What shall you Pre-consider While Integrating Magento 2 with Third-party Apps?

Introduction

Magento 2 is growing steadily as the largest eCommerce platform in the world. Magento 2 integration with third-party applications is equally important for the eCommerce platform owners, regardless of delivering B2B or B2C services. 

Magento Integration Services will save your day when integrated into third-party systems in order to automate your eCommerce operations on a daily basis. If you have no idea, then you may hire the best Magento 2 development company. With the Magento integration with external systems (ERP, CRM, PIM, POS, etc.), it is easier to automatically sync your customer data, orders, inventory, shipping details, and product information to keep it centralized and deliver excellent customer service.

Let us start our discussion with an example: 

Consider yourself as an eCommerce platform owner with 10000+ SKUs where you are still operating and processing your orders manually. You also perform your accounting operations manually (for example, taxation) in spreadsheets. Your warehouse having this monumental number of SKUs is creating panic among the workforce to find and update the inventory.

As a result, the chances of human errors will rise eventually and any mismatch in the inventory will cause stockouts for the front-end users. Your users might be waiting for days or even weeks eventually to find out that the desired product was already out of stock. Your powerful eCommerce idea will soon turn into a destined nightmare, isn’t it?

This is why Magento integration with third-party applications is needed to extend the functionality of your eCommerce store based on your actual business needs. A well-thought planning and robust Magento integration services will take your eCommerce app to a whole new level.

But Why is Magento 2 Integration Important?

Magento 2 integration with third-party apps helps in increasing accessibility, browsing, and overall shopping experience of online shoppers. This happens because of precise end-to-end data synchronization with your Magento 2 eCommerce store. Your customers will easily find products and make orders/bulk orders, whereas you can easily perform order management, inventory management, accounting, warehouse management, and delivery. 

However, as a Magento eCommerce development stakeholder, there are some things to consider before initiating these third-party integrations. In this article, we will discuss the key considerations before you actually perform your Magento 2 integration services.

For now, let us first see the popular third-party systems with which Magento 2 is integrated!

Top Third-party Systems Integrated with Magento

Factors to Consider Before Third-party Integration with Magento eCommerce App

It is important to bring your notice that every individual third-party software integration with Magento 2 might produce a different result. Based on the custom business requirements, Magento third-party integrations are done to keep the Magento 2 website database in sync to foster certain functionalities or used to create new extensions for optimizing the Magento experience.

Whatever use it may be, the following are key considerations for Magento Integration with third-party systems:

1. Build Your Preferred Strategic Plan

We assume that by this time you already have a clear understanding of what you want to do with your Magento eCommerce web application. If not, consult with your Magento development partners now in order to know the existing and futuristic features and functionalities they are implementing via third-party APIs or systems.

As we already saw earlier that there could be numerous Magento integrations resulting in diverse functionalities, you shall be crystal clear to define the reason behind Magento 2 integration with third-party systems.

The following are a few questions that you shall be answering for helping your mind clear the clouds:

• What are you achieving via Magento integration services with any third-party system?
• Which modules/features/points do you wish to integrate between Magento 2 platform and the supposed third-party system?
• What about data transmission? From where it is received and where is it to be transmitted?
• Do you need two-way data communication or a single-way?
• Do you have any expectations or realistic knowledge about the frequency of its flow?

If you have the answers to these questions, you will have a clearer plan to execute this Magento integration process.

2. Roll-out Detailed Requirement Documentation

This has to be done only once your blueprint for the project and business ideas including the identification of challenges upon Magento integration is discussed with the experts. It is important to create detailed documentation of requirements.

It is very common in the software development process to underestimate project requirements beforehand. This is the reason why the majority of developed software applications do not succeed.

3. Understanding the Workflow & Data Setup

How well your application data is organized in the Magento eCommerce application determines the success of Magento 2 integration with third-party platforms! You have to be on top of it by understanding end-to-end workflow and varied data types. This includes product categories, types, attributes, features, and other data you may wish to send to a third-party system.

Also, the identification of data you want to retrieve in two-way data communication between your Magento-powered platform and the third-party system is going to be the key. Design a workflow you are satisfied with and want to be followed as the complexity in it will determine the complexity in Magento integration services.

The following questions are worthy of your consideration:

Should the Magento integration process with a third-party system be a two-way data stream or just a one-way process?

What data variables (data about customers, product information, prices, inventory, shipping, etc.) are to be used in this integration?

What shall be the recurring frequency of data flow between the two platforms?

Scalability shall also be considered to incorporate future integrations without much

of a hassle and complex manipulation with the developed eCommerce solution.

4. Consider the Three Pillars of Development & Integration

Once you have listed your requirements, it is now time to consider the three main things:

Time of Development/Integration/Deployment: As it says, it is the timeline to accomplish and deliver the project till a specific date (Completion date).

Budget: It is the total amount of money (in pre-decided currency) you will pay to your Magento eCommerce development & Integration partner/team. You may also have to invest in the paid third-party platforms for integrating them with your eCommerce platform, in a subscription-based model.

Quality: Whatever you had in mind before according to the flow and blueprint of the integration project, the integrated Magento platform is working accordingly to meet your exact requirements. You have got to make sure there are no glitches in the functionality or data or any aspect of your eCommerce software application.

5. Confirm the Basic Functionalities are Integrated

There are high chances that some of the features provided by third-party integration would not be needed for your eCommerce business. In this case, you must prepare a list of prerequisites, for example, inventory, orders, customer relations, accounts & finance, distribution, and shipping processes are automated with a robust Magento 2 integration with any third-party CRM, ERP, or PIM.

Give priority to business intelligence features. There is nothing better than integrating ERP, CRM, and/or PIM systems to implement robust BI features in your eCommerce app, as these third-party apps have excellent data aggregation capabilities! You can mine the data and get to know more about the data on consumer behavior and seasonal sales, and run predictive analytics to strategically plan and implement essential organizational moves.

Magento 2 is simply the perfect platform and is supremely compatible to integrate third-party applications and generate synergy between the two.

6. Think of a Customized Solution Once At Least

In Magento website development services and integration of it with third-party applications, there are always two possibilities. The first is to build and integrate using the in-built modules and components like eBridge Connections, Modern Retail, or Logic Broker, whereas the second option is to integrate the third-party from scratch. It means it is all developing a custom API or a custom Plugin.

This actually will help your Magento eCommerce development project to accommodate specific features only that are required to meet your business needs and improve the eCommerce application’s shopping experiences. You will also get to build a custom plugin based on your budget. This is why it is preferred to opt for custom integration to reap higher operational efficiencies.

To hire certified Magento 2 developers from a top Magento 2 development company is all that you need, which comes next!

7. Find the Right Magento Integration Services Provider

Magento integration services could be a costly affair given the time required. Complex business requirements will also make Magento 2 integration a complex task.

If you even have a full-fledged Magento eCommerce website developed, you will still need a trusted Magento 2 development company that has been providing proven Magento integration services for years. Hire dedicated Magento developers who will deliver end-to-end Magento consultation and then perform integration tasks to cut down time and effort.

If your quest is still on to search for the best Magento development company, it ends here with Bytes Technolab. Contact our Magento experts now!

Who We Are?

Bytes Technolab Inc., a top Magento 2 development agency, is an official Adobe Magento Bronze Partner that has been delivering world-class eCommerce solutions powered by elite Magento website development services. Hire dedicated Magento developers at affordable prices who will thoroughly understand your business goals and needs to create a blueprint for robust Magento integration services with third-party apps. 

Our Magento eCommerce development team has an average experience of 5+ years. This enhances our Magento consultation services where our clients learn the latest trends and technologies used in the eCommerce space.