NetSuite eCommerce Integration: Top Benefits for Inventory, Pricing, and Order Management
3 min read ● Silk Team
The way businesses sell their goods and services has changed a great deal in the last few years. Consumers today want the exact same level of digital simplicity to buy from either a consumer brand or a B2B supplier. Today’s consumers expect instant access to real-time product availability, accurate pricing, and rapid order processing and fulfillment. Unfortunately, many manufacturing companies, wholesalers, and other B2B organizations continue to operate their eCommerce platforms separately from the operational systems that drive their business. When an online storefront operates independently of the organization’s ERP system, organizations usually face problems with inaccurate inventory tracking, inconsistent pricing, and poorly managed orders.
This is why NetSuite eCommerce integration is so important. Organizations can build a seamless digital commerce ecosystem by using NetSuite to tie an eCommerce platform to the organization’s operational systems.
Using NetSuite eCommerce integration, organizations have an opportunity to streamline their business operations, improve the overall shopping experience for their customers, and confidently scale their digital commerce operations.
What Is NetSuite eCommerce Integration?
NetSuite eCommerce integration is simply connecting an organization’s online storefront to its NetSuite ERP system so that there is an automated exchange of data between the two systems.
Instead of manually moving information from one system to another, integration enables continuous and automatic synchronization of critical business data including:
- Product data
- Inventory levels
- Pricing
- Customer profiles
- Orders and fulfillment status
- Financial reporting
In most cases, when an organization’s systems are properly integrated, the NetSuite ERP system is the primary system of record for all the organization’s operational data. In turn, the eCommerce platform is the customer-facing sales channel.
This architecture allows customers, employees, and operational systems to use the most accurate and up-to-date information possible.
Real-Time Inventory Visibility Through Your Online Storefront
One of the biggest benefits of NetSuite eCommerce integration is the ability to give your customers accurate and real-time inventory visibility.
Unless your systems are properly integrated, inventory levels normally need to be manually updated or are updated via delayed batch updates. Therefore, customers may view products as being available for purchase when in fact those products are out of stock.
Properly integrating the inventory data from NetSuite to the eCommerce platform allows you to ensure that your online storefront always shows the correct inventory levels.
Benefits of this type of integration include:
- Reduced over-selling of out-of-stock items
- Accurate inventory quantities displayed to the customer
- Improved communication between warehouse personnel and the sales channels
- Better inventory forecasting and planning
- For companies that have multiple warehouses or distribution centers, this type of visibility is even more important because it shows the customer what is currently available across all locations
Correct Pricing and Automatic Updates
Pricing is very complex for many manufacturers, wholesalers, and B2B organizations. As such, most organizations have multiple pricing structures based upon the customer, contracts, or quantity purchased.
It is normal for organizations that do not properly integrate their systems to find maintaining consistent pricing across systems extremely challenging.
NetSuite eCommerce integration allows pricing data to be automatically transferred from the ERP system to the eCommerce platform. Therefore, businesses can offer pricing models that include:
- Customer-specific pricing
- Tiered pricing
- Volume pricing
- Contract pricing
- Regional pricing variances
Automatic transfer of pricing from NetSuite ensures that customers always see the correct price when placing an order online, avoiding costly pricing discrepancies and building trust with customers.
Streamlining the Order Management and Fulfillment Process
Another large advantage of integrating NetSuite with an eCommerce platform is the ability to automate the order management process.
In most cases, when systems are not integrated, the orders received through the online storefront need to be manually entered into the ERP system by administrative staff. Not only does this slow down the fulfillment of the orders, but it also creates the potential for data entry errors.
Once an organization has implemented a NetSuite eCommerce integration, the orders received through the online storefront automatically flow into the ERP system, which enables:
- Faster order fulfillment
- Automatic generation of orders within NetSuite
- Immediate start of the fulfillment workflow
- Reduced manual data entry
Because orders flow directly into NetSuite, the fulfillment team is able to start fulfilling the orders sooner, which helps the organization meet delivery timeframes and improve customer satisfaction.
A Centralized System of Record for All Operational Data
Organizations that operate disconnected systems usually have different data sets across departments. Inventory numbers may vary between systems, prices may be incorrect, and customer records may not match across systems.
NetSuite eCommerce integration helps resolve these problems by providing a centralized data structure where NetSuite is the source of record for all the organization’s operational data.
NetSuite can act as the centralized system for the organization that contains:
- Product catalogs
- Inventory quantities
- Pricing structures
- Customer accounts
- Orders and financial data
With a single source of truth for operational data, organizations are able to increase confidence in the accuracy of their data, improve operational efficiencies, and make better decisions throughout the organization.
Enhanced Customer Shopping Experience in eCommerce
Buyers today expect convenience, transparency, and speed when making purchases online. Unless eCommerce platforms are integrated with the organization’s ERP system, meeting these expectations is difficult.
NetSuite eCommerce integration allows businesses to deliver a much higher quality digital shopping experience to customers than would be possible if the eCommerce platform were operating independently of the ERP system.
Customers receive the following benefits:
- Real-time inventory visibility
- Correct pricing shown at checkout
- Faster order fulfillment and shipping
- Up-to-date product information
For B2B buyers, integration also enables the organization to provide enhanced self-service options for customers such as:
- View order history
- Reorder past purchases
- Access account-specific pricing
All of these types of functionality make the online shopping process much easier for customers, strengthen long-term relationships, and encourage repeat purchases.
Scalable Digital Commerce Architecture
As organizations develop larger digital commerce plans, they often establish new sales channels such as new storefronts, B2B portals, or online marketplaces.
Without a centralized operational system, managing multiple channels is extremely complex.
Integration between NetSuite and the eCommerce platform allows organizations to build a scalable digital commerce architecture that supports the organization’s growth across multiple channels.
The integration allows organizations to:
- Efficiently manage increasing order volume
- More easily establish new digital sales channels
- Maintain consistent data across systems
- Support the organization’s long-term digital commerce goals
Integration also provides automation, ensuring that operational systems are able to keep pace with increasing online sales with little or no increase in manual administrative tasks.
Less Manual Work and Increased Efficiencies in Operations
Most organizations with disconnected systems see an increase in the amount of time spent by administrative staff performing manual tasks. Staff spend an excessive amount of time manually updating inventory numbers, manually entering orders, and resolving discrepancies between systems.
NetSuite eCommerce integration eliminates many of these inefficiencies by automating the exchange of data between platforms.
Therefore, organizations experience measurable improvements in operations such as:
- Reduced manual data entry
- Fewer pricing and inventory discrepancies
- Faster order fulfillment
- Improved operational workflows
With reduced manual administrative tasks, organizations are able to have administrative staff focus more of their time on strategic initiatives that generate revenue.
Key Considerations in Planning a NetSuite eCommerce Integration Project
Although the benefits of integration are numerous, organizations must carefully plan and execute a successful NetSuite eCommerce integration project.
There are several key considerations to take into account when developing the integration strategy for a project.
Architecture of the Integration
There are a variety of architectures that organizations can utilize when integrating NetSuite and an eCommerce platform, including:
- Direct API integrations
- Middleware solutions
- Integration platforms as a service (iPaaS)
The choice of architecture depends on the complexity of the systems to be connected and the scalability requirements of the organization.
Strategy for Synchronizing Data
Another important consideration when planning the integration is the frequency at which data needs to be synchronized between systems.
Some integrations are dependent on scheduled batch updates, whereas other integrations require real-time synchronization for data such as inventory and pricing.
Planning of the Integration
To ensure that a successful integration is achieved, organizations must plan the integration with care and attention to detail. Mapping of data structures, workflows, and operational processes are all part of this process. Organizations that rush into the development of the integration without first establishing a solid plan will likely face difficulties during the operational phase of the project.
How NetSuite Integration Provides the Basis for Digital Commerce Success
As digital commerce continues to grow, organizations must ensure that their operational systems are capable of supporting the demands of modern online retail.
By integrating NetSuite and an eCommerce platform, organizations can create a system that integrates operational data and customer-facing systems to provide a seamless online shopping experience to customers.
Through this integration, organizations are able to deliver the digital shopping experiences that customers demand and support the operational efficiencies necessary to scale their online sales.
For manufacturers, wholesalers, and other enterprise organizations, NetSuite eCommerce integration provides the foundation for long-term digital commerce success.
Are You Ready to Integrate NetSuite with Your eCommerce Platform?
Implementing a NetSuite eCommerce integration requires organizations to possess knowledge of both ERP systems and modern eCommerce architecture.
Silk Commerce assists manufacturers, wholesalers, and other enterprise organizations in designing and implementing scalable integration solutions that connect NetSuite to leading eCommerce platforms. By creating seamless data synchronization between systems, organizations are able to increase operational efficiencies, enhance the customer shopping experience, and support the growth of their digital commerce operations.
If you are evaluating how to integrate NetSuite with your eCommerce platform, we recommend that you partner with experienced integration professionals to ensure that your integration project achieves the desired results and meets your long-term organizational goals.