Inventory, orders, and fulfilment in sync — automatically.
Manual order processing, inventory spreadsheets, and copy-paste between your store and your ERP are early-stage workarounds. At scale, they cause overselling, fulfilment delays, and the kind of customer experience problems that destroy review ratings. We build integrations that keep your e-commerce store, ERP, and warehouse management system in real-time sync — orders route automatically, inventory updates immediately, and fulfilment status flows back to the storefront.
Manual order processing and inventory spreadsheets are operational bottlenecks that compound as order volume grows — at 200 orders a day, the problem is obvious; at 50 orders a day, it's already causing errors and delays. Origin Softwares builds ERP and warehouse integrations that keep your e-commerce store, ERP system, and 3PL in real-time sync: orders route automatically, inventory updates within 60 seconds, and fulfilment status flows back to the storefront without manual intervention. We've integrated against NetSuite, SAP, Unicommerce, Increff, and bespoke warehouse systems.
What is e-commerce ERP and warehouse integration?
E-commerce ERP integration connects your online store to your enterprise resource planning system so that orders, inventory, pricing, and fulfilment data flow automatically between systems without manual copying or data entry. When a customer places an order, it routes automatically to the correct fulfilment centre. When inventory is received in the warehouse, the store's stock levels update within seconds. When a shipment is dispatched, the tracking number appears in the customer's order confirmation. Origin Softwares builds these integrations with queue-based architecture so high order volumes don't create backpressure, dead-letter queues so failed sync events are visible and retried, and monitoring dashboards so your operations team can see the health of every data flow in real time.
The problems this solves
- Operations team manually copying orders from the store into the ERP for hours every day, creating lag and data entry errors
- Inventory overselling because stock levels on the storefront are not updated until a manual sync is run
- Fulfilment tracking numbers not flowing back to the storefront, requiring customer service to manually respond to 'where is my order' queries
- Integration built by a previous developer breaking silently — no alerting when sync events fail and inventory drifts out of sync
- Multi-warehouse order routing done manually because the integration doesn't model routing rules or location-based logic
- Returns and refunds not synced back to the ERP, causing the operations team to manually update inventory and financial records
Business outcomes
- Elimination of manual order entry work — zero manual data copying between store and ERP after integration goes live
- Inventory sync latency under 60 seconds eliminating overselling during promotions and high-traffic periods
- Fulfilment tracking numbers updating automatically in the storefront reducing customer service contact rate
- 99.5% integration uptime with retry logic and dead-letter queues preventing silent sync failures
- Multi-warehouse routing automated — orders dispatched from the optimal location without manual assignment
- Operations team capacity freed from order processing and redirected to higher-value fulfilment and supplier management work
Who is this for?
Mid-Volume E-Commerce Operators
Stores processing 50–500+ orders per day where manual order entry between store and ERP has become a full-time job and a source of fulfilment errors.
Multi-Warehouse Businesses
Operations with multiple fulfilment centres or a mix of owned warehouses and 3PLs that need automated order routing logic based on stock availability, location, and order characteristics.
B2B E-Commerce Platforms
B2B portals where customer-specific pricing, credit limits, and payment terms must flow from the ERP to the store and orders must route back with purchase order references.
Subscription and Recurring Order Businesses
Brands selling subscriptions where recurring orders need to sync to the ERP automatically without creating duplicate fulfilment records.
Fast-Growth D2C Brands
D2C brands that have grown past the point where a manual operational workflow is viable and need to automate fulfilment before the process becomes a customer experience problem.
Businesses Replacing a Broken Integration
Operations that have an existing integration built by a previous developer that breaks silently, lacks monitoring, or cannot handle edge cases like split fulfilment or returns.
When E-Commerce ERP & Warehouse Integration may not be the right fit
We'd rather tell you upfront than waste your time and budget.
- Your order volume is below 20 orders per day — at that volume, a manual process or a simple export/import workflow is sufficient and integration investment is not justified.
- Your ERP has no API or only supports flat file (SFTP/EDI) exchange and your timeline is under 8 weeks — flat file integrations require more time for format mapping and testing.
- You are planning to replace your ERP within 12 months — integration investment against a system that will be decommissioned is rarely worthwhile.
- Your warehouse uses a proprietary WMS with no documented API — integration feasibility cannot be confirmed until the vendor provides API documentation.
What's included
- Bidirectional inventory sync between storefront and ERP/WMS
- Automated order routing to the correct fulfilment centre or 3PL
- Real-time fulfilment status and tracking number updates to storefront
- Returns and refund processing synced across all systems
- Multi-warehouse and multi-location inventory management
- Product catalogue sync from ERP to storefront with attribute mapping
- B2B pricing tiers and customer-specific pricing from ERP
- Integration health monitoring with alerting for sync failures
How we deliver
Technical Discovery
Review ERP and WMS APIs, map data entities, and document the integration architecture and edge cases.
- ERP API documentation review: available endpoints, rate limits, webhook support
- Data entity mapping: which fields in the store map to which fields in the ERP
- Edge case identification: split fulfilment, returns, cancellations, partial inventory
- Integration architecture produced with queue design and data flow diagrams
Integration Build
Build the queue-based integration layer with bidirectional data flows.
- Order routing: store order → ERP order creation with correct routing logic
- Inventory sync: ERP stock levels → storefront in under 60 seconds
- Fulfilment status: ERP dispatch → storefront tracking number update
- Returns sync: store return → ERP return and inventory adjustment
Monitoring & Alerting
Build the operations dashboard and alerting infrastructure.
- Integration health dashboard showing sync status for all data flows
- Dead-letter queue monitoring with alerts for failed events
- PagerDuty or equivalent alerting for critical sync failures
- Runbook written for common failure scenarios and resolution steps
Testing & Load Testing
End-to-end testing of all data flows and load testing at peak volume.
- Every data flow tested end to end with real ERP in staging
- Edge case testing: duplicates, cancellations, returns, inventory corrections
- Load test at 3× peak order volume to confirm queue handles spikes
- Operations team walkthrough and sign-off before go-live
Go-Live & Monitoring
Activate integration in production with monitoring and 30-day support.
- Integration activated with live ERP and storefront
- First 48 hours monitored for unexpected edge cases in production data
- Dead-letter queue cleared and operations team briefed on any new scenarios
- 30-day support period begins
How long does an ERP integration project take?
A standard bidirectional integration between a Shopify store and NetSuite — covering order routing, inventory sync, and fulfilment status updates — takes 8–12 weeks. Simpler integrations with a 3PL that has a well-documented API take 4–6 weeks. Complex projects involving multi-warehouse logic, B2B pricing sync, returns processing, and a custom ERP with limited API documentation take 14–20 weeks. Timeline drivers are: the quality of the ERP's API documentation, the complexity of the business logic (multi-warehouse routing, customer-specific pricing), and the number of edge cases that need to be modelled. Origin Softwares scopes every integration with a technical discovery phase before estimating the timeline.
Technologies we use
- NetSuite
- SAP
- Unicommerce
- Increff
- Shopify API
- WooCommerce REST API
- Node.js
- Python
- Webhooks
- AWS SQS
- PostgreSQL
Architecture & scalability
- Queue-based architecture (AWS SQS or equivalent) is mandatory for production integrations — direct API calls without queuing create backpressure during high order volumes and produce silent failures
- Inventory buffers (holding back a percentage of stock from the storefront) are the most reliable way to prevent overselling during the sync window — do not rely solely on sync speed
- ERP APIs often have undocumented rate limits that only appear at production order volumes — these must be tested explicitly before launch, not discovered during a promotion
- Idempotent event handlers are essential because Shopify and most ERP systems may deliver duplicate webhook events — processing an order twice must be safe and produce no duplicate records
- Dead-letter queues must be monitored actively — failed events that accumulate without resolution cause inventory drift that becomes increasingly difficult to reconcile over time
Integration Architecture Approaches
| Criterion | Queue-based (Origin Softwares) | Direct API calls (no queue) | Scheduled batch sync |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reliability | Dead-letter queue catches failures | Failures are silent or crash | Reliable but delayed |
| Real-time capability | Webhook-driven near-real-time | Synchronous — blocking | 5-60 min latency typical |
| Error visibility | Monitoring dashboard + alerts | No visibility without custom logging | Log-file only |
| Maintenance overhead | Low — automated retry logic | High — manual intervention required | Moderate — cron job monitoring needed |
Why choose Origin Softwares
Our approach
- Documented experience with NetSuite, SAP, Unicommerce, and Increff — we know their APIs, quirks, and failure modes
- Queue-based architecture with dead-letter queues and retry logic so failed sync events are never silent
- Integration health monitoring dashboard included — your ops team can see every data flow in real time
- Edge cases modelled before build: inventory buffers, split fulfilment, returns, and concurrent order writes
- Integration uptime of 99.5% across active client integrations with full alerting and incident response
Delivery standards
- Technical discovery phase before any estimate is produced — no timeline given before API documentation is reviewed
- Data flow architecture diagram produced and approved before development begins
- All edge cases documented and tested: split fulfilment, oversell prevention, failed payment, and return scenarios
- Integration monitoring dashboard delivered with runbook for common issues and resolution steps
- Load test at 3× peak order volume before go-live to confirm the queue architecture handles traffic spikes
Quality assurance
- Every integration data flow tested end to end in staging: order creation → ERP route → fulfilment → tracking update → storefront
- Edge case testing: duplicate webhook delivery, order cancellation mid-fulfilment, partial returns, and inventory adjustment
- Sync latency measured under load: inventory updates confirmed within 60 seconds at peak order velocity
- Dead-letter queue behaviour verified: failed events captured and retried correctly
- Operations team walkthrough of monitoring dashboard before go-live
Security practices
- ERP API credentials stored in AWS Secrets Manager or equivalent — never in code or environment files in the repository
- Webhook signatures verified on every incoming event to prevent spoofed order or inventory data injection
- Data in transit encrypted via TLS 1.3 for all API calls between storefront, integration layer, and ERP
- Access to integration monitoring dashboard role-restricted to operations team members
- PCI-DSS compliance maintained: payment data never passes through the integration layer — only order metadata
Performance
- AWS SQS or equivalent queue handles traffic spikes without backpressure on the storefront or ERP API
- Inventory sync confirmed under 60 seconds latency from ERP update to storefront stock level change
- Order routing logic optimised to minimise ERP API calls per order — batch where possible, real-time where required
- Queue consumer auto-scales with order volume — no manual capacity management during promotions
- Integration performance benchmarked at 3× current peak order volume before launch
What you receive
- Integration architecture document with data flow diagrams and edge case documentation
- Bidirectional sync implementation: orders, inventory, fulfilment status, and returns
- Integration health monitoring dashboard with alerting for sync failures
- Runbook for common integration issues and resolution steps
- Load test results at 3× peak order volume
- Operations team training on monitoring dashboard and manual override procedures
Support tiers
- Launch Support (30 days): Integration monitoring, failure resolution, and edge case handling for new scenarios discovered post-go-live
- Operations Retainer: Monthly monitoring, ERP API version update management, and new integration scope as operations evolve
- Emergency Support: Priority response for integration failures causing order routing or inventory sync to stop
Why Origin for E-Commerce ERP & Warehouse Integration
We understand both sides — commerce and ERP
Most web agencies struggle with ERP integrations because they don't understand how ERPs model inventory and fulfilment. We've integrated against NetSuite, SAP, Unicommerce, and Increff — we know their quirks, their webhook limitations, and their eventual consistency behaviours.
Built for operational edge cases, not just the happy path
What happens when an order comes in during an inventory sync? When a fulfilment is split across two warehouses? When a return arrives before the ERP has processed the original order? We model every edge case before we build.
Real-time where possible, reliable where not
Webhook-driven real-time sync where the system supports it. Scheduled sync with short intervals where it doesn't. Dead-letter queues and retry logic so a failed sync attempt doesn't silently leave your inventory out of date.
Industries we serve
Typical delivery timeline
| Phase | Duration | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Technical Discovery | 1–2 weeks | API review, data entity mapping, edge case documentation, and integration architecture produced. |
| Integration Build | 4–8 weeks | Bidirectional data flows built: orders, inventory, fulfilment status, and returns. |
| Monitoring & Alerting | 1 week | Operations dashboard, dead-letter queue alerting, and runbook completed. |
| Testing & Load Testing | 1–2 weeks | End-to-end testing, edge case testing, and load testing at 3× peak volume. |
| Go-Live & Support | 1 week + 30-day monitoring | Production activation, first 48-hour close monitoring, and 30-day support period. |
Before you start — a checklist
Use this to prepare for your first conversation with us.
- Build the integration when manual order entry or inventory management is consuming more than four hours per week — the ROI is immediate
- Prioritise inventory sync first if overselling during promotions is a recurring problem — this is the highest-risk manual process
- Use queue-based architecture regardless of current order volume — the integration should scale without rebuilding when volume grows
- Invest in monitoring and alerting as part of the integration build — an integration that fails silently is worse than no integration because problems compound undetected
- Review ERP API documentation quality before committing to a timeline — poorly documented APIs or flat-file-only ERPs require significantly more time
Maintenance & support
- 30-day post-launch support: integration monitoring, failure resolution, and edge case handling for new scenarios discovered in production
- Monthly operations retainer: API version update management, new integration scope, and monthly sync health report
- Emergency support for integration failures causing order routing or inventory sync to stop — 2-hour response SLA
- Annual integration review: assess whether new ERP features or storefront changes require integration updates
“We were manually copying orders from Shopify into NetSuite for 200+ orders a day. Origin built an integration that routes orders automatically, syncs inventory every 5 minutes, and updates tracking numbers back to the customer. What used to take two people four hours a day now takes zero.”
Frequently asked questions
Planning & scope
- What information do we need to provide for an ERP integration scoping?
- ERP system name and version, whether it has a REST API or only SFTP/EDI, a list of the data flows you need (order routing, inventory sync, fulfilment status, returns), current order volume and peak order volume, and whether there are multiple warehouses or 3PLs involved. With this information we can review the API documentation and provide a scoped estimate within 3–5 business days.
- Can you integrate with a 3PL that only supports SFTP file exchange?
- Yes, though it adds complexity. SFTP-based integrations use a polling model rather than webhooks: we generate correctly formatted export files on a schedule and pick up inbound files from the 3PL on a separate schedule. Latency is higher than a webhook-based integration — typically 15–30 minutes rather than under 60 seconds — and the file format mapping requires careful testing. We build the same monitoring and alerting infrastructure for SFTP integrations as for API-based ones.
- Our previous integration keeps breaking. Can you fix it or do we need a rebuild?
- We start with an audit of the existing integration to understand its architecture and identify why it's breaking. Silent failures are usually caused by missing error handling and no retry logic — these can often be fixed without a full rebuild. If the integration was built without a queue-based architecture and is failing at volume, a rebuild on a proper queue architecture is typically faster than trying to retrofit reliability onto a fragile direct-API implementation.
Technical
- How do you prevent inventory from going negative during a sync delay?
- Three layers: inventory buffers (holding back 5–10% of stock from the storefront so you never sell the last unit before sync confirms), soft reservation on add-to-cart (marking inventory as reserved before the order is placed), and checkout validation against the ERP's actual stock level before payment confirmation. Each layer independently prevents overselling — together they eliminate it in all but the most extreme edge cases.
- How does the queue handle a sudden spike in orders during a promotion?
- AWS SQS (or equivalent) absorbs the spike — messages queue up at whatever rate orders arrive, and consumers process them at whatever rate the ERP API can handle. The queue auto-scales consumers to process faster when depth grows. ERP API rate limits are managed by consumer throttling — we respect the ERP's rate limit ceiling and queue excess messages for processing as capacity allows. No orders are lost; some may experience a few minutes of processing delay during a spike.
- What happens if the ERP goes offline during trading hours?
- Orders continue flowing to the queue and accumulate there until the ERP is available again. Consumers retry failed events with exponential back-off — every 30 seconds for the first few retries, then every few minutes, then hourly. Failed events beyond the retry limit go to the dead-letter queue where they are visible in the monitoring dashboard and can be replayed manually when the ERP comes back online. The storefront continues taking orders throughout.
Engagement & process
- Is an ERP integration a one-time project or does it need ongoing maintenance?
- Both. The initial build is a project. Ongoing maintenance is typically needed for: ERP API version updates (usually annual), Shopify API version updates (quarterly), new data flows as operations evolve (new warehouses, new return scenarios), and periodic monitoring of the dead-letter queue for edge cases that accumulate in production. A monthly retainer covering these items is significantly cheaper than emergency fixes when something breaks.
- How do you handle the handoff to our operations team?
- The integration monitoring dashboard is designed for non-technical operations staff — it shows sync status per data flow, failed events in the dead-letter queue, and sync latency in plain terms. We deliver a runbook covering the five most common failure scenarios and their resolution steps, and we do a walkthrough session with your operations team before go-live. The goal is that your team can diagnose and resolve 80% of issues without needing to contact us.
- Do you offer a fixed price for ERP integration projects?
- Yes, after the technical discovery phase. The discovery phase reviews the ERP API documentation and produces the integration architecture before we provide a fixed-price quote. Quoting before discovery produces unreliable estimates — the variability in ERP API quality is too high. Discovery is typically a one-week engagement with a fixed fee, and the output is the architecture document and the full project estimate.
What should you look for in an ERP integration partner?
The most important thing is that the partner understands both sides — commerce systems and ERP systems — because the integration failures that cause the most damage happen at the boundary between the two. Most web agencies understand Shopify or WooCommerce well but don't know how NetSuite or SAP models inventory, orders, and fulfilment internally. Look for documented experience with your specific ERP, not just general API integration capability. Origin Softwares has built integrations against NetSuite, SAP, Unicommerce, and Increff — we know their webhook limitations, their eventual consistency behaviours, and the edge cases that only appear at volume. Ask any integration partner to describe specifically how they handle inventory going negative during a sync delay.
Related services
Web Development
Storefront enhancements — real-time stock indicators, delivery date estimates, and warehouse proximity displays — that surface integration data to buyers.
Custom Software Development
Custom integration middleware, pricing engines, and warehouse routing logic for operations with requirements beyond standard ERP integration patterns.
Digital Marketing
Inventory data integration into paid advertising — dynamic product ads and availability-based bidding rules that use live stock levels.
UI/UX Design
Operations dashboard design for the integration monitoring interface used by your warehouse and operations teams daily.
AI & Cloud
Cloud infrastructure for the integration layer — AWS SQS, Lambda, and monitoring setup — plus AI-driven demand forecasting integrated with your ERP inventory data.
Not sure where to start?
Tell us your ERP system and daily order volume — we'll confirm feasibility and timeline in a technical discovery call.
Get a free consultation