It is rare for an e-commerce business to operate with only one e-commerce website.
In particular, Rakuten, Yahoo!, and Amazon are operated simultaneously by many businesses, and an increasing number of companies are adopting Shopify as their official stores with their own domains.
The more sites you manage, the more order processing and support you need, and the more complicated inventory management becomes, requiring more manpower and more work time. In times like these, an order/inventory linking system can be a great help to store owners and management staff. Introducing an order/inventory linking system makes it possible to operate multiple shops efficiently and at low cost.
As of August 2018, there are two domestic order and inventory integration systems that are compatible with Shopify: Logiless and Next Engine. Logiless supports API integration by default, while Next Engine can achieve API integration by adding an app.
In terms of sales and shipping destinations, EC site operations can be broadly divided into two categories: "domestic" and "overseas (cross-border)." It is important to adopt an order and inventory linkage system that is suitable for each.
Related articles:
[Introduction] Unify Shopify and Rakuten store management! Explanation of the Rakuten Ichiba sales channel app
[Integration] Unified store management for Shopify and Rakuten! Explanation of the Rakuten Ichiba Sales Channel App
Logiless for domestic EC
It covers major shopping cart systems in Japan, including mall systems such as Rakuten, Yahoo! Shopping, Amazon (co.jp), Wowma!, and Qoo10, and of course it is also compatible with Shopify.
One notable feature of Logiless's order integration with Shopify is the ability to automatically convert shipping information to Japanese specifications and import it. Thanks to this feature, first and last names are never reversed, and addresses are sorted in Japanese order, so you hardly ever think of Shopify as an "overseas system."
On the other hand, because this function converts orders from overseas into Japanese format, it can also be said that it is not suitable for overseas customers. At present, it seems that it is not possible to set this conversion function ON/OFF for each store.
For more information about Logiless, please read the article below.
→ Logiless is the best for inventory and order integration with Shopify
The Logiless website is here . You can issue a test account from the link below.
→ Application and inquiries to Logiless
Next Engine for overseas e-commerce
As many of you may already know, Next Engine is one of the largest order and inventory integration systems in Japan, and is compatible with more malls and cart systems than Logiless.
To link orders and inventory with Shopify using Next Engine, you will need to install a separate "Shopify Auto-Link App." There are no installation or monthly fixed fees for this app, but a 2% fee for using the app is charged as a commission fee.
Next Engine's Shopify integration is almost complete if you can set up your account connection in the app. (On the other hand, you cannot make detailed settings.) After that, orders are automatically imported into Next Engine, but the format remains Shopify specifications. This is fine for overseas markets such as Europe and the United States, but for domestic markets, you will need to rearrange the names and addresses.
You can check out Next Engine's service details and try it for free by clicking the link below.
→ Apply or contact Next Engine
Case study of order and inventory linkage system implementation
"GoGo Curry Official Online Store," which we operate on a contract basis, has its own domain site developed on Shopify, and also has stores on malls such as Rakuten, Yahoo!, Amazon, and Wowma!. Campaigns and the like are carried out on each site separately, but the inventory sold is common, so an order/inventory linking system comes into play. Here, we would like to explain in detail how daily operations change before and after the introduction of Logiless.
Before introducing the order and inventory linkage system
As shown in the diagram above, orders must be processed and support must be provided on the management screen for each site, and after shipment, delivery numbers must be entered and status changes must be made on the management screen again. This may be fine for one site, but if there are four or five management screens with different specifications, not only will it consume a lot of time, but it could lead to situations where the quality of customer service cannot be consistent depending on the store or day.
The key to running multiple EC sites is inventory management and inventory integration. In the above diagram, where an inventory integration system has not been implemented, there are roughly two patterns for the amount of inventory registered on each site. One is to register the total amount of inventory on all sites in the same way, and the other is to allocate and register the total amount of inventory. In the former case, there is a high risk of over-orders when the total amount of inventory is small to begin with or when large orders are received simultaneously on multiple sites. In the latter case, when an item is sold out on one site, there is a possibility of losing the opportunity to sell on other sites even though there is inventory on those sites. What both have in common is that when there is a change in inventory, the amount of inventory on all sites must be manually changed.
As mentioned above, managing each site individually not only takes time and effort, but also naturally increases the chance of human error. To solve these problems, introducing an order and inventory linking system will result in the following:
After introducing Logiless
After the introduction of Next Engine
All order data generated at each site is automatically imported into the linked system. It is also possible to automatically send an order confirmation email at the time of import. Processing up to shipping can be done on the system without having to log in to each site individually. After shipping, you can enter the invoice number and mark the status as complete on the system, and this will be reflected on each site. It is also possible to automatically send a shipping notification email from the system in conjunction with the change to the completed status.
When an order is placed, the stock quantity in the linked system is updated and automatically reflected on each site, so after introducing the system, there is basically no need to manually enter stock quantities. This automatic inventory linking function reduces opportunity losses due to excess orders and missed sales to as close to zero as possible, and it can be said that there is almost no room for human error except when goods are received.
summary
Introducing an order and inventory linkage system such as Logiless or Next Engine requires a certain amount of initial setup and daily management, but when you consider the risks and running costs of constantly managing multiple sites individually, it seems like there is no reason not to introduce it.
At this stage, it is difficult to create a system that allows for both domestic and international shipping at the same time, but it is possible to tune it to suit the characteristics of the site.
We have experience in operating many EC sites, so we can provide support and consulting for the construction and operation of these sites. Of course, we can also provide support for the introduction and operation of Logiless and Next Engine, which we introduced here.
Please click here to apply or inquire about the order and inventory linkage system.
→ Application and inquiries to Logiless
→ Apply or contact Next Engine
