An ERP integration replaces manual work with automatic data flows between Shopify and your business system. It also moves your mistakes to every product at once. Most problems we see are decided before anyone writes code, so this guide covers those decisions.
Step 1: Name the owner of each kind of data
Each kind of data should have one source of truth. A typical split:
- Stock: ERP or warehouse system.
- Regular price: ERP.
- Titles, descriptions, images, SEO: Shopify.
- Orders: created in Shopify, sent to ERP.
- Campaign prices: agree on this explicitly. It is the most common conflict.
If an integration writes prices back to Shopify, a campaign set in Shopify can quietly disappear on the next sync. We have seen this happen, so we check it before every large price change.
Step 2: Choose the matching key
The integration has to find the same item in both systems. In fashion, the barcode (EAN) is the safest key because every size has its own. SKU often identifies the model and color only, so all sizes share it.
Audit your data first. Look for missing barcodes, duplicates and the same barcode on two products. Clean this before you connect, or the integration will spread the errors.
Step 3: Define the stock logic
- Which locations sell online? Stock in a store that does not ship should not count.
- Do you need a buffer? Some retailers publish stock minus one so a last piece sold in store does not get sold online too.
- What happens at zero? Decide if the product stays visible, goes to draft or shows as sold out.
Step 4: Decide how orders flow
Agree on when an order goes to the ERP, how returns come back, and who handles cancellations. Also decide what to do with cash on delivery and partial shipments, which need extra states in most systems.
Step 5: Plan for failure
Integrations fail. An API goes down, a product has bad data, a file arrives late. You need logs, an alert, and a simple way to run a sync again. Ask how you will learn about a failure before your customers do.
Step 6: Test with real scenarios
- Sell the last piece online and in store at the same time.
- Change a price in the ERP during a campaign.
- Add a new size to an existing product.
- Return an item and check that stock comes back.
Common mistakes
- Two systems writing stock to the same field.
- Matching by SKU when sizes share one SKU.
- Editing integrated fields by hand in Shopify.
- No monitoring after launch.
We connect Shopify to ERP, warehouse and payment systems for retail brands in the Adria region. See our Shopify services or describe your setup, and we will tell you what the integration needs.
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