When you are working in e-commerce, you are offering your goods in an online shop, a marketplace or both. These two types of distribution differ as follows:
An online shop consists of your own website, which you can customize according to your needs. This allows you to better control the customer experience and stand out from the crowd. A shop system such as Shopify or Shopware works in the background, accepting your orders and forwarding them to Xentral.
A marketplace is an existing platform such as Amazon or eBay where you can list your products. Due to the high number of users on these platforms, you benefit from a wide reach. On the other hand, you are dependent on the platform's decisions and cannot present your items individually. This saves time, but makes it more difficult to establish your own brand.
Online shops and marketplaces are connected to Xentral via interfaces. These can, e.g., import sales orders, synchronize stock figures across all shops/ marketplaces and report tracking numbers back to the shop.
Note
The classic shop interfaces in Xentral are gradually being replaced by new interfaces. You can recognize the new interfaces by the word "Connector", e.g. Shopify-Connector. These are easier to connect and offer extended functionalities. If you have already connected your shop via a classic interface, you can easily migrate this to the new interface.
To connect a shop or marketplace via the classic interface:
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Go to Settings > Sell > Shops/ Marketplaces. Click + Add connection.
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Select the shop/ marketplace you want to connect.
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Enter the access data for your shop or marketplace. This step differs depending on the interface you want to connect. You will be redirected to the interface settings.
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Click Check connection to test if the connection was successful. No data from the shop or Xentral will be transferred. This only checks if a connection is possible.
If the connection was successful, please continue the connection process. If an error occurs, please review your access data.
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Select an import mode. This defines how sales orders are imported to Xentral:
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Trial (for testing): Set by default. We recommend that you test the interface extensively before switching to live mode. In this mode, the order status in the shop is not changed and no items and stock figures are transferred.
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Manually (with import center): Only imports sales orders if you click Pick up orders in the action menu on the right-hand side of your interface. Manual import gives you the opportunity to check your sales orders before releasing them. This is particularly important in the B2B area if you only have a few but very important orders.
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Automatically (via process starter) : Imports your orders automatically at regular intervals. You define the interval in the shopimporter process starter. This is the typical mode for an e-commerce company in the B2C sector.
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The reporting of the tracking number to the shop is preset by default. You can find the option under the Details tab > Settings subtab in the Confirm order status field.
Stock figures are synchronized if the following conditions are met:
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The process starter Lagerzahlen (Shops) with parameter lagerzahlen is active.
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The following two prerequisites need to be fulfilled for a product under Details tab > Online shop options subtab:
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The option Stock numbers sync is activated.
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The article is linked to the shop interface. To do this, click on New entry in the Online shops area.
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Note
With a new interface, you can control the required features, such as the synchronisation of stock figures and tracking, directly in the interface.
External item numbers are used in the classic interface to establish a connection between shop or marketplace products and your products in Xentral. There are three ways to customize your external item numbers:
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In the respective product in the External numbers tab for an individual product
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In the External item numbers app for manual editing of all products
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In the Import center for multiple products at the same time via a CSV file
Three pieces of information are important when assigning an external item number: the item number in Xentral, the designation and the external item number (item number in the shop). The designation differs depending on the shop:
|
Shop/ Marketplace |
Type of product |
Designation |
|---|---|---|
|
Shopify |
Product |
shopifyproductid |
|
Shopify |
Variant |
shopifyvariantid |
|
WooCommerce |
Product |
SKU |
|
Amazon |
Product (Fulfillment by Amazon) |
SKU_FBA |
|
Amazon |
Product (Fulfillment by Merchant) |
SKU_FBM |
|
eBay |
Product |
eBayListing |
|
eBay |
Variant |
SKU, alternative: Bestandseinheit |
|
Kaufland |
Product |
apiunitid |
Note
No external item numbers are required in the product for Shopware. However, the item numbers/ SKUs in Xentral must be identical to the item numbers in Shopware.
You can connect a new interface (e.g., Shopify or WooCommerce) as follows:
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Go to Settings > Sell and select a new interface, e.g., Shopify Connector.
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Click Install App. This is only necessary for your first connection.
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Click + New integration.
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Give the interface a name and leave the switch under Activate live mode to the left (inactive). This allows you to test the interface thoroughly before going live. Click Next.
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Generate an access token in your external shop and then enter your shop's access data in Xentral.
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Click Check connection to test if the connection was successful. No data from the shop or Xentral will be transferred. This only checks if a connection is possible. Click Next.
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Select which data should be exchanged between Xentral and your shop. Among other things, you can decide whether you want to synchronize stock figures, prices and tracking. Afterwards, click Save.
The interface will now be created. This takes a short moment. You can then migrate data via the user interface, assign products and set the details for data exchange under Workflows. You can also test and go live with the interface under Workflows.