Afosto integration for retailers | Custom development
Appfront builds an integration that connects your Afosto environment to the systems you work in elsewhere. The integration retrieves orders, passes them on to your ERP or accounting software, sends statuses and stock movements back, and keeps products, prices and customer data in sync. Every exchange is recorded in a log, including the reason for any rejection. So you no longer retype orders, and the webshop doesn't sell anything the shop has already handed over the counter.
What is Afosto integration software for orders, stock and customer data?
Afosto integration software is the layer between your Afosto environment and the systems where you manage stock, purchasing and accounting. The integration reads orders, products, stock levels and customer data, translates them into the fields and codes of the receiving system, and writes the results back. For each type of data, you decide which system is leading and how often data is exchanged. Because Afosto has an open, documented API, this can differ per data flow.
Without an integration like this, it stays manual work. Someone exports yesterday's orders in the morning, pastes them into the accounting software and adjusts VAT codes. A return or exchange in the shop only reaches the stock a day later, so the webshop sells a last item that has already gone over the counter. In busy weeks that backlog grows, and discrepancies only come to light at the stock count.
We build custom because your product numbers, VAT rates, shipping methods, ledger accounts and agreements on partial deliveries are yours, not a template's. A custom-built integration follows your own way of working and your own exceptions: which order status counts as sold and which branch may deduct stock. A generic integration package doesn't know those rules and forces you to adapt your process.
Data in both directions
Orders, products, prices, stock and customer data flow back and forth, with a leading system for each type of data, so two sides never overwrite the same value at once or undo each other's changes.
Mapping tables
Product numbers, VAT rates, shipping methods, payment methods and ledger accounts are translated into the codes of the receiving system, including the exceptions you apply per branch or per sales channel.
Queue and log
Every exchange gets a log entry with the time, direction, result and reason for any rejection. Failed messages stay in the queue and are offered again later.
How we build your Afosto integration software for orders, stock and customer data
We start with the tasks someone currently does every morning between Afosto and your other systems, including the export files and the corrections afterwards.
For each type of data we check who is leading: products, prices, stock, orders, returns and customers. We also note which exceptions are currently corrected by hand.
We set up the product and SKU mapping, with VAT rates, units, shipping and payment methods and ledger accounts. Then we run a trial on a test environment using your own data.
The daily flow goes live: orders come in, statuses and track-and-trace details go back, and stock movements from the shop and warehouse are processed. In the monitor you can see what has been passed on and what has stalled.
We secure the integration with your ERP, accounting software or WMS, keep tokens and permissions separate for each integration, and agree who follows up on alerts when a message gets stuck.
What Afosto integration software for orders, stock and customer data actually does
The components below appear in almost every Afosto integration. Which ones you need depends on the number of branches, your sales channels and the system your accounting runs on.
Product and SKU mapping
Link products, variants and barcodes to the numbers in your other system, with an overview of products that don't yet have a counterpart.
Two-way stock sync
Stock movements from the warehouse, tills and webshop are combined into one stock level per location, with an adjustable buffer for items that sell out quickly.
Orders and statuses
Orders are picked up and passed on to your accounting system, and statuses such as shipped, partially delivered and returned are sent back to the sales channel.
Webhooks and queue
Changes arrive via webhooks or a fixed polling round. Failed messages go into a queue and are offered again at increasing intervals.
Log and discrepancies
For each message you see the time, direction, result and reason for failure. A discrepancy report shows where stock or prices differ between the systems.
Tokens and permissions
Each integration gets its own key with only the permissions it needs, so you can revoke one connection without affecting the others.
Who we build Afosto integration software for orders, stock and customer data for
The software is intended for organisations that sell with Afosto and where shops, warehouse and accounting work with the same stock and the same orders.
Multi-location retailers
Stock moves between shops and the webshop. The core is an accurate stock level per location, so click-and-collect and reservations are not based on guesswork.
Wholesalers
Customer-specific prices, volume discounts and partial deliveries determine everything. The core lies in the mapping tables and in order lines that can be handled in parts.
Brands with their own webshop
Product data comes from a PIM and must be consistent across multiple languages and channels. The core is the product feed with images, text and variants.
Companies with an external warehouse
A fulfilment partner processes shipments. The core is the exchange of packing slips, shipping statuses and returns, including differences between ordered and delivered.
Technology and integrations
This page is about building an integration between Afosto and your other systems. If you would rather work from a standalone system that drives your processes, see software development; if a screen for the shop floor is part of the picture, app development is the place to look. You can read about our approach at building software.
Why Appfront for your Afosto integration software for orders, stock and customer data?
An integration is only as good as the agreements built into it. That is what we build on: one leading system per type of data, visible errors and nothing that quietly drops out.
An integration must be traceable
For each order and each product you see what was sent, what arrived and why something was rejected. That saves time searching when a customer calls.
Nothing disappears silently
A message that fails stays in the queue and is offered again. If it stays stuck, a designated person gets an alert instead of the customer.
Your rules, not a template's
You decide which status counts as sold and when stock is deducted. We record those rules in one place where they can later be changed without a rebuild.
Security and privacy for Afosto integration software for orders, stock and customer data
The integration contains order data, addresses, email addresses and sometimes payment details of your customers. Access is role-based: someone who views the monitor sees different data than someone who modifies an integration. Every change is logged. For GDPR, we record which personal data is passed on and how long log entries containing customer data are retained.
The software runs in a European data centre, with encrypted storage and daily backups. Integrations with Afosto, your ERP, accounting system and fulfilment partner use their own keys, which can be revoked per integration.
Frequently asked questions about Afosto integration software for orders, stock and customer data
Questions that retailers and wholesalers ask before starting an Afosto integration.
The integration exchanges data between your Afosto environment and the systems you work in elsewhere. Orders go to your ERP or accounting system, stock changes from the warehouse and till come back, products and prices stay in sync and statuses are reported back. Everything is recorded in a log, so you can look up why something was not processed.
This covers products with variants and barcodes, prices and tiered pricing, stock per store, orders and order lines, shipping and payment methods, returns and credit lines, and customer and address data. For each type of data, we agree which system is authoritative and how often data is exchanged, so two systems never overwrite the same value.
That differs per flow. Orders and stock usually run immediately, via webhooks or a short polling cycle, because that is where the most damage occurs if something goes wrong. Product data and prices can be synced at fixed times. For each flow, you set how often it runs and what happens in the event of a failure.
The integration holds messages in a queue and resubmits them later, at increasing intervals. Messages are idempotent, so an order is not created twice if a retry eventually succeeds. If a message gets stuck, the person you nominate receives a notification, including the reason for the error.
Yes. We bring across existing products, customers and open orders, and set up the mapping tables using your current numbers. First, we run a trial on a test environment with your own files, so you can see which lines would be rejected. Only when that picture is right does the integration go into production.
That is up to you. You can manage the mapping and settings yourself in an admin screen, or leave the maintenance to us. Either way, the integration is yours, including source code and documentation, and we agree who follows up on notifications when a message gets stuck.
Check that first. With its own data model and available integrations, Afosto covers many standard situations, and if your ERP or accounting system is among them and your process is standard, you need nothing extra. Custom work makes sense for non-standard mapping tables, multiple stores, your own warehouse process or a system without an existing integration.
Want orders and stock to flow through your systems without re-keying?
Tell us which systems work alongside Afosto, how many stores and channels you have and which tasks someone currently takes over every day. We will show you what the product mapping, the stock flow per store and the monitor with its log look like.