3 Reasons You Need Inventory Management Integrations for Your B2B eCommerce Store

Time for a story. Once upon a time, there was a B2B eCommerce wholesaler. They worked tirelessly to track products and manually input and manage their inventory for months, only to be frustrated by the time-consuming nature of the work. 

This wholesaler had three options. Option one: They could hire a developer to create a custom solution that would allow their inventory levels to be tracked and managed automatically. This option would be costly and would take a long time to develop. ‍

Option two. They could increase their headcount and hire an inventory management team to be solely responsible for tracking and managing all of their inventory. This solution, again, would be costly to the wholesaler.

Finally, Option three. They could utilize an out-of-the-box B2B eCommerce platform, like B2B Wave—that allows for the use of API integrations between various apps that meet their needs to manage and track their inventory for a fraction of the time and money of options one and two.

What option should they choose?‍

What is an API integration?

An API is a set of defined methods of communication between software components. An API integration works with the data that a company inputs and sends it to a third-party application that connects the two for a smooth exchange of data between the two entities. API integrations are a great way to customize the way a B2B eCommerce storefront operates without costly development work or the need to hire more employees to manage it. Typically it’s as easy as connecting the two using an authorization process and setting up the backend with the data that you want to exchange. 

What is inventory management?

Inventory management involves managing what comes into the company and what goes out (and a lot more). It’s also critical not only to your supply chain but to your customer’s experience as well. Inventory management includes controlling and overseeing purchases from your material suppliers and customers—maintaining the storage of stock, controlling the amount of product for sale, and order fulfillment.‍

What you get by directly connecting your inventory solution to your B2B eCommerce store

Less data entry 

One of the biggest areas of inefficiency and frustration for many B2B wholesalers is the cumbersome nature of manually inputting stock levels and tracking the inventory of their products from their warehouses to their customers. It’s very time-consuming and tedious work that a lot of the time sales reps end up taking on as a part of their client’s purchasing process, which takes time away from them being able to nurture new business. 

Optimize fulfillment

When things are done manually, there is always room for error. When customer support or sales reps have to manually input data for stock and inventory, the margin for error can cause unnecessary wait times, errors in fulfillment, and an overall bad customer experience. When you use an inventory management integration, the work is done for you. The system tracks the company’s stock, sends the information to fulfillment, and will, most times, even take care of tracking communications with customers. 

Transparency of product stock

There’s nothing that customers dislike more than a lack of transparency. And because the nature of B2B is selling products to customers for their own business, transparency and a smooth ordering process are critical. If a customer logs into your B2B portal, it’s vital that the products they see and are able to order are in stock and available. Having an inventory management integration allows for your stock to be automatically updated and inventory levels to be accurate so that your customer will be able to plan for their own business needs. 

Inventory management integrations through B2B Wave 

B2B Wave currently has two direct inventory management integrations available, as well as Zapier integrations, which will connect your storefront to over 2000+ apps. Here’s what you could start using today with B2B Wave: 

Brightpearl 

When you sync B2B Wave with Brightpearl, you save time and increase data accuracy.

• When a new order is placed, B2B Wave automatically transfers the order details (customer, products, discounts, shipping costs, etc.) directly to Brightpearl.
• When stock quantity changes in Brightpearl, stock quantity changes in B2B Wave automatically.
• You can trigger full quantity updates at all times.

Zoho Inventory 

When you sync B2B Wave with Zoho Inventory, you save time and increase data accuracy.

• When a new order is placed, B2B Wave automatically transfers the order details (customer, products, discounts, shipping costs, etc.) directly to Zoho Inventory.
• When stock quantity changes in Zoho Inventory, stock quantity changes in B2B Wave automatically.
• You can trigger full quantity updates at all times.

Zapier 

Zapier offers 2,000+ different apps, which include inventory management solutions. 

• Zapier connects thousands of web apps through workflows that connect your apps, so they can work together.
• Zaps start with a trigger—an event in one of your apps that kicks off your workflow.
• Zaps automate tasks in the background, so you can focus on more important work.
  

Ready to sync your inventory with your B2B store?

If you’re anything like the company in our story, it’s time you start thinking about automated solutions that will streamline your inventory management process. Integrating a solution with your B2B Wave storefront through either Brightpearl, Zoho Inventory, or a Zapier app will help you cut down on manual input work, optimize your fulfillment processes, and improve the customer experience for clients, ultimately all making your business more efficient and your customer happy to continue choosing you for their B2B needs.