Why does platform integration matter and how it can benefit your business?

This insightful guest blog, focusing on the benefits of seamless platform integration, is co-authored by Kevin Guttmann, an Information Systems Analyst, and Will Warnock, an IT Consultant, both hailing from BDO ALTSHIFT.

BDO ALTSHIFT specialises in crafting and implementing integrated cloud services that are not only robust, but also perfectly aligned with the dynamic requirements of modern multi-channel retail or wholesale businesses. Kevin and Will shed light on how effective integration strategies can result in a more reliable end-to-end fulfilment process, ultimately transforming the way businesses interact with technology.

It is well known that the impacts of the unprecedented global pandemic of 2020 dealt a severe blow to the traditional brick & mortar retail experience. Paired with the ever-increasing globalisation and growing population of digital natives who are expecting eCommerce to be available at any moment, from anywhere, in full extent; many retailers are finding themselves playing catchup.

The landscape of eCommerce has vastly altered over the previous five years. Consumers are expecting a wider range of products, the ability to track purchased items each step of the way, and absolute certainty that orders are being processed accurately, securely, and quickly.

Although it can be daunting, reaching out to technology specialists who are well-versed in the online retail industry is typically one of the most effective ways to define your desired future state; understand the improvement opportunities that are out there and formulating a roadmap for improving one’s eCommerce presence – and ultimately the experience that it is all about.

At BDO ALTSHIFT, we’re experts in digital transformation. With a client portfolio spanning numerous industries and various forms of eCommerce, our team can tailor analysis to your very own unique context and requirements. This is important, as it ensures that you and your customers remain an integral part of the transformation journey.

When it comes to improving one’s eCommerce presence and technology architecture, one of the first considerations is the integration of a centralised shipping platform into your retail fulfilment process. Regardless of the business size and existing technology stack, this is can greatly benefit you and your team.

At a high-level, the single biggest wins are the internal efficiency gains derived from two-way integration between inventory system and shipping system, as it completely removes the double-handling of data and also reduces the risk of human-error.

More importantly though, the integration of a shipping platform into your fulfilment system and process, will enable significant positive impacts upon your customers’ experiences – key benefits being:

It is critical that the adoption of a new platform comes with plenty of adoptability and flexibility. In a recent case study, Starshipit and BDO ALTSHIFT adopted a slower transition approach from an existing fulfilment process, whilst working together alongside a retail business. This enabled the retailer to stage their transformation and be comfortable that the integrated shipping details were accurate, verifying the received rates from the carriers, and then printing out the labels.

Within one month the retailer was satisfied with these core processes, giving them further confidence in configuring email templates that included shipping information and notifications sent to their customers. On top of this, they configured rules within Starshipit to change the selection of carriers based on address information – introducing some highly beneficial automation into the fulfilment process.

In the same vein of flexibility, there are some retailers who decide to action rapid improvements and transform themselves by utilising all technology functionalities from day one to incentivise all the benefits they desired from a centralised shipping platform.

There is no requirement to slot into a fixed way of using the platform and businesses can opt-in to how many of the features they want to use. This coupled with its integration capabilities makes it a no brainer in the modern eCommerce retail stack. It is due to this inherent flexibility that many online retailers comment on how easy it actually is to improve processes when supported by fit-for-purpose technology.

Conclusion

If you're ready to integrate your business systems in a way that keeps your products moving, information flowing and your customers satisfied head over to BDO ALTSHIFT to learn more.