Epicor Eclipse ERP Integration with Magento: An Introduction

ERP. Enterprise Resource Planning.

ERP systems automate and streamline business processes like back-office functions related to technology, retail services, and human resources. When integrated (the key idea here) with other enterprise systems, they make your business more efficient and profitable.

Full disclosure: ERP integrations can be difficult.

Mayank Agrawal, DotcomWeaver’s CTO, says: “The challenges of ERP integrations involve the age of your systems, their architecture, and whether there is a need to integrate new applications and systems into the original ERP. You need an experienced tech partner to make them work for you.”
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Magento 2.0: Your Online Store.

Magento is among the leading eCommerce platforms today and is our eCommerce platform of choice. It is customizable, scalable and offers an ever-increasing number of user experience improvements. Here’s a quick look at the Magento 2 pros and cons to see if it’s right for your business.

If you have a Magento store or are considering migrating to Magento 2, know this: growing your Magento store requires a lot of time and resources. The best way to make this process faster, easier and cheaper over the long-term is by integrating a sophisticated and efficient ERP system.

Investing in versatile ERP technology will improve the data communication between your processes, which your internal stakeholders and customers will appreciate. If your store and ERP aren’t fully-integrated, you aren’t getting the most out of either.

One of the most versatile ERPs we work with is Epicor Eclipse. Epicor Eclipse ERP integration with your online store can unlock your business potential. Here’s how.
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B2B features and benefits of Epicor Eclipse ERP Integration

Epicor Eclipse is a proven, end-to-end business system used by many electrical, HVAC, plumbing and PVF market leaders. Its industry-rich feature set makes it ideal for wholesale distributors that want to streamline their processes while offering better buying options to customers.

With Epicor Eclipse, you can provide preferential buying options to customers once available only through customer service and account reps. It offers a B2B eCommerce solution that can translate your customer-focused internal B2B features onto your online store.

Don’t forget the B2C eCommerce Functionality

Customers expect even more than ‘standard’ B2B features. Thanks to Amazon, they want their shopping experience to have the convenience of today’s best B2C platforms.

So, while enhancing your business infrastructure with a powerful ERP like Epicor Eclipse, you should look for a developer who can also help you add B2C features to your online store.‍

Some Epicor Eclipse ERP Integration B2C features your customers will love:

• Better product cataloging
• Multiple ways to find products [filter by brand, part #, etc.]
• Parts Finder / Parts Lookup tools
• Special promotions
• Drill-down navigation
• Loyalty programs [reward points, store credits, etc.]
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In fact, Amazon is pushing Amazon Business very aggressively: bringing the merge of Retail Marketplaces into Industrial Marketplaces with a B2B setup. This must be accounted for in your eCommerce strategy.

An Epicor Integration with Magento 2 will allow you to offer all of these functions to your customers and more – all while making your business more efficient.
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The Omnichannel Experience: Integrating Epicor Eclipse with Magento 2.0

To offer the features your customers value, you need a powerful eCommerce shopping cart system. Magento provides a customizable B2C and B2B experience for customers. It has an extensive feature set that can accommodate almost any business function you require.

However, Magento’s feature set delivers the best ROI only when a true omnichannel experience is available to your customers. An example of this omnichannel functionality is:

1. Your customer is set up in Eclipse with a B2B login.
2. When they place a phone order with their sales agent, they can also see the order in their order history on your web store.
3. When viewing products on the web store, they see the same preferential pricing that they are supposed to get when they order with you directly.
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An integrated Magento-Epicor system would add a new dimension (and many reasons to buy) to your customer experience.

Other benefits, such as real-time inventory, pricing, and order status are benefits that would reduce the number of queries you get over the phone. Your phones might ring less…but that means you’re translating more of your service – and orders – online, which saves time and resources!
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Advanced Epicor Eclipse ERP Integration Benefits

Besides convenient customer-focused features and more efficient backend processes, a fully-integrated ERP system can improve the most complex tasks in your business:

• Intelligent procurement [reduce or remove buying/selling inefficiencies]
• More competitive shipping times [customers value speed]
• Scalability [business solutions that grow with you, in real-time]
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Your customers benefit most when your business is efficient, which means these advanced functions can lead to improved customer loyalty, less waste, and more profitability.
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Integrating Magento and Epicor Eclipse: A Guide

We’ll be blunt: integrating Magento 2.0 and Epicor Eclipse isn’t an easy undertaking. The initial cost and duration of integration projects can seem overwhelming.‍

“Don’t let the fear of integration stop you from improving your business. It’s just a matter of choosing an integration approach that best meets your requirements. Companies like DotcomWeavers can help you make the transition as fast and economical as possible.” – Amit Bhaiya, CEO, DotcomWeavers
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What is the best ERP integration approach for you?

There are many ways to tackle an ERP integration. You want a solution that can meet your needs now and in the future. Before we start work with clients on ERP integrations, we ask them to consider the following:

• Price. What can you afford relative to what your investment will return?
• Complexity. Do you have the resources and tolerance to deal with the complexity and risk of new technology?
• Support. Who will support you through the process? Will it be an internal IT person, a contractor, or a vendor?
• Growth Potential. What is your growth forecast? Are you satisfied as a smaller business or do you want to be a major player in the market?
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Epicor Eclipse ERP Integration

Right now (2018) there aren’t any direct point-to-point integration methodologies available for Magento and Eclipse.

Eclipse and Magento both offer a very powerful development API, which allows the exchange of data between the two systems. A custom integration that utilizes these APIs would make the user experience seamless through the process.
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Customer Data Management & Acquisition

• Existing customers can be given a web ID that they can use to login to the Magento web store.
• New customers who register on the website will have their information sent over to create new customer accounts on Eclipse.
• Customers can manage their bill-to’s and ship-to’s online. Adding a new ‘ship-to’ location on Magento should add a new one on Epicor, and vice versa.
• Multiple contacts per customer account. When a user logs in on Magento, they can see orders placed on their company account by them or other users.
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Product Pricing & Availability

• An integration can allow for a live inventory of products. If an item is sold on Epicor, it should no longer be available on Magento.
• The system will check inventory ‘just-in-time’ when accepting orders via Magento.
• Sync your inventory (never over-sell, even across channels, which means more trust)
• Customer-specific pricing is displayed on products when customers are logged-in on Magento. If they have preferential pricing, it displays and applies the price while ordering. This applies throughout the catalog, quick-order forms, product searches, etc.
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Order Data Accuracy & Communication

• Orders placed via your website will be instantly recorded on Epicor.
• Sales Agents can see and process orders from Epicor without logging into Magento.
• Orders can be placed as final or as a request for quote.
• Quote responses from Epicor are visible on Magento.
• When processed, orders have a tracking number added to them and are available for query on Magento. These are available for orders placed on the website or even by phone with a sales agent.
• Customers can view their order history since the beginning of their account with the company.
• Customers can request a re-order of a previous order.
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Secured Payment Data Processing

• Customers can store credit card information securely with PCI-DSS compliant tokenized technology using Eclipse Payments.
• Saved cards can be used to place orders on the website, as well as have these cards billed for billing later on their account.
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Invoices

• Customers who have invoice and payment terms enabled for them, can pay using those and can view their account invoices online in real-time.
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Epicor Eclipse, Magento 2.0, and You: How DotcomWeavers can Help

If you’re ready to step up your eCommerce game, then finding the right integration specialist to connect your ERP and Magento systems is the place to start.

As ERP integration specialists and Magento experts in the HVAC, industrial parts & machinery, and plumbing industries, we might be biased in favor of our services, but we can’t stress enough how important it is to find a tech partner that’s right for you.

Whether you choose us or another development and integration company, here is a short case study to show you the benchmark for the quality you should be looking for.
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Success with Epicor-Magento Integration: Wallington Plumbing Supply

Since 1980, Wallington Plumbing and Heaing Supply Inc., has provided plumbing services and products to its valued retail and online customers throughout the New Jersey/New York area. To stay competitive and continue to grow, Wallington needed an enhanced web presence. Their old website did not represent the position and quality of their brand, nor did its shopping cart support its increasing sales requirements.‍

We walked them step-by-step through the Epicor Eclipse-Magento 2.0 integration and solved every one of their business needs and customer functionality requirements.

This Epicor Eclipse ERP integration unlocked a new dimension of business potential that includes:

• Ease of conducting business on a large scale
• Superior service at the individual level
• Increased customer satisfaction
• Reduced customer service involvement thanks to greater accuracy
• More requests for quotes
• More quote requests that convert to sales
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“Our experience with DotcomWeavers was a great one. They have a very professional staff that’s focused on creating the ultimate customer experience. We were happy with all their work and look forward to doing future projects with them. We highly recommend using DotcomWeavers for any website needs.” – Ray D., Owner, Wallington Plumbing