Accolent ERP supports multiple eCommerce platforms either through direct API integration or through a connector that facilitates the linkage of multiple eCommerce stores. Currently, Accolent ERP is linked to multiple Online Stores (including Drupal, Magento Community version, Shopify, Woo Commerce, Big Commerce) and to multiple eCommerce marketplaces (including Amazon, eBay, Walmart). This wiki is designed to help an Accolent ERP tenant set up and an Online Store and connect it to Accolent ERP.
Implementation Process
- Congratulations on signing up for the Accolent ERP Online Stores Integration.
- There is a comprehensive implementation process that ADS Solutions will manage that will help you get your Online Store set up and linked to Accolent ERP. There are certain steps that you will be directly responsible for, but ADS Solutions can assist you, if desired; and there are certain processes that ADS Solutions will complete for you.
- You are responsible for setting up the Online Store and selecting and configuring the hosting solution. Some Online Stores (e.g., Shopify) manage the hosting directly.
- If hosting is required, such as if the eCommerce platform is open source software (e.g., Magento Community version), you’ll have to select and sign up with a hosting solution and then download and install the Online Store software onto the host. ADS Solutions can assist with this, if needed.
- Most Online Store platforms make the setup process quite straight forward and you will probably be able to do this on your own.
- The required setup is generally the same on all eCommerce platforms, but the specifics may differ slightly depending on the eCommerce platform. This wiki is written for a Shopify Online Store.
- If needed, ADS Solutions can assist you with the setup of the Online Store on a chargeable basis. Please contact ADS Solutions if you need help and we will give you a quote for this work depending on what is required.
- Once the Online Store is set up, ADS Solutions will enable the integration of the Online Store with Accolent ERP to keep the data in sync between both systems.
Online Store Setup and Hosting
- While you are setting up the Online Store it will be in development mode and will have a password for access prior to being ready to go live.
- Anyone browsing to the store will see a “coming soon” announcement.
- The password setting can be removed when the site is ready.
Online Store Appearance
- You will need to create the basic “look and feel” of the Online Store.
- The basic look and feel can be set by downloading and installing a theme; there are typically many free themes and some paid options too.
- You will also need to set up an initial slideshow (i.e., hero images), which will be the first thing customers see when they browse to your Online Store.
Online Store Freight Options
- You will need to configure and set up some freight options for the delivery of orders.
- Typically, you will provide some generic freight and delivery times that your customers will pay for. Then as part of fulfillment, you will select the specific carrier and service to ensure delivery of the orders in the selected time frame.
- You will need to make sure that all products in Accolent ERP that will be displayed on the Online Store have weights and cubes.
- Then you can set up the markets to which you will provide freight.
- Then you can go to Settings > Shipping and Delivery and set shipping rates.
- Watch this Shopify YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcpteZXmBAo.
Online Store Payment Options
- Accolent ERP delivers full integrated payment functionality through Fiserv, one of the largest global payment processors. This means that payments taken from the Online Store are automatically recorded in Accolent ERP.
- To take advantage of the Fiserv integration, you will need to use a supported Fiserv plugin for that eCommerce platform (which is not always available) or, more typically, you will use the Authorize.Net store plugin gateway plus linkage with Fiserv processor. Authorize.Net is available for almost all eCommerce platforms and is integrated directly with Accolent ERP and with Fiserv as the processor.
- Watch this Shopify YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1ZnDmMEypM.
- Most eCommerce platforms also offer PayPal or their own payment options. Some (e.g., Amazon) require you to use their payment options.
Online Store Sales Tax Options
- Most eCommerce platforms automatically calculate United States sales tax based on your store’s tax registrations and your customers’ shipping addresses, including ZIP codes.
- Alternatively, you can use a third-party solution.
- Go to your Shopify admin, and click Settings > Taxes and duties.
- In the Manage sales tax collection section, click United States.
- Add the states where you are registered to collect sales tax and enter your tax ID numbers.
- Shopify will then automatically calculate the correct tax rates for each order based on the customer’s ZIP code and your registrations.
Set Up Needed in Accolent ERP
Access Credentials
- Once the Online Store is fully set up, you will need to get the access credentials needed to connect to Accolent ERP and ADS Solutions will help you enter these into Accolent ERP.
Product Organization, Images and Marketing Descriptions
- You will need to ensure that your products in Accolent ERP that are going to be displayed in the Online Store are properly organized with a Group / Category / Sub-Category organizational structure. ADS Solutions can assist you in getting this done, if these products are not already organized like this.
- You will also need to ensure that all your products that are going to be displayed in the Online Store have product images.
- Images may be imported into Accolent ERP using a standard Excel template that uses embedded images.
- Images in the form of URLs to a Vendor’s site for example can also be accommodated by the import.
- All products that are to be displayed in the Online Store need to be marked in Accolent ERP for Online Stores Display and specify the Online Store.
- ADS Solutions can help you get your images loaded into Accolent ERP.
- You will also need to set up product marketing descriptions for those products that will be displayed in the Online Store. If you wish to set this up in a spreadsheet, ADS Solutions can upload this for you.
Initial Load of Products to the Online Store
- ADS Solutions will load the selected products into the Online Store either through an FTP data feed or through an API.
- If using an FTP data feed:
- We’ll first use the existing “Export” button and Online Store filter to select products to be downloaded as a CSV file, and
- Then we’ll use an FTP data feed to push the CSV file to the Online Store.
- If using an API:
- We can load products by Category to the Online Store directly using existing APIs.
SEO Information
- You will need to set up the SEO information for your products in the Online Store.
- You will need to provide an SEO Title, an SEO Keyword, an SEO Description, which can be a subset of your marketing description, and the URL add-on (also referred to as the slug).
- This SEO information is used by search engines to serve and rank your product pages in response to a search query.
Going Live
- When all the above steps have been completed, you can change the status of the Online Store from test to live production by removing the password.
- The Online Store will then be ready to receive orders from customers.
Ongoing Linkage with Accolent ERP
- Once the Online Store integration is enabled and your Online Store is live, Accolent ERP will keep the data continuously sync’ed between your Online Store and Accolent ERP.
- The Online Store integration works as follows:
- Initially all the products (including images, product data and inventory) will be pushed from Accolent ERP to the Online Store.
- When an online customer places an order and makes a payment in the Online Store, the order is automatically pulled into Accolent ERP.
- If the customer is unknown (matched by first name, last name and email address), the customer will automatically be created in Accolent ERP.
- If the customer is known or the customer has already been created, the order for that customer, and the payment record will be automatically made in Accolent ERP, and the payment will automatically be linked to the order to be applied once the order is invoiced.
- Once pulled into Accolent ERP, orders will be fulfilled in the normal way and when shipped, the shipping information will be automatically updated to the Online Store.
- When orders are invoiced in Accolent ERP, the Online Store will be updated.
- All product changes and inventory changes resulting from transactions completed in Accolent ERP will be automatically updated to the Online Store in real time.