Custom e-commerce data integration development
Appfront builds custom data integration between your online shop and the systems around it: syncing product, stock, price and order data across Shopify, Magento or WooCommerce, your ERP, your PIM and marketplaces such as bol and Amazon. Event-driven integrations with clear data mapping, near-real-time synchronisation, error handling and monitoring, so every channel works with the same up-to-date information. For webshops, brands, wholesalers and fulfilment partners who want to connect their systems reliably without manual re-keying.
What is e-commerce data integration?
E-commerce data integration is synchronising product, inventory, price and order data between your webshop and the systems that run around it: the ERP for accounting and purchasing, the PIM for product content, the WMS or stock system in the warehouse, and sales channels such as bol and Amazon. The goal is for every system to work with the same current data, without anyone re-keying data or importing exports by hand.
Important to note: this is not about building the webshop itself, but about the integration layer in between. If you want a new or refreshed store, see getting a webshop built. This page focuses specifically on the integration and synchronisation layer: the logic that determines which data flows where, when, and what happens when a system fails to respond. Without that layer, shadow stock ends up in spreadsheets, marketplaces get oversold and orders never reach the ERP automatically.
Where a single integration is enough, you can often use an existing integration platform. Once you have multiple channels, multiple warehouses or your own pricing and stock rules, custom development beats off-the-shelf connectors. We build that integration to measure, as part of wider custom software or as a standalone integration layer on top of your existing landscape.
One source, all channels
Inventory, prices and product content sit in one central place and flow automatically to the webshop and marketplaces. No duplicate entry, no channels falling out of step.
Near-realtime sync
Event-driven integrations using webhooks update changes immediately. Anything that doesn't need to be real-time, we schedule periodically, with clear agreements on frequency and order.
Reliable when things go wrong
Idempotent processing, queues and automatic retries catch failures. Failed messages are logged in an overview for recovery, rather than lost.
How we build your e-commerce data integration
We start with your data flows, not the technology. Which systems feed which, where an order is created, where stock is deducted and which data may go to which channel? From that picture we design and build the integration layer, test against real data and keep the integration running as APIs or processes change.
We map out your systems and channels and establish which system is the source for product, stock, price and order data. This prevents two systems claiming the same value and gives each type of data clear ownership.
We design the data mapping between source and destination, choose event-driven or scheduled synchronisation for each flow, and define the approach to identification via EAN or GTIN, error handling and logging.
We build the integrations on current API versions, with attention to rate limits, queues and retries. We test against real product data and simulate failures, so the integration stays reliable under heavy load and during outages.
Controlled go-live with monitoring and alerting on the key flows, followed by ongoing management. If a platform API changes or a new channel is added, we adapt the integration without you having to take the store offline.
What e-commerce data integration does in practice
We tailor every integration to your systems, channels and processes. Below are the data flows we most often deliver for webshops working with an ERP, PIM, WMS and marketplaces.
Stock synchronisation
Stock levels from your ERP or WMS such as Picqer are passed on to your webshop and marketplaces in near-real time. When an order or return comes in, stock is deducted centrally, so you never sell what isn't there.
Order synchronisation
Orders from your webshop and marketplaces are automatically brought together in your ERP or order management system, including status updates and shipping confirmations sent back to the channel. Your team handles all channels in one place.
Product content & PIM
Product data from a PIM such as Akeneo is mapped and published to every channel, using the GS1 GTIN or EAN as the fixed key. That way your webshop and marketplaces show the same, correct content.
Marketplace integrations
Selling on bol and Amazon from a central system, with stock, prices and orders kept in sync. We work through the bol Retailer API and Amazon Selling Partner API, or via a channel hub such as ChannelEngine.
Error handling & retries
Idempotent processing prevents duplicate orders, and queues and retries absorb temporary outages. Permanently failed messages land in a dead-letter overview, ready to review and recover.
Monitoring & insight
Dashboards and alerting on the key flows show what has synced, what is waiting and where something goes wrong. You can see at a glance whether stock, orders and prices match across your systems.
Who we build e-commerce data integration for
Data integration matters for any organisation that sells across multiple systems and channels. For each profile we build the integration layer that suits their landscape, volume and processes.
Retailers & webshops
Shops that sell on marketplaces alongside their own webshop and want stock, prices and orders kept in sync across all channels. Often combined with a Shopify integration or another platform.
Brands & wholesalers
Manufacturers and wholesalers who manage their product content centrally in a PIM and want to distribute it to multiple buyers and channels, with reliable identification via GTIN and EAN.
Fulfilment & logistics
Fulfilment partners and warehouses connecting stock and orders between client systems, WMS and carriers, for example with a shipping integration such as Sendcloud for labels and track-and-trace.
B2B sales & portals
Organisations with a B2B e-commerce portal that want to connect customer-specific prices, stock and orders to their ERP, with separation per customer or branch.
Technology and integrations
We build with a modern, maintainable stack and connect to the platforms and channels you use. On the webshop side we work with the Shopify GraphQL Admin API, the WooCommerce REST API and Magento, now Adobe Commerce. On the channel side we use the bol Retailer API and the Amazon Selling Partner API, or via a channel hub. On the back end we connect to your ERP, such as Exact Online or King ERP, and to feed and PIM tools such as Productsup. We build every integration on the current API version, with attention to rate limits, version management and asynchronous processing.
Why choose Appfront for your e-commerce data integration?
Appfront builds custom software and integrations, and we always start with your data flows and processes. An integration that only works on a sunny day isn't really an integration: what matters is reliability when things get busy, when an API responds slowly, or when a marketplace is undergoing maintenance. That's where we focus the architecture, with queues, retries and idempotent processing.
We deliberately choose between an existing integration platform and custom development. For a single, common integration, we're happy to use what already exists. Once you're connecting multiple channels and warehouses, or need your own logic around pricing, stock and order routing, we build custom solutions that fit your actual process and grow with it. That way, you avoid bending your processes to fit the limitations of an off-the-shelf integration.
We write clear documentation on the data mapping, the flows and the behaviour when errors occur, so your own team or a future partner can understand and manage the integration. No black box, but transparent integrations with full visibility into what's flowing through them.
See also our related services: custom software development, building a webshop, a Magento integration and standalone Shopify integrations. Questions? Get in touch with us.
- Custom integrations based on your data flows
- Experience with Shopify, Magento and WooCommerce
- Marketplace integrations with bol and Amazon
- ERP, PIM and WMS integrations
- Event-driven and near-real-time synchronisation
- Robust error handling with retries and dead-letter queues
- Attention to rate limits and API version management
- Clear documentation of data mapping and flows
- Monitoring and alerting on your most important integrations
- Ongoing management as APIs or channels change
Security and privacy in data integration
In e-commerce data integration, order and customer data flows between systems: names, addresses, order history and sometimes payment statuses. That is personal data, so we set up integrations in line with the GDPR, with data minimisation as the starting point: only the fields a system genuinely needs are passed on. Authentication runs through secure mechanisms such as OAuth 2.0, with keys and tokens that we manage carefully and never allow to end up in code or logs.
We encrypt data flows in transit, log what is exchanged between systems for traceability, and control access based on role and need-to-know. This keeps a clear record of where data has gone and lets you demonstrate that you handle customer data responsibly. You can read our wider approach in our information security policy. Discuss your situation without obligation via our contact form.
- GDPR-compliant data processing and data minimisation
- Only necessary fields passed on per integration
- Secure authentication via OAuth 2.0 and token management
- Encryption in transit (TLS 1.2+)
- Logging of exchanged messages for traceability
- Access based on role and need-to-know
- Careful management of API keys and secrets
- Documentation of data flows for your record of processing activities
Frequently asked questions about e-commerce data integration
Answers to the questions we're asked most often about connecting and synchronising e-commerce systems.
E-commerce data integration is the synchronisation of product, stock, order and customer data between your webshop and the systems around it: your ERP, PIM, WMS and sales channels such as bol and Amazon. Rather than manually re-keying data or handling separate exports, changes flow automatically and in a controlled way from one system to another. That way, you never sell stock you don't have, and every channel works with the same, up-to-date data. This is about the integration layer between systems, not building the webshop itself.
Building a webshop is about the storefront itself: the design, the product pages and the checkout process. Data integration is about the data flows behind that store: how stock, prices, orders and product content are synchronised between your webshop, ERP, PIM and marketplaces. If you want a new or redesigned webshop, we'd point you to our page on building a webshop. This page focuses specifically on the integration and synchronisation layer between existing systems.
When an order or return is placed, stock changes in one place, usually the ERP or WMS, and that change needs to reach all sales channels immediately. We typically build this event-driven with webhooks: the source system reports a change, and the integration processes it and updates the other channels. Because marketplaces such as bol work asynchronously and confirm write actions with a process status, we monitor that status and handle delays so stock levels don't drift out of step. In practice, real-time means near real-time, with clear agreements on what synchronises instantly and what synchronises periodically.
Each platform has its own API and quirks. Shopify directs new integrations to the GraphQL Admin API and applies a leaky-bucket limit on the number of requests, WooCommerce works with a REST API on top of WordPress, and Magento, now Adobe Commerce, has a more extensive but heavier API model. We build the integration on the current API version, account for rate limits and API version management, and test against your shop's real data. That way, the integration keeps working when the platform releases a new version.
Marketplaces such as bol and Amazon each have their own API, the bol Retailer API and the Amazon Selling Partner API, and their own way of identifying products. At bol the EAN is the canonical product identifier, while Amazon uses ASINs. We integrate your stock, prices and orders with those channels and make sure product data is mapped correctly, so you can sell on multiple marketplaces from one central system. Order and stock flows feed back into your ERP, keeping accounting and fulfilment in order.
Integrations sometimes fail: an API is unreachable, a message arrives twice, or a system is down for maintenance. That is why we build in error handling with idempotent processing, so a repeated message does not result in duplicate orders, along with queues and automatic retries for temporary outages. If a message ultimately fails, it lands in an overview where your team or we can review and resolve it. This keeps synchronisation reliable, even when one of the connected systems stops responding for a while.
Product data differs in structure from one system to another: fields, variants, units and categories are named differently everywhere. We establish an explicit data mapping between the source and each target system and, where possible, use a PIM such as Akeneo as the central source of truth for product content. Standards such as the GS1 GTIN or EAN serve as a fixed key to reliably match products across channels. Validation and logging make visible which data has been transferred and where anything deviates.
That depends on your situation. For a single, common integration, an existing integration platform or feed management tool may be enough, and we are happy to work with it. Once your processes differ, you connect many systems, or you need specific logic around pricing, stock rules or order routing, we build custom solutions that match your actual processes. We will honestly advise which approach suits you, and we do not promise a fixed timeline or price that we cannot substantiate.
Ready to integrate your e-commerce systems?
Tell us which systems and channels you use and where your data currently gets stuck, from stock and orders to product content and marketplaces. We are glad to think along about the data flows, the mapping and the approach to errors. In a no-obligation first conversation, you will gain a clear picture of the options for reliable integration between your webshop, ERP, PIM and marketplaces.
If you want to explore this topic more broadly, applatenmaken.com has a page on building data integration software.