Extending Shopify Capabilities with Versa Cloud ERP
Many Versa Cloud ERP customers use the Shopify Shopping Cart as one of their eCommerce Customer Order-taking solutions. They may also use the Shopify POS in their brick-and-mortar retail outlets. Other eCommerce Customer Order solutions maybe eBay, Amazon, and Etsy for example as well as “big-box”. com sites like Wallmart.com and HomeDepot.com name a few.
With Versa Cloud ERP solution, the organization can add additional business system capabilities beyond those provided by the Shopify Platform, such as:
- Purchasing
- Manufacturing/Assembly
- Inventory Management
- Warehouse Management
- Logistics
- Accounting
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Customers use Versa Cloud ERP Capabilities in conjunction with the Shopify Platform to deliver the most benefit to Customers with respect to automation and efficiency.
Native Shopify and ERP Integration
The Versa Cloud ERP system has a Built-in Integration with Shopify. No Third-Party Connectors are
required.
Due to Versa’s building and management of the integration, the integration has a lot more capability than generic 3rd Party ERP to Shopify connectors.
Both in terms of keeping with Shopify Product Updates that are frequent as well as with respect to supporting Customer edge cases. For the same reason, making changes to the integration to support customer-specific requirements quickly and at a low cost. It is also possible through the regular Versa Changes Order process for
customization. This is usually not possible with a 3rd Party Connector.
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Master Data Management
Syncing Master Data between Shopify and Versa is a primary capability of Versa’s Built-In Shopify Integration. Master Data Includes:
- Product Details & Images
- Customer Details
- Supplier Details
- Pricing
- Inventory Levels
The Built-In Shopify Integration allows Master Data to be created and modified on either Shopify or Versa using a Master-Slave arrangement. This allows Versa Customers to designate one system as the Master where Master Data is created and changed and the other as a Slave on which the Master Data is replicated.
The Master and Slave can be switched as needed. For example, if a business is adding Versa to Shopify they may initially designate Shopify as the Master initially during Versa Implementation. This will cause the Product, Pricing, and Inventory data to be automatically copied from Shopify into Versa through Versa’s Shopify Integration eliminating the manual work usually associated with Data Migration during an ERP Implementation.
Later, once Versa Implementation is complete and after Go-Live, once the initial Product, Customer, Supplier, Pricing, and Inventory Data has been loaded into Versa the business may decide that moving forward they would like to update this Master Data in Versa and have the updates pushed to Shopify. To do this they will designate Versa as the Master and Shopify as the Slave.
This common method of deploying Versa for companies that already have a live Shopify Shopping Cart, especially those that have multiple eCommerce Customer Order taking sources deployed that they would like to control from a central Master Data Management System like Versa.
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Products Variants
Shopify supports the concept of Variants for Products that come in more than one option, such as Size or Color. Each combination of option values for a Product is called a Variants that Product. The concept of Variants is supported by Versa as well as Versa’s Built-In Shopify Integration through native functionality that allows the creation and management of a Parent Product with multiple Child Products.
POS Order Fulfillment
Customer Orders placed on a Shopify POS flow into Versa as Fulfilled and Paid-For Sales Orders. Versa’s Built-In Shopify Integration adjusts Inventory levels in Versa against the fulfilled Sales Order, records it has been Fulfilled, and creates a Paid Invoice to close out the Sale. This is all done automatically.
Order Fulfillment Outside Versa
Customer Orders placed on the Shopify Shopping Cart can be handled by Versa’s Built-In Shopify Integration in many ways. For, example Customer Orders placed on the Shopify Shopping Cart may only flow into Versa after they have been Shipped. This can happen if the business is using Shopify to Pick, Pack and Ship the Order before Versa’s Built-In Shopify Integration allows the Customer Order to flow to Versa.
Customer Orders Shipped Directly from Shopify
Additionally, Versa customers may use an add-on shipping application like ShipStation where Versa’s Built-In Shopify Integration only allows orders to flow to Versa after they have been fulfilled.
Customer Orders Shipped Using a 3rd Party Shipping App
In some cases, the business may have a 3PL that accesses the Shopify Order directly from Shopify and fulfills it before Versa’s Built-In Shopify Integration allows that Customer Order to flow to Versa.
Following the fulfillment of the Customer Order, the party performing the shipping updates the Customer Order in Shopify with the related Tracking information.
Once this is done Versa’s Built-In Shopify Integration automatically adjusts Inventory levels in Versa, marks the corresponding Customer Sales Order in Versa as Fulfilled, and creates a Paid Invoice in Versa to close out the Sale as it does with Shopify POS Sales. For these types of Orders fulfilled outside Versa, the Built-In Shopify Integration allows the business using Versa to specify when the Shopify Customer Order should flow into Versa – both initially and for updates.
Some options include bringing the Shopify Customer Order into Versa when it is created in Shopify and then updating it in Versa when it is Fulfilled. Optionally one may choose to bring the Shopify Customer Order into Versa only after it is Fulfilled.
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Fulfilling Customer Orders From Versa
Common ways in which Shopify Customer Orders are Fulfilled from Versa include:
1. Direct Ship: Customer Orders are fulfilled by the Versa Customer from existing Stock via the Versa Pick, Pack, Ship capability or via Versa integration with a 3PL.
Customer Orders Shipped Using Versa
2. Drop Ship from Supplier Stock: Customer Orders are fulfilled by a Supplier by sending the Supplier a Customer Sales
Order or Purchase Order from Versa.
3. Make-To-Order: Customer Orders are fulfilled by executing a Versa Work/Production Order.
Two other options for fulfilling Customer Orders exist but are less common when the Customer Orders originate from a Shopify Shopping Cart. These are:
1. Consignment: Consignment sales occur when a sale is made by via the Shopify Shopping Cart where the buyer (Consignee) has the right to return unsold goods.
2. Marketplace: Some Versa Customers use the Shopify Shopping Cart to operate Marketplaces where Orders. are fulfilled by Suppliers, usually against a Versa Sales Order with Payments for the Customer Order Items made by the Marketplace to the Suppliers at the end of the month less any Commission due to the Marketplace.
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KITS
Shopify does not support the concept of KITs. The Versa Cloud ERP system does support KITS as does the Built-In Shopify Integration.
If Versa receives a Product from Shopify in a Versa Sales Order, the Built-In Shopify Integration will identify it as a KIT Product and expand the KIT Product into its KIT Components.
Following that, if the KIT has already been shipped the KIT Components Inventory will be depleted appropriately.
When the KIT has not yet been shipped and must be shipped from Versa, the components of the kit will be itemized for the Pick, Pack, and Ship process.
Or if the KIT is to be shipped from a 3PL, the KIT Components will be itemized for the 3PL by Versa and passed on to the 3PL via the Versa-3PL Integration for example.
One System to Run a Business
Besides supporting efficient Shopify Customer Order Fulfillment the Versa Cloud ERP system is a complete all-in-one business software offering that trading companies, distributors, e-tailers, and manufacturers can use to run their businesses efficiently. The additional capabilities beyond Customer Order processing offered by Versa include:
- Multi-entity and Multi-currency Accounting
- Inter-company Transaction Automation
- Consolidate Reporting
- Inventory Management
- Warehouse Management
- Purchasing
- Manufacturing
- CRM
- B2B Portal
- Integrations
– non-Shopify Shopping Carts
– Marketplaces
– Package & Freight Carriers
– Payment Gateways
– EDI
– API
– 3PL - Custom Forms
- Custom Reports
- Dimensions
- Business Intelligence
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Third-Party Logistics (3PL)
Many Versa Customers use 3PLs to fulfill Customer Orders. Many workflows exist to do this as described earlier. In one flow, Customer Orders are fulfilled by the 3PL before they are sent to Versa> This is done for example by the 3PL accessing unfulfilled Customer Orders on Shopify.
Customer Orders Shipped by 3PL via Versa
Regardless of whether the Customer Order is received by the 3PL from Shopify or Versa the following Tasks have to be completed for every Customer Order:
- Customer Orders must be Pushed To Versa or Pulled By 3PL from Versa
- Customer Orders Shipment must be Pulled From Versa or Pushed by 3PL to Versa
- Once the Customer Order has been Fulfilled by the 3PL one of either the Built-In Shopify or the Versa-3PL Integration will auto-Ship and auto-Invoice in Versa.
The 3PL and Versa must remain in sync on the Purchasing side as well:
- Purchase Order (PO) must be Pushed To the 3PL by Versa or Pulled from Versa by the 3PL
- PO Receipts must be Pushed To Versa by 3PL or Pulled from 3PL by Versaand auto-Received and auto-Received in Versa via the Versa-3PL Integration
- PO Status must be Pushed To Versa by 3PL or Pulled from 3PL by Versa and auto-Received via the Versa-3PL Integration
Finally, it is important to ensure that the Inventory tracked by the 3PL in their ERP system matches the Inventory levels in Versa. This requires that Versa allow for adjustment of Inventory levels as needed from time to time. To do this both the Built-In Shopify Integration and the Versa-3PL system have the ability to Pull Inventory Levels from Shopify or 3PL respectively or allow the 3PL to Push Inventory Levels to Versa.
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