Term

Integrations

noun

Integration is a means of unifying the different aspects of the business under a single input.

What Is Integration?

Integration is a means of unifying the different aspects of the business under a single input.

In commerce, five major areas help control and run a business. These are:

No business can operate without all five, least of all any ecommerce business. However, with so many different sources for these aspects, it is hard to keep them all updated. This is where integration comes in.

How Integration Affects an Ecommerce Business

When an ecommerce business is integrated, a single input of data will automatically update every aspect. For example: when an order is made, the integration allows for the sale to be recorded. Doing this updates the stock content and calculates the additional revenue earned from the sale. It also keeps the data necessary to allow the store owner to keep in contact with their customer. This means providing sales receipts, shipping documents, and future advertising communications. All five aspects of the business synced together with a single input.

As each sale is made, the data is automatically updated across all platforms to display the number of stock available to the seller and potential customers. This synchronization of data can also control other aspects of the sales process. It can also help promote sales or deals, ensuring that every customer has access to it, regardless of the platform they are using.

The Benefits of Integration

Using integration for any ecommerce business provides numerous benefits. These include:

Automating data entry across all platforms
Speeding up the updating process
Keeping all data accurate
Synchronizing inventory records
Updating customers throughout the buying process
Eliminate redundant steps in the updating process

Integration provides a whole team’s worth of work in a single, easy system. Where a larger company comprises many team members in each area, integration covers all these roles. A single person can run a whole business with minimal input and fuss.

How to Identify Whether a Business Can Benefit From Integration

There are a few easy steps that can be followed to determine whether integration can benefit a company. If any of these steps present a problem or can be better planned, integration is an ideal addition to that business.

Identify which parts of the business require manual input – if any stages, such as stock management, invoicing, or order processing, take time to update manually; these can benefit from integration. Making everything work together to update automatically will save time and simplify the entire process.
Count how many steps are required between each input – a business requires several different pieces of software or sites to run. The more steps it takes to get from one to the other, the greater the friction between each aspect of the business. Integration can bypass all these steps and seamlessly update each one with accuracy.
Determine the effectiveness of closed-loop attribution – this is all the data that determines how effective any investment and marketing is in the company. Integration will allow for collating this data, allowing business owners to see how well their marketing and investment are affecting their business growth.
Gather data regarding customer behavior – integration can provide more data about how customers use their service. It can highlight areas where improvements can be made, up-sells or cross-sells can benefit, or customers are unhappy with their service.

If any or all these steps highlight an issue that integration can rectify or improve, then it is time to seek out an integration partner. Depending on what areas can be improved by integration will determine which types will benefit the business.

Popular Integrations for Your Business

Some types of integration are:

CRM Integration – connecting customer transactions to sales, accounts, and marketing databases
Seamless User Experience – unified branding across all sites, autofill options for login and payment details
Single Sign-On – customer logins cover each aspect of the company site without needing separate logins
Entitlement Allocation – giving customers the ability to choose which level of support they receive for their purchases

Integration helps those running companies and creates an easier experience for customers when buying from ecommerce businesses. Companies can improve sales and customer loyalty by providing easier-to-use websites, simple checkouts, and automated offers and emails.

Integration is an important and useful tool for ensuring that all online businesses can run efficiently, accurately, and safely. It can help maintain and grow budding businesses and create a long-lasting online presence for those looking to enter the ecommerce sphere.