Integrating ERP and e-commerce can be a win-win situation for businesses. In a recent survey, 83% of B2B buyers agreed they would spend more to purchase products from suppliers who provide a robust e-commerce experience. So, how can you scale your business and do it in a way that also meets the evolving needs of your customers?
BigCommerce Microsoft Dynamics 365 integration is the first important step. Let’s get started and know how to set up a seamless connection.
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About Microsoft Dynamics 365 and BigCommerce
Microsoft Dynamics 365 is a cloud-based application that combines functionalities of enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM) software. In fact, Microsoft was one of the first providers to integrate the ERP and CRM capabilities natively. Microsoft Dynamics 365 is equipped with applications to support sales and marketing, customer service, finance, commerce, and supply chain that help improve efficiency, reduce costs, and create a more connected business.
BigCommerce, on the other hand, is a one-stop e-commerce platform that helps you create and operate your online storefront. It does not require retailers to buy web hosting and other applications to run their businesses. Additionally, cloud capability ensures easy and smooth operations.
So, if both BigCommerce and Microsoft Dynamics 365 can work well independently, why ERP e-commerce integration is needed? This takes us to our next section.
Identifying the Need to Integrate BigCommerce and Microsoft Dynamics 365
Are you going through any of the below situations?
- Processing orders manually and considering hiring more staff to keep up with increasing needs.
- Wanting to eliminate manual data entry between BigCommerce and Microsoft Dynamics 365.
- Considering scaling your business by integrating your existing systems with new business applications, marketplaces, and retailers.
- Realizing that your business scalability is limited.
- Finding it difficult to keep your inventory records updated.
- Struggling to provide a good customer experience.
If yes, then ERP e-commerce integration is all you need!
Integration means that you will be synchronizing or connecting your BigCommerce ecommerce platform and Microsoft Dynamics 365 ERP software for automatic data transfer without the need for human intervention.
Interestingly, nearly 97% of B2B buyers say that the customer portal is an important factor when selecting a supplier. This highlights the fact that more and more buyers want to do things online, suggesting they want up-to-date and on-demand information about their invoices, orders, and account status.
Benefits of BigCommerce Microsoft Dynamics 365 Integration
BigCommerce Microsoft Dynamics 365 integration can help you get visibility on the status of all your customer’s orders—whether you are selling via online stores, using the omnichannel approach, or doing business through warehouses or physical stores. It can also help you share accurate information on product stock availability and pricing, and automate manual tasks such as sending order status through email.
Here are some of the proven benefits of ERP e-commerce integration.
Automation of manual processes
Automation is the primary benefit of BigCommerce Microsoft Dynamics 365 integration, helping you save time and costs. The integration enables you to eliminate manual data entry and improve data accuracy. You can significantly rescue data errors and thus improve efficiency.
Accurate pricing
ERP e-commerce integration makes it easier to update pricing information. Any updations in your Microsoft Dynamics 365 will be reflected on the BigCommerce store. It can also ease tiered and customer-specific pricing, eliminating the need for phone calls and making it easier for customers to place orders, especially large repeat orders.
Inventory visibility
You can share accurate and up-to-date information on your website about different product types, be it in physical or e-commerce stores. Integration keeps your website updated with real-time and accurate inventory levels, helping you avoid overselling and underselling.
Elimination of order processing errors
In B2B businesses, the addition of a new customer or order placement and processing workflows can be complex with custom quotes, approval processes, or contracts. Managing all these diverse requirements require a seamless connection between Microsoft Dynamics 365 and BigCommerce. Integration ensures your order data is updated in the ERP flows to your storefront so that you can personalize ordering experiences for your customers including customer-specific products or pricing.
Omnichannel customer experiences
It involves enhancing customer or user experience across multiple points of contact and offering different platforms or channels to customers for purchasing the product. ERP-e-commerce integration ensures timely and accurate order fulfillment and stores a customer’s purchase history in a centralized place regardless of the channel used. This way you can offer your customer an integrated, seamless experience, meeting all their needs.
Better data usage
A majority of data is stored in Microsoft Dynamics 365 because data visibility is one of the primary benefits of ERP software. When you integrate Microsoft Dynamics 365 with BigCommerce, you can quickly transfer customer purchase data as well as other customer data into the ERP. It will help you create better reports for your sales and marketing efforts. It’s of no surprise that better data results in improved decision-making which translate to streamlined operations, improved reporting, and better forecasts for demand and inventory.
Scalability and security
Since many businesses store data on customers, products, transactions, etc. in the ERP, the volume of data increases with time. A robust BigCommerce Microsoft Dynamics 365 integration means even if the volumes increase in the future, you will be able to accommodate the growing orders.
Compliance
Tracking regulation can get tricky but with integration, you can get rid of the heavy load. Any compliance changes in Microsoft Dynamics 365 including regional taxes or laws, etc. can be automatically reflected on your product listing on the BigCommerece store. Integration also enables you to track invoices and orders from the website in the ERP, making management of accounting and tax data simpler.
Better customer experience
ERP e-commerce integration enables businesses to provide personalized experiences to their customers. This includes product recommendations or shipping preferences, making repeat purchases easier. With the increasing use of technology, customers expect better online experiences and as a business, you need to meet those.
Best Practices for BigCommerce Microsoft Dynamics 365 Integration
Here are a few important points to consider.
- Clearly define your goals, budget, timeline, and expectations.
- Have a main point of contact who will be responsible for managing the data involved in the integration.
- Ensure the integration experts are connected with the person who owns the data,
- Clean your data before integration.
- Choose an experienced solutions provider to carry out setup, maintenance, or customization.
- Go for the right integration platform based on your needs.
- Avoid choosing solutions that limit the scalability or growth of your business.
Thinking of an Integration Solution? Make a Smart Choice
When choosing an integration solution, look for a platform that enables seamless data flow between Microsoft Dynamics 365 and BigCommerce. Here are some options.
Custom-built APIs (Application programming interfaces)
You can utilize in-house IT development teams to create APIs that would connect Microsoft Dynamics 365 and BigCommerce. Although this approach offers an advantage in terms of customization, the drawback is that it may require too many technical resources and expertise. This may happen because developers will need to understand both the e-commerce platform and ERP software and their API documentation to create integrations manually. Plus, it may take months—by the time you are done developing and testing these integrations, resulting in loss of potential customers.
Native integrations
Often, in-built integration tools are provided by vendors of the software. These off-the-shelf integrations save time but are limited in terms of flexibility. Such solutions primarily include common scenarios or used cases and if the solution is not the right fit, businesses have to spend a lot of money for customization. Some vendors may work with partners for outsourcing the development and maintenance of the integrations.
You can also explore eBridge Connections which enables bidirectional flow between BigCommerce Store and ERP applications including Microsoft Dynamics AX or 365. eBridge Connections’ BigCommerce connector is part of a universal integration platform, enabling merchants and entrepreneurs to integrate effectively.
Third-party middleware software
Many third-party vendors have developed integration platforms or middleware solutions that eliminate the above two integration approaches discussed above. This type of integration solution can connect any applications easily including BigCommerce and Microsoft Dynamics 365 without the need for code. Also known as iPaaS (integration platform as a service), these solutions are cloud-based, flexible, and scalable.
DCKAP Integrator, an iPaaS solution is successfully used across the globe by distributors for e-commerce ERP integrations and much more.
Here are some points that you can consider when making a choice.
- Budget
- Recurring costs
- Need for licensing
- Customizations
- Hosting (on-premise, cloud, or custom)
- Integration possibility (multiple or a few)
- Implementation (through a partner or on their own)
DCKAP Integrator: For Easy BigCommerce Microsoft Dynamics 365 Integration
DCKAP Integrator is a low-code, user-friendly integration platform that is capable of seamlessly connecting multiple systems onto a unified platform. It enables an uninterrupted exchange of data between the systems, ensuring a single source of truth. It also allows you to automate critical business processes and functions for complete visibility, profitable decision-making, better customer experience, and foolproof future growth.
Here’s why businesses trust DCKAP Integrator when it comes to BigCommerce Microsoft Dynamics 365 integration.
- Cloud-based with drag-and-drop functionality
- Robust integration
- Limitless connections
- Quick deployment with pre-built integration templates
- Scalability to extend integration to important business systems in the future
- Real-time synchronization
- Alert notifications on any integration failure
- Regular feature upgrades
Get in touch with DCKAP today to schedule a consultation call or free trial on how we can support your seamless integration journey!
