refund payments
- Taxation on transactions
- Shipping costs associated with eCommerce transactions
If the time required to complete month-end close is increasing each quarter, it may be time to consider integrating your eCommerce platform with your ERP system.
Benefits of proper ERP integration include:
- Orders post immediately to the general ledger
- Taxes calculated consistently on eCommerce transactions
- Refunds match accounting entries
- Financial confidence increases as operational clarity increases
4. You’re Expanding Your Sales Channels Across Multiple Platforms
Selling across:
- Your primary eCommerce site
- Multiple marketplaces
- B2B (Business to Business) websites
- eCommerce sites based in foreign countries
…adds layers of complexity to your operations.
Acumatica ERP integration provides a centralized way to manage orders, track inventory and report on performance across all sales channels—eliminating the opportunity for data to be stored in separate locations.
Expansion of multiple sales channels, without integration, creates opportunities for disparate reporting and confusion about which warehouse fulfilled an order.
5. Customer Expectations Continue to Evolve
Today’s eCommerce customers expect:
- Immediate confirmation of orders placed
- Up-to-date information on whether products are in stock
- Updates on the status of shipments
- Quick processing of return merchandise
Integration of your eCommerce platform with your ERP system allows:
- Immediate order creation
- Automatic update of shipping status
- Processing refunds accurately
Customer experience is now an operational function, rather than something that has to be done manually.
6. Reporting and Forecasting Must be Done in Real-Time
Leadership at companies selling online want visibility into:
- Revenue generated by channel
- Turnover of inventory
- Margin on a product-by-product level
- Lifetime value of a customer
Reporting generated from systems that are not integrated provides delayed and segmented reports.
An integrated ERP and eCommerce system provides a single-source of truth for strategic decision making.
The Actual Benefits of ERP to eCommerce Platform Integration When Used Properly
Proper implementation of Acumatica ERP integration with eCommerce platforms enables:
- Automated processing of orders
- Real-time synchronization of inventory
- Posting of eCommerce transaction amounts to the General Ledger
- Ability to grow and expand across multiple eCommerce channels
- Reduction of labor-intensive operational tasks
Transforming ERP from an administrative accounting tool into a growth engine for your eCommerce company.
Final Thoughts
Integration of your eCommerce platform with your ERP system is necessary not at launch, but during periods of rapid growth.
The point of inflection is usually when operational strain is evident: late fulfillment of orders, increased manual labor, late reporting, or customer dissatisfaction.
If your eCommerce company is experiencing rapid growth, but your systems are not fully integrated, the cost of the inefficiencies is stalled growth.
Connecting your Acumatica ERP system with your eCommerce platform will ensure that your operational infrastructure grows in conjunction with your revenue. When your operational infrastructure can grow efficiently and sustainably, your eCommerce company can grow quickly and sustainably.