4 Important Things to Consider When Integrating NetSuite with Magento

There can be a number of factors that you might need to consider when integrating Netsuite with Magento. It can be a little tricky in the beginning but with careful planning and analysis of the various scenarios that can affect the outcome of your system. The process that you need to follow in integrating Netsuite with Magento is almost the same as when combining Magento with any other Enterprise Resource Planning systems. On top of the possible end points that you might encounter, you must also consider the functionality lapses of the API between NetSuite and Magento that can possibly take place when integrating it to an ERP.

Product Catalog

Magento works around a very complex and sophisticated EAV model, which makes the database infinitely flexible. This also makes it difficult for Magento’s API to properly recognize the products with all their attributes. Similarly, NetSuite supports complex product relationships and product types which complicates matters. This is the reason why many ecommerce website developers who have tried integrating Netsuite with Magento andfailed with this part of the process. If you have worked in the development of an e-commerce site, you will also notice that the constant movement on the product database from multiple channels can also cause some problems in your Magento site if the ERP system is not properly integrated. We thus use a true object mapping where a product in Magneto is a product in NetSuite and a product attribute in NetSuite is a product attribute in Magento. This not surprisingly makes a lot of sense; and as a nice benefit makes our solution infinitely more flexible and extensible.

Order Processing

Integrating Netsuite with Magento will provide you with better functionalities and improve the current flow of your order management system. However, website developers who don’t have the expertise or resources may find the new flow of processing orders a bit confusing. The main reason why you integrated an ERP system with your Magento site is to facilitate an efficient flow of products in your business, while at the same time giving your costumers a better shopping experience.

When planning your new order processing system, it is important that you also put yourself in the shoes of your customers and visitors who have visited your website for the first time. Is it easy to navigate through the user interface? How do you want them to place their orders? Are there options for bulk orders? Will they be able to see details of their past transaction? Is there a way for them to track the status of their delivery? Answering these questions can give you an idea how you would move these information to and from Netsuite into your Magento site. Only using a comprehensive integration can fulfill all these requirements.

Customer Database

The life of your ecommerce website is dependent upon your customers. The way you manage your customer’s information is crucial in the growth of your business. Integrating Netsuite to Magento can offer you more options in making the most from your customer’s information. NetSuite, unlike Magento, has a built-in CRM functionality, which allows you to track and cultivate leads. For businesses that have longer more involved sales cycles the use of a sophisticated CRM system is a must.

Effects on Accounting and Reports Management

You must carefully analyze how you will plan to transfer financial and inventory reports to and from Netsuite. You can’t afford to miss invoices, returns, sales taxes, variances or other information because this can completely wreck your balance sheets and give you a hard time reconciling the differences in your bank statement and warehouse inventory to your database.

Planning ahead and consulting experts before integrating Netsuite with Magento can save you a lot of headaches in the process. Having a clear picture of how the integration will affect your current business flow can also save you a lot of time and money. Talk to us. We provide the most comprehensive and sophisticated solution for integrating NetSuite with Magento.