eCommerce marketplaces offer many opportunities for vendors who provide specialized software for online merchants. The data stored in these marketplaces is of the highest value - access to it allows vendors to propose their software to online sellers with advanced features.
For B2B software vendors to grow their businesses and reach the next level, it is necessary to establish a data marketplace API integration between software systems and platforms like Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Etsy, etc. This integration is the cornerstone of a successful B2B software business. It enables software vendors to extend the functionality of their solutions and provide seamless business operations to e-merchants.
The Important Marketplace Data
The importance of data marketplace API integration makes it worth questioning the need for marketplace data in the eCommerce software sphere.
Marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, Etsy, etc., host millions of online stores. Merchants who build their stores on such marketplaces rely on marketplace data related to orders, products, customers, categories, and more to run their eCommerce business. Therefore, software solutions that provide merchants with a way to automate their eCommerce operations need access to this data so that they can perform their core functions.
Marketplaces collect important information from the buyers and sellers of their platform, including customer details such as names, contact numbers, and email addresses, product details such as product IDs and prices, and order details such as order numbers and statuses. This information allows eCommerce software to complete their designated operations.
For example, a data marketplace API integration between multichannel software and marketplaces such as eBay and Etsy can enable data access to their stores' products. With product data from marketplaces, the software can create product lists across multiple channels automatically, without the need for merchants to manually create the lists on every channel. Accordingly, multichannel software can add, update, and delete product information as required.
API Integration with Marketplaces
Data marketplace API integration is the process of establishing a connection between eCommerce software and various marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Walmart, etc. Its development allows different software programs to access the data stored in such marketplaces, which is required for their effective functioning.
Moreover, integrating with marketplace APIs is beneficial for software vendors in expanding their clientele. The more marketplaces a software vendor integrates with, the more merchants become their prospects. Most of these merchants include international websites, opening doors for the software vendor to get international exposure for their business.
The API integration can also be beneficial to software vendors. More clients from marketplaces mean more revenue and higher returns on investment.
However, data marketplace API integration is not without challenges. The following are some of the pitfalls to look out for:
- Integrations cost an average of $4,000 per connection. They also require infrastructure, setup, and maintenance.
- Integrations can take around eight weeks to complete.
- Integrations require advanced developers, who are difficult to hire and onboard. They also require constant upgrades as marketplace APIs release newer versions.
- Multiply the time, money, and resources required for a single integration by the total number of integrations you are willing to establish.
Marketplace API Data: How to Get Access to It
There are a few options that allow your software to get access to marketplace API data. First of all, you need to develop a connection with marketplaces. You can do it with the help of your in-house team of developers, by hiring freelance developers or using third-party integration services. All the options are possible. But all of them have their own benefits and drawbacks.
Using the in-house team of developers allows you to take better control over the integration development process. However, it is an expensive option. Moreover, the development of connections with multiple marketplaces will take a lot of time for your workers.
Hiring freelance developers also can cost a lot of money. Moreover, don’t forget that developing the integration is not the end. The set integrations always require further support and updating. Usually, it is a continuous process. So, cooperation with freelance developers cannot be the perfect option in this case.
The usage of third-party integration services eliminates the need to establish separate integrations with various platforms and marketplaces, saving time, money, and other resources. Moreover, such services usually provide the continuous monitoring of integrations and their updating. Also, such solutions propose the subscription base plans, and their usage can be really cheap.
Conclusion
Access to marketplace data is highly important for various types of eCommerce software. It requires the development of a reliable integration with different marketplaces available on the market.
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