The eCommerce market has been developing rather quickly and step by step, altering the manner in which software suppliers work with their clients. Because there are many vendors in the eCommerce software business, each tries to be unique in what they sell. This being the case, it should, therefore, not be surprising that these firms are struggling to generate profits.
It means that by having eCommerce API integration developed, the software providers can presumably get in touch with previously uncovered markets and potential customers.
With the help of API integration, software solution providers can link their offerings with shopping platforms such as Magento and Shopify. Therefore, API is a data exchange hub between eCommerce programs or application designs and these types of online systems.
This article defines eCommerce API integration and tells how it can be done with different platforms.
Meaning of API Integration
A software product communicates with other products or systems and exchanges data through an application programming interface (API), which is a programmable set of rules in machine language. It is, technically speaking, a series of programming statements that enable data to communicate between applications or software.
As a software solutions company, you can integrate with various outward apps through APIs. Alternatively, you can use APIs to introduce particular features in your software and initiate the development process.
Integrating APIs involves creating a link between the API systems of two or more applications. This numerical integration allows two systems or software to communicate and transfer various kinds of data.
Integration with API will allow eCommerce software vendors to upgrade the functionality of their applications by harnessing capabilities that are present in other systems and applications.
Principles of API Integration Working
The incoming requests and outgoing responses must be converted so that there is an interface for communication between the API and other operational units. The incoming request must be translated in such a way that the outgoing response has to mean something. So, an integration of the two API layers allows them to communicate with each other and exchange data in such a manner that any changes could, therefore, be synchronized among applications connected.
AWPlugins provides free and cost-effective eCommerce API integrations to companies that supply such software so that they can connect their solutions and platforms with marketplaces such as Amazon, WooCommerce, Magento, etc., and Neto, for example.
An eCommerce API integration is a system for linking software with an application to feed it data from another platform, namely shopping platforms, allowing the former to perform its function through information retrieved by means of that platform.
Shopping platforms data connected to products, orders, and customers are essential for eCommerce software providers that operate in the sphere of:
- Order and inventory management
- Dropshipping automation
- Product information management
- Marketing automation
- POS
- Shipping management
- ERP
- PIM
- Data feed management These solutions use specific data from the estore in order to work out their particular functions and help the so-called e-merchants solve automated business activities.
What is an eCommerce API Example?
Here's an example of how an eCommerce API can be used to connect an eCommerce store with a marketing automation platform:
Customer adds an item to the shopping cart: Now then, we can use the shopping cart API to send a message back up into the marketing automation system.
Marketing automation platform identifies the added product: They can, therefore, communicate and get information regarding a product like the name of such an operation from your e-commerce site. Product price is also requested.
Based on product preferences: Then, with reference to the goods bought by that same individual customer in recent times, this marketing automation system will start an email follow-up campaign tailored for them to suggest other fabulous stuff and provide coupon deals.
Customer purchases the product: The second the software sends that information to the API of some eCommerce store and uses it for making a purchase. All these activities can be tracked by the company in their own tracking marketing automation platform as to who bought what products and so on.
The marketing automation platform updates customer records: It is basically the type of case that records customers' purchases so as to facilitate them more accurately in the future.
It demonstrates all the smoothness of access to eCommerce APIs one can imagine because they enable businesses to bring a much more business-oriented workflow into operation, offering customers even better service.
How Long Does It Take to Integrate with eCommerce Platforms?
Every eCommerce platform has its own API, which allows the shopping platform to interact with other applications. Each API layer has a specific logic and architecture.
As an eCommerce software provider, your clients have e-stores on multiple platforms, including BigCommerce, Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce, and more. You must ensure that you can connect your software with every platform on which your clients have built their stores. The time to develop an API integration for one shopping platform can take a month or more. And you can imagine the time involved in developing integrations with all the shopping platforms that are on your list.
In addition, shopping platforms keep upgrading their APIs to resolve security issues. As a result, you will need to upgrade your integrations, too. In the meantime, you must devote time, money, and resources to maintaining and updating the integrations.
However, if you choose to outsource the development and maintenance of your eCommerce API integrations, it can be different.
How do you develop eCommerce API Integration?
API2Cart provides one unified API that allows its clients to connect their eCommerce software and applications with more than 40 shopping platforms in just one go.
API2Cart leverages the REST API standard to ensure that your application communicates with shopping platforms. With API2Cart, there is no need for separate integrations, further maintenance, and updates.
Integrating your software with API2Cart will enable you to integrate all the shopping platforms you wish. It allows you to access important store data from multiple shopping platforms. You can even retrieve, add, delete, and modify data easily. It includes the info on products, orders, shipping details, customers, etc.
You can try API2Cart for a month totally for free and test all its API methods needed to work with the e-stores' data from multiple eCommerce platforms. All you need to do is register your free trial account now with the help of our specialists. If you need any assistance, you can contact API2Cart managers by chat, email, or phone.
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