Why more and more ecommerce companies are taking control of their integrations

Running the day-to-day operations of an ecommerce company is about balancing all of the different components which allow it to operate.

From ensuring a smooth website performance to a functioning fulfilment pipeline, if one thing goes wrong, that impacts the rest of the business.

That’s especially true with how you handle your data connections. Integrations are what make sure all of your systems and applications are communicating with each other effectively, and if they’re inefficient, your growth and revenue will be directly impacted.

But there’s more than one way to do data integrations. Many companies decide to handle it themselves, but trends show that more companies are looking to outsource their integrations to easily address the challenges arising in the modern world of ecommerce. In fact, whilst just 27% of companies say they’ve invested in an integration platform as a service (iPaaS), 66% say they plan to at some point in the future.

And for many companies, the promise of a no code or low code platform is pushing them even further towards outsourcing their integrations, as it allows them to build data connections quickly and easily themselves.

We’ve had a look into why companies are starting to warm to the idea of outsourcing their integrations, and why for many it’s a sound business decision.

The importance of integrations

Integrating your software is all about connecting the dots. By programming a connection between core business processes and systems, you allow those components of your business to better communicate with each other and ensure your operation runs smoothly.

But there’s a wide range of reasons why data integrations are so important.

Reduces errors

Data is one of the most powerful tools ecommerce companies have at their disposal, but if it’s scattered and disjointed, you’re doing yourself a disservice.

Moving data manually or through poor integrations is a recipe for disaster; it’s prone to errors such as duplicated or missed orders, or feeding your analytics tools inaccurate data leading to compromised decision making.

By putting focus on your data connections, you ensure databases are always synchronised and data moves reliably and automatically to where it needs to go.

Better communication between systems

Many companies still rely on an antiquated way of handling how data travels between relevant systems. Some will have software which fulfils a specific purpose, but they then need to manually transfer data from that software to an unrelated system elsewhere in the business, which may benefit from the same information but is otherwise unconnected

For example, imagine your sales team uses a piece of call-centre software which allows them to easily contact potential customers. However, their customer relationship management (CRM) system is from a different company and so the data isn’t instantly integrated.

That means your sales team needs to spend time manually transferring information about the sales pipeline onto the CRM. However, by properly integrating the two systems, data such as time spent on the phone to a certain client will be automatically updated on your CRM so your sales team can immediately see where in the conversion process they are with them.

Quicker and more efficient business processes

The longer it takes to secure a sale, the less likely it is that the customer will actually go through with their purchase. That’s why it’s so important for ecommerce companies to speed up different business processes as much as they can, to avoid turning away potential conversions.

By properly integrating your systems, you speed up all of your connected business processes by switching from manual data connection and transfers to an automated pipeline of information.

That way, your departments can focus on their main job instead of worrying about manual data entry.

Why are companies looking to iPaaS?

We’ve looked at the importance of integrations - but if you’re operating a successful ecommerce business, you’re probably already aware of the benefits of powerful data connections.

But what’s less well known is the benefits, specifically, of outsourcing your integrations to an iPaaS.

After all - if you already have a team of IT professionals and developers at your disposal, why not just continue doing your data integrations yourself?

Here’s why so many ecommerce companies are starting to look to iPaaS for their integrations.

Cost and time efficiency

Hiring a team to do integrations is expensive, and that’s without even considering the software and hardware you may need to properly handle your data connections.

You’re also forced to be reliant on how fast your team can get certain integrations set up - they may not have experience with a specific set of software integrations, which leads to more time spent trying to figure things out.

With an iPaaS, you save on both time and money. Most integration providers, such as Patchworks, will offer a subscription service so you know exactly what you’re paying each month; there’s no unexpected costs or surprises.

Plus, we’re experts in our field and have plenty of experience with a vast range of connectors and partners. That means we can get you set up with the integrations you need faster than an in-house team.

Reduced reliance on specialists

Data integrations aren’t something just anyone can handle with a basic understanding of software. Many companies who do their integrations in-house still need to hire an integration specialist, which can be both expensive and unreliable.

What if that specialist decides to move on? You’ll have to find someone of equal ability in a short period of time, and there’s no guarantee they’ll do the job as well.

By outsourcing your integrations, you’re still relying on specialists, but in a more sustainable way; there’s a whole company backing you up and ensuring your data gets where it needs to be.

Instant integration

As we’ve mentioned, setting up integrations takes a lot of time and a lot of coding from your team.

But what if you could circumvent that? Some platforms such as Patchworks offer an instant low-code, self-service feature which lets you select from a library of pre-built connectors to immediately set up.

That means you don’t need to worry about waiting for your core business processes to be properly connected - and you can rest assured that you’ve deployed a tried and tested integration.

Security and compliance

If you’re in charge of the day-to-day operations of an ecommerce company, you know how much of a hassle it can be to deal with how data is handled.

You need to make sure your systems are secure and GDPR compliant; not just for legal reasons, but also to ensure your customers are getting the best service possible and have their information protected.

An iPaaS takes care of all of that for you, so you don’t need to worry about where your data is going and who it’s shared with.

With integration providers becoming more popular in the modern world of ecommerce, Patchworks is excited to announce the release of our new platform.

We’re committed to empowering our clients and giving them the best possible experience, which is why we’ve developed our low-code platform to allow for instant integrations.

That means you can select from a library of pre-built connectors to be implemented immediately, with no need to wait for them to be developed.

For more information on Patchworks and our new platform, get in touch free consultation

Reference:

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211102005932/en/Market-Study-Reveals-89-of-Companies-Struggle-with-Data-and-System-Integration-Driving-iPaaS-Adoption