Web Development guidance - Custom API

[BabooDIG]

Hey team! We currently do print fulfillment for some online galleries and independent artist. When they receive an order online they email the specs to us, and we take care of the rest.

Lately, a few of these clients stated they wished we had a way to take the orders automatically from their website, print, pack, and ship. All of these customers have their web stores on different platforms (Shopify,Square, WooCommerce, etc…).

I already have all print-ready files on-hand and ready to go, and we do not need a web to print or online designing tool. Just a system that can hook into their backend and collect the orders so my customers don’t have to do anything.

Could we possibly use a platform like Ship Station to receive orders from all these customer sites on different platforms using an api? Or is there a more elegant way of doing this that I’m not aware of.

Any insight or guidance is much appreciated.

 

[Splash0321]

It’s possible, we looked into this with another business venture we started. The problem we ran into is every customer we had needed their own custom programming in order for it to integrate because they were on different platforms and/or their orders have different custom variables. If all of your customers used the same platform it would make things simple. The cost is easily in the mid/high 4 figures range, maybe low 5 figure range…that’s just my estimate from our experiences. You could create a job posting on fiverr and you might get lucky finding someone who has done it before and can accomplish what you want faster and cheaper than I’m thinking.

 

[Solventinkjet]

I can think of 2 non-programming ways to accomplish this. You could have them simply download a CSV file of the orders every day and send the file with all the orders at once instead of one at a time. Or just have their platform CC you on order confirmations.

 

[Pauly]

The problem you'll have is getting integration to work on all platforms.

You'll need to search online for print fulfilment software or something, get demos and ask questions.

 

[victor bogdanov]

I use ShippingEasy and it pulls orders from walmart, etsy, amazon, bigcommerce and shopify. You can view orders from each sales channel separately and there is no limit to how many stores you can connect it to, works with all major ecarts.

Not sure if your customers want you to see all of their orders or only some but I think with this option you will see all of their orders not only what you need to fulfill but maybe there is a way to filter.



Another option I guess is they could create a user account for you with limited access to their store and you get the orders from there.

 

[Galaxycube]

Are you using an MIS or ERP right now?

How are you currently managing your orders?

 

[DirtyD]

I was in a similar situation with my e-commerce business when I needed to streamline order processing from multiple platforms. Using a service like ShipStation is definitely a solid option, as it can pull in orders from various platforms like Shopify, Square, and WooCommerce. It’s pretty straightforward to set up, and the API integrations are robust enough to handle the kind of automation you’re looking for.

However, depending on your specific needs, you can explore custom API development. I worked with a company that helped me create a custom solution tailored to my exact requirements. They also assisted with SEO and advertising, which really boosted my visibility online. If you’re considering going this route, you might want to https://pbb.lviv.ua/en/services/seo-and-advertising-services/contextual-advertising/ for more details on how they could help with both the technical and marketing side of things. It made a huge difference for me.