How to integrate marketplace saving time and money?

The corporate world has been undergoing several transformations based on technological innovations that change the logic of consumption and business management . This new scenario designed by digital generates new needs, such as integrating marketplace for better management of key e-commerce activities .

On the other hand, the expansion of the number of marketplaces in the digital market also represents a new opportunity to project the business in broader markets, such as sites with greater reach and targeted at heterogeneous audiences. 

In this article, we'll talk about how to master the challenges of digital expansion and take advantage of the opportunities it offers from the integration of marketplaces and other technologies to modernize your business. proceed!

Want to dig a little deeper into systems integration? Listen to episode 7 of Sky.Cast, the Sky.One podcast!

How to optimize sales management with systems integration?

Let's assume that a sporting goods brand has virtual points of sale in marketplaces, such as Americanas, Amazon and Magazine Luiza stores. In addition, it also has its own e-commerce brand.  

Managing the various transactions of inventory, sales, payment, among other items for each marketplace in isolation is a lot of work, and still leaves management vulnerable to errors, mainly in terms of inventory control. Among the main problems of disintegrated sales management, we can mention:

• maintain the necessary inventory for each marketplace site;
• manage multiple systems to track orders;
• update each with announcements and replenishment of products daily.

With the integration of systems, it is possible to mitigate these problems by unifying inventory and managing orders in a consolidated manner , providing more compliance and security.

In addition, it will also be possible to replicate ads at once between platforms, automatically issue invoices and access accurate reports on the performance of each sales channel.

What is systems integration??

With the integration of systems, it is possible to centralize all the sales channels of the e-commerce pages with which the store works in a single place, making it more practical to manage virtual sales in various marketplaces.

Thus, it becomes feasible to integrate the e-commerce itself and the management system used (ERP). 

This tool allows the company to operationalize various retail routine activities , such as order management, stock control, monitoring of transfers, as well as integration with ZPL printing.

See below how integrating marketplace optimizes these activities.

1- Order management

Without the integration, order management consumes a lot of time to update each page, with product replacement, updating values, launching promotions and discounts.

Added to this is the concern with controlling this sale, to ensure that no channel is neglected, running out of supply and disorganizing the delivery system.

In this way, with the integration of systems, it becomes feasible to optimize operations in the different stores, especially in terms of order management. In this way, the seller is able to serve all customers within the established deadlines, in terms of sales and delivery.

2- Integrate marketplace and inventory control

Stock control is crucial for those who work with multiple marketplaces, given the real risk of shipping failures and unavailability of orders without this control. This situation causes losses such as loss of sales and credibility in the market.  

Integrating marketplaces mitigates the risk that sales and customer relations will be jeopardized by inventory issues. Thus, the integration allows the company to have control over the availability of the products, distributing properly to each channel according to the demand.

3- ZPL printing

ZPL printing is very common among shopkeepers as it enables large-scale issuance of invoices, labels and other documents related to the sale and dispatch of goods. 

With the integration of ZPL printing to marketplaces, the process of identifying goods and issuing invoices is twice as efficient . The result is greater organization in processes and a reduction in errors in the issuance of documents related to the sale.

4- Monitoring of transfers

With the integration tool, the company will know exactly the origin, quantity and date of receipt of funds arising from sales made in the various marketplaces with which it works.

In addition to the overall practicality, this facilitates the work of the financial team, through more accurate financial management, first of all a greater understanding of the flow of inflow and outflow of online business resources. 

In this way, the team will be able to verify if the amount of transfers is correct , if there are problems with the logistics, among other eventualities. Any inconsistencies can be easily identified and corrected with the help of the marketplace integrator.

Why integrate your marketplace?

The marketplace market has proved to be a viable and profitable solution for many enterprises, something reflected in its growth. To get an idea, Ebit | Nielsen found that, in 2020, revenue from this sector accounted for 78% of total revenue from the e-commerce market in Brazil .

The optimistic scenario also increases competitiveness . Therefore, for the business to be successful in this online market, it is not enough just to be present in multiple sales channels. It is necessary to manage them intelligently, in order to meet the demands with agility and quality.

Thus, the more channels, the greater the chances of sales. However, without the integration between these systems, the management of these points will be a bottleneck in the company's routine, as activities require more time and human precision without technological assistance is prone to errors.  

Which areas can be integrated?

When managing a company that operates with several marketplaces, sectors related to sales, billing, inventory and finance can also be integrated into the platform. This alternative broadens the view of business performance in different marketplaces .

Strategies to integrate marketplace, in addition to the tool, must be designed and customized for the company's reality . Let's see, below, how each sector can be integrated into the tool and for what purpose, even when the company also uses its own e-commerce.

CRM systems

Customer relationship systems provide relevant information on sales performance. The CRM helps to understand the customer's profile and provides subsidies for the enterprise to create mechanisms that personalize their experience.

By integrating the marketplace with the CRM, the company can analyze consumer behavior to launch personalized offers and promotions , increasing sales opportunities.

Logistics

Integrating marketplace and logistics makes it possible to control and monitor the distribution of products with greater precision , in addition to standardizing the methods of payment and delivery on the websites, giving the customer more options to complete the purchase.

This integration between the systems makes it possible to expand the delivery alternatives for the customer, in addition to monitoring the trajectory of the product from shipment to arrival at the recipient, preventing problems that result in delay.

Marketing

Marketing is an indispensable core for success in the sales process on online platforms. After all, nowadays, selling is not just about the best offers, but also about the best attraction and convincing strategies .

Therefore, integrating the marketplace with marketing management will be decisive in expanding access and accuracy on consumer data and behavior . From this, more qualified analyzes can be carried out to launch efficient campaigns for different marketplaces.

Payment options

It is still possible to integrate payment methods into online management, to monitor receivables and offer more payment possibilities to the consumer .

There are already companies that provide safe and practical ways in this modality, just map out which ones are most demanded by your client and which make the most sense for your business.

Integration with POS

Finally, an integrated management system for e-commerce also helps in the integration between physical and digital points. The advantages of this arrangement are greater control of the company's general inventory , as well as having greater control over all POS operations , such as sales and damage control.

It is still possible to obtain relevant data on the performance of the POS , since the information is updated in real time and shared online, with access from anywhere.

Step by step to integrate marketplace in practice

Adding a marketplace to the integration platform is very simple. See the steps below.

1. Check if the new marketplace and your company match

Before choosing the new marketplace, it is important that you assess the alignment between what it offers and what your company wants . Therefore, investigate the following points:

• understand if the audience it reaches is the same as your company seeks to reach;
• do a public profile survey, including demographic and behavioral data to get the attraction and sales ;
• identify whether the marketplace has visibility that helps your brand grow and adheres to the products you intend to sell on it. 

2. Check the requirements to integrate marketplace with your e-commerce

Some providers already provide integration between e-commerce and marketplace pages, but this service can be free or paid . Check with your provider about the service's existence, its cost, and whether it meets your company's needs.

3. Choose a company that specializes in integrating marketplaces

If the platform does not guarantee implementation, you can rely on companies specialized in integrating marketplaces and e-commerce . Search the market for existing options and select the one that best fits your business requirements.

Tips for choosing a good integration partner

If you choose to hire a third-party service to integrate the marketplace that your store uses, it is necessary to pay attention to some criteria that lead to the right choice of which tool to use. The main elements to consider when choosing are:

• the ability to integrate with relevant marketplaces in the market;
• the ability to support high volume sales;
• ease of use of the tool, such as product registration;
• have multiple functionalities;
• offer expert support in implementation and during use;
• have forms and payment plans compatible with the reality of the contracting company;
• offer free trials to try out the tool.

Get to know Integra.Sky

Integra.Sky is a Sky.One platform Integra.Sky Sky.One good performance and results with systems integration . For e-commerce businesses, it helps integrate a variety of information from software used for financial operations, sales, inventory and logistics, for example.

In addition, Integra.Sky allows your business to combine resources and implement processes, making your company scalable globally.

With the advancement of the internet and the ease of access and use of services digitally, we have a change in consumer buying behavior. Today, he prioritizes online purchases and, in the face of the competing market, those who best respond to the public's demands can stand out more and obtain better results.  

One of the possibilities in this regard is to be a multichannel seller, acting on several fronts to reach the greatest number of people and, consequently, increase the number of sales. 

We have seen that in order to sell efficiently on multiple digital channels and benefit from this tactic, the tool to integrate the marketplace is essential. 

It is not enough, therefore, to be online and have a store in all channels: it is necessary to be strategic!

Having tools that integrate your company's various marketplaces and systems optimizes the management of points of sale, helping to control the flow of sales and resources. That is, a centralized and intelligent management is practiced, which manages to expand without losing the quality of the service.

If you've read this far, certainly integrating marketplace is an agenda that interests your business. To continue delving into the subject, find out how to integrate your business with Integra.Sky .