Cory Mortenson - Lead Product Manager | SPS Commerce

Tackling omnichannel order management with Shopify Plus EDI integration

Cory Mortenson — Mon, 28 Oct 2024 14:27:49 +0000

Shopify Plus EDI integration at a glance

Explore how Shopify integration syncs orders and inventory
Learn how automation reduces manual errors
Discover scalable growth for online retailers
See why SPS is a leader in Shopify EDI solutions

An omnichannel solution for Shopify

As a Shopify seller, you’re serious about success. But wouldn’t it be so much easier to scale your business and reach your goals if all your sales and order data were stored and accessed in one place?

Maximize your Shopify experience with EDI from SPS

With SPS Commerce Fulfillment, daunting tasks like inventory management and balancing sales channels are easier than ever. As a Fulfillment user, you’ll have access to flexible workflow capabilities that help you cater to the Shopify seller system configurations. Plus, we’re here to support you with new connections, order fulfillment and trading partner updates.

How our solutions address your challenges

With SPS Fulfillment for Shopify, you’ll see that instead of jumping between disparate systems and trying to ensure your data is entered correctly, order fulfillment can be seamlessly managed in one place.

At SPS Commerce, we’re always a step ahead of any changes, updates or errors. We handle those for you, so you can spend more time growing your business.

We’re prepared to tackle Shopify users’ challenges, simplifying the entire order process and enabling faster and more accurate processing and shipping. Plus, our team of experts is trained to know Shopify; we use our retail trading partner expertise to set up your solution in the most profitable way for your business. Here’s what we address:

Disparate systems that don’t connect

Managing orders from multiple channels quickly becomes unnecessarily confusing and complex. Suppliers find themselves in reactive mode, juggling orders from EDI retailers, disparate marketplaces, direct customers and more.

With Fulfillment connected to Shopify, order fulfillment and shipping are consolidated into one platform. No matter who sends the purchase order, the customer will receive the order in a standardized format. This helps you easily find the information you need instead of hunting for it.

We’re also able to cross-reference the SKU number on the order with your system, so you can quickly identify the correct item. We translate all order data so that it’s aligned with one pre-determined format.

And, with access to all order data in one location, you’ll be able to operate more efficiently, simplify existing processes and get products to your customers faster.

The benefits

One single network connection for omnichannel management
A data standardization process equipped to translate any format
An expert team of Shopify EDI specialists
A dashboard that pulls together all Shopify orders for easy tracking
A customizable, scalable system that grows with you

Challenges caused by using multiple tools

When you use multiple tools to complete orders, track inventory and ship products, you’re also signing up for uncontrollable shipping delays, data errors and the need for manual order tracking (probably done in yet another disparate system).

SPS Commerce Fulfillment enables users to automate workflows across multiple business systems within the SPS ecosystem.

As your business grows, your fulfillment processes become more complex. Fulfillment scales with you by connecting with your ERP, OMS and other business solutions, seamlessly.

The benefits

A network that provides end-to-end partner and customer visibility into order status
Facilitation of inventory data sharing with trading partners
Pre-built integrations with hundreds of ERPs, WMS and shipping applications enable fast, reliable connections—no custom development required
Easily navigated EDI order monitoring in Shopify Plus to prevent toggling between systems
Centralized control to leverage company and location-specific payment terms
Seamless sync with packing solutions for real-time updates

Time-consuming order entry

Tasks like manually entering sales, order and shipping data are tedious. If you’re doing it across systems, it’s more than tedious—it’s an unnecessary waste of time and resources.

When Shopify connects to Fulfillment, suppliers eliminate manual data entry while remaining compliant with trading partners. Thanks to automation, they can serve their D2C customer base faster.

The benefits

Reduce manual entry and complete documents faster with auto-fill capability
Create documents with ease from pre-built templates
Book shipments directly in Fulfillment to eliminate the need to toggle in between systems and copy/paste tracking information
Automate PDF and Excel orders through AI-powered extraction, mapping and pre-built templates
Easily create and print barcodes and labels directly within the platform

One EDI solution for any order

SPS Commerce Fulfillment makes it easy to fulfill, ship and process orders across all your order channels so you can continue to grow your business. Whether you’re fulfilling B2B with retail partners or D2C orders through Shopify, Fulfillment streamlines critical tasks like picking, packing, labeling and shipping to keep your operations running smoothly.

Instead of logging into multiple retailer portals throughout the day, SPS Commerce Fulfillment brings all your orders together in one place. With a single login, you can view, manage and ship every order faster, reducing errors and simplifying your day-to-day operations.

Ready to simplify your daily processes and automate crucial aspects of how your growing business manages orders from Shopify and beyond? Contact us today or click here to learn more.

Streamline operations with SPS Commerce for QuickBooks

Cory Mortenson — Wed, 28 Jun 2023 14:49:19 +0000

The global supply chain is constantly evolving, and businesses need comprehensive tools to stay ahead of the game. SPS Commerce and QuickBooks share over 6,000 joint customers, and are excited to bring them a powerful, integrated solution to simplify their operations. SPS has recently joined the QuickBooks community with an app listing, making it easier for customers to learn about our solution.

Our integrated platform provides turnkey EDI services, workflow automation and at-a-glance visibility into your order-to-cash process. The joint solution from SPS Commerce and QuickBooks delivers automated omni-channel order management.

Seamless integration for effortless operations

Say goodbye to the hassle of juggling multiple systems and manual data entry by automating repetitive tasks that consume valuable time. Our solution combines the retail cloud services of SPS Commerce with QuickBooks’ accounting software, providing seamless synchronization of your order data. This cost-effective integration eliminates errors and ensures accurate financial reporting, so you can focus your time on growing your business and delivering exceptional customer experiences instead of on tedious administrative tasks.

Scale your business with confidence

As your business grows, our solution grows with you. Our collaboration with QuickBooks is designed to adapt to your changing needs, whether you’re moving into new sales channels, dealing with increased order volumes or expanding your supply chain operations. You can confidently scale your business without worrying about outgrowing your software.

Dedicated support every step of the way

We understand that implementing new software can be overwhelming. That’s why we have a dedicated QuickBooks customer success team, ready to guide you through the initial process and provide ongoing support. SPS is a full-service EDI provider, which means we handle setup, testing, map changes and everything in between, so you can get back to your business priorities.

SPS Commerce, together with QuickBooks, offers a comprehensive EDI solution that has the potential to transform your supply chain operations. With seamless integration, automated processes, scalability and dedicated support, our solution empowers you to focus on what matters most: delivering exceptional products and experiences to your customers. Embrace the power of streamlined operations with SPS Commerce and QuickBooks, and unlock the potential of your business today.

To learn more about our QuickBooks solutions, visit our integrations page or take a look at our official app listing on the QuickBooks app marketplace.

Automate Shipping and Invoicing to Optimize the Fulfillment Process

Cory Mortenson — Wed, 01 Mar 2023 17:50:50 +0000

The retail industry has changed quickly in the last couple of years. It’s no wonder, given the global pandemic. As the supply chain continues to evolve, consumer habits continue to evolve, too. Shoppers want a seamless experience across multiple channels, and retailers and their suppliers must keep up to stay relevant.

This is a tough task for a small business, especially when day-to-day order processes take so much time. After you receive an order and send status updates, the next steps of shipping and invoicing require patience and attention to detail. When done manually, these processes have many possibilities for errors. If you automate shipments and invoices, you reduce errors and have more time to focus on your business goals.

Automate data entry across your shipping process to avoid errors

Shipping complexity varies by trading partnership and sales channel. Some trading partners require you to use their account or portal, while others will let you shop around for the best rates. Depending on your size, you may be able to get discounted rates with a trusted carrier. Or you may spend hours comparison shopping, switching between open tabs on your computer to compare rates and shipping times, and manually writing down tracking numbers. Any kind of manual data entry, into an ASN or BOL for example, leaves plenty of room for human error.

When you have multiple shipping methods, it is complicated to send your trading partners and consumers accurate, timely shipping information. Customers get frustrated when errors are made, leading to mistrust and damaged relationships. With new orders coming in every day and regular shipments going out, this complexity can stress out you and your team.

Remove complexity from your shipping process with automation. An automated carrier service allows you to rate shop the providers you know and trust, showing you the fastest lead times and lowest rates. Rather than clicking through multiple tabs and taking notes, you select the best shipping options for your individual retailers in one place. When you remove manual data entry, you minimize human errors. When product information from orders is automatically populated into your shipping documents, you can’t make typing mistakes. With some automated shipping platforms you can even print shipping labels and packing slips directly from the same portal.

Automated shipping also improves your customer experience by reducing shipment times and eliminating missed shipments. Shipment information is delivered to your trading partners and sales channels through a direct, digital connection, so you won’t have to get on the phone for each order. Customers and consumers know when their shipment will arrive, which leads to greater trust and satisfaction.

Shipment automation maximizes your time, reduces errors and helps you achieve greater success with your retailers. Added efficiency in your shipping process will lead you to look for it in the rest of your workflow.

Automate your invoices to skip data entry

Invoicing, like shipping, is difficult to manage manually. Without automation, you probably handle invoices one at a time. With orders coming in regularly, the paperwork really builds up. On top of that, manual entry of invoices into your accounting system provides ample opportunity for errors. Plus, you have to stay on top of changes in your retailer’s requirements.

The time it takes to go between systems, key in data and keep track of requirements, seriously slows down your order-to-cash cycle. Even if you have a smooth fulfillment process, whenever you enter data manually, your accuracy can suffer. Mistakes on invoices lead to extra time spent resolving issues and could mean chargebacks from your retailers or damage to your relationships.

Integrating your accounting, shipping and sales software is a game-changer. Rather than manually entering invoices and switching back and forth between platforms, you step back and have invoices automatically filled, populated and sent out after your shipments. You don’t have to keep track of requirements or worry about accuracy. You’ll always be in compliance and avoid chargebacks. Plus, you will free up time to focus on other important priorities for your business.

Streamline your order fulfillment

When shipments are automated and invoices are connected across platforms, your business runs more smoothly. Your team makes fewer errors and the entire fulfillment process is streamlined, giving valuable hours back to your team.

For more insights on how to automate shipments and inventory, contact our team.