Integrations · Stock and orders
Connect your online store, stock and orders without creating a second job
Connecting an online store to inventory or ERP software: which system owns stock, when items are reserved and what happens when the connection fails.
Alphabite · Ecommerce design and development team ·
Updated:
To connect an online store to inventory software or an ERP, first decide which system is the source of truth for stock, prices, orders and delivery statuses, and in which direction each one flows. Then describe the awkward cases — the last item, a cancellation, a broken connection — and only then choose a file import, a ready-made connector or a custom integration.
Which system owns the stock level?
“Sync everything” is not a specification: stock, reservations, prices and delivery statuses may come from different places. Each value needs one clear owner.
Suppose you sell the same products online and in a physical shop. The inventory system may own physical stock, while the store reserves quantities for new orders. Define how that reservation changes the quantity a customer can buy. This is an example, not a required model for every business.
| Information | Owning system | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| SKU and physical stock | Inventory system / ERP | Warehouse → store |
| Order and reserved quantity | The store, under agreed rules | Store → warehouse |
| Product description and images | The store | Stay in the store |
| Shipment and delivery status | Courier | Courier → order |
| Wholesale price | Agreed price list | Price list → approved customer |
Example data map
SKU and physical stock
- Owning system
- Inventory system / ERP
- Direction
- Warehouse → store
Order and reserved quantity
- Owning system
- The store, under agreed rules
- Direction
- Store → warehouse
Product description and images
- Owning system
- The store
- Direction
- Stay in the store
Shipment and delivery status
- Owning system
- Courier
- Direction
- Courier → order
Wholesale price
- Owning system
- Agreed price list
- Direction
- Price list → approved customer
File import, ready-made connector or custom integration?
There are three main ways for a store and an inventory system to exchange data. The choice depends on how often stock changes, how many channels sell the same units and how specific your rules are.
Before choosing, ask your inventory software provider whether it has a documented API, a test environment and request limits. The answers often decide the approach more than the name of the software.
| Approach | When it fits | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled file import | Stock and prices change rarely, or you only sell online. | Mismatches between updates and who is responsible for the import. |
| Ready-made connector (module or app) | Both systems have a supported connection that covers the data you need. | Which fields and directions it covers, what happens on error and who maintains it. |
| Custom integration via API | Several locations, wholesale prices or rules the connector does not cover. | Documentation, a test environment and an owner on both sides. |
Ways to connect
Scheduled file import
- When it fits
- Stock and prices change rarely, or you only sell online.
- What to watch
- Mismatches between updates and who is responsible for the import.
Ready-made connector (module or app)
- When it fits
- Both systems have a supported connection that covers the data you need.
- What to watch
- Which fields and directions it covers, what happens on error and who maintains it.
Custom integration via API
- When it fits
- Several locations, wholesale prices or rules the connector does not cover.
- What to watch
- Documentation, a test environment and an owner on both sides.
What happens with the last item or a broken connection?
A customer orders the last item while a colleague sells it in store. Another cancels after a shipping label has been created. A third pays while the warehouse connection is unavailable. Describe the expected behaviour for each case before development.
A repeated notification must not create duplicate orders or labels. Failed updates need a visible queue or alert, retry rules and an owner. “Real time” is not a useful promise without a defined interval and recovery process.
What does one order look like from store to courier?
You select orders ready for processing, prepare a combined picking list, confirm products and create shipping labels. Delivery statuses then return to the order. Every connection should reduce copying rather than add another dashboard to watch.
For Bulgarian deliveries, check the exact Econt, Speedy or BOX NOW account and services you need. A courier logo in a feature list does not by itself define parcel types, collection points or your commercial terms.
Example: one catalogue for retail and wholesale
Amazon İş Market sells workwear and protective equipment to individual customers and wholesale buyers. With one catalogue serving both, it matters where stock and prices come from for each customer group.
What should you prepare for the integration?
A sample product export, a few anonymised orders and a list of the systems you use are useful for a first conversation. Show which fields are copied and how often they drift. That lets us separate configuration, a ready-made connector and custom development. The first conversation is free.
- Which system is the source of stock and prices today.
- How many channels sell the same units — website, shop, marketplace.
- Which tasks your team does by hand every day and how long they take.
- Who on your side will own the connection after launch.
Frequently asked questions
How do you connect an online store to inventory software?
Through a scheduled file import, a ready-made connector between the two systems or a custom integration via their APIs. The choice depends on which data must be exchanged, how often and what rules the business has.
How often should stock levels update in an online store?
It depends on how fast items sell and whether you also sell through another channel, such as a physical shop. With low quantities and several sales channels, frequent updates and reserving stock at order time matter more than with large stock levels.
What happens if the connection between the store and the warehouse fails?
A good integration records failed updates, retries under agreed rules and alerts a responsible person. After recovery, orders and quantities are reconciled so that no unavailable stock is sold and no order is duplicated.
Can one online store sell both retail and wholesale?
Yes, if it is clear which system maintains stock and prices for each customer group. Amazon İş Market, for example, serves individual customers and wholesale buyers from a shared catalogue.
What should I prepare before an integration conversation?
A sample product export, a few anonymised orders, a list of your systems and their documentation, and a description of which data is copied by hand today and how often it drifts.