has this been done before?

usually, yes.

We connect ERP, webshop, PIM, WMS, marketplaces and the systems around them. We have built many combinations before, and the list of systems we work with is at the bottom of this page. That matters, because every earlier integration shows where things get hard in practice: which fields are missing, where an API is slow or limited and which statuses the two systems read slightly differently.

It is a fair question: a combination we know means less investigation and fewer surprises while building. But "done before" says more about the systems than about your process.

how we check.

First we look at whether we have built your combination before, and what the difficult points were. If we know both systems, but not yet together, we already know a lot: how each system offers its data and where its limits are.

Alumio also has a large library of existing connections that can serve as a starting point for a new integration. Such a library connection covers the generic parts: the connection to the system, reading and writing data and the basic structure of orders, products or customers. Almost every company has oddities in its processes, so a library connection is rarely the end point. We build the rest custom, by configuring the generic components to your process. More on that in Alumio template or custom?

what an earlier integration does not prove.

Two companies with exactly the same systems can need very different integrations. The difference is in the process, and that is what decides the work: who sets the price, how returns run, whether there is one warehouse or five. So we always ask these questions:

• Which data has to move, and in which direction? Orders, products, stock, prices, customers, invoices, shipment statuses.
• Which system leads for each kind of data? If both sides hold an address or a price, which one wins?
• Where does your process differ from the standard? Think of customer-specific prices, partial deliveries, several warehouses or an order status of your own.
• How quickly does a change have to show on the other side: immediately, every fifteen minutes or overnight?
• What happens when something fails: who sees it, and who fixes it?

what if your combination is new.

An existing connection is not a requirement. Before we quote, we check technically whether your integration is possible. Concretely, we look at:

• Whether both systems have an API or another way to exchange data, such as files, EDI or a database.
• Which data you can read and write through it, and which you cannot. Sometimes you can create an order but not change it afterwards.
• Where the limits are: caps on the number of requests, missing fields, and whether the system reports changes itself or we have to keep asking.
• Whether there is a test environment, so we do not have to try things in production.

Legacy systems need more attention here. Often there is no modern API, little documentation or nobody left who knows the system from the inside. That does not make an integration impossible, but it does mean more investigation up front. How we handle that is in replacing a system while the old one keeps running.

why a fixed price carries little risk.

Because we first check technically that it works, we know what there is to build before you have spent anything. That is why we can give a fixed price for the agreed scope, and why the risk for you is small. If a part turns out not to be possible, you hear that up front and not halfway through the project. Adjustments after that are on time and material, with an estimate up front.

What sets that price: the kind of systems (a system we know well is less work than a legacy system), the number of data flows and the overall complexity of your process. More on that in what does an ERP integration cost?

an example.

For Profuomo's new webshop, many systems had to be connected to Shopify, in about three months from discovery to go-live. We recreated the old APIs, so Profuomo's existing systems kept working with the new webshop. And we moved historical data across, so customers can still see what they bought before. Read the Profuomo case for the whole project.

If history has to move, also read migrating order history: where it goes wrong.

what you can prepare yourself.

With this we can say sooner whether it works and what it costs.

• The names and versions of the systems, and who manages them: you, a partner or the vendor.
• Access to the API documentation and, if there is one, a test environment.
• A list of the data flows you want, with the direction and frequency of each.
• The exceptions in your process, including the small ones. They set the work, not the standard cases.
• One person per system who can answer questions.

the systems we work with.

These are systems we have connected, by category. We have connected many ERPs to Shopify. If yours is not in the list, ask us.

e-commerce

Shopify, Magento 2 / Adobe Commerce, CloudSuite, Shopware, commercetools, Lightspeed, NextChapter eCommerce, SparkLayer

ERP

Business Central, Exact Online, Dynamics 365 F&O, SAP (S/4 / ECC), SAP Business One, SAP Ariba, Oracle NetSuite, Unit4 Wholesale, Ceyenne, Clickker, XL-ENZ, Sherpa, Linnworks, Dynamics AX, Multivers, King, AFAS Profit, RetailExpress, SRS

PIM

Akeneo, inRiver, Katana PIM, Pimcore, FashionCloud, EZ-PIM, Compano PIM, Skwirrel, NextChapter PIM, Cylindo, GS1, Brandfolder

marketplaces

Channable, ChannelEngine, Vendiro, Tradebyte, Mirakl, Otto, Amazon SP

WMS and fulfilment

Picqer, JD Logistics, ShipHero, QLS, Bizbloqs, ModeXpress, Mintsoft, Statusweb, Clarus WMS, Ordoro, Stocky

shipping and returns

ShipUp, Returnista, Sendcloud, Transsmart, nShift

planning

Optiply, Slimstock, EPPlanner

point of sale

TritonX, Intersolv

payments

Mollie, MultiSafePay, PayPal

CRM and marketing

Emarsys, Segment, Captain Wallet, Zendesk, Jotform, Spotler, Watermelon, Aluminati, Raiser's Edge NXT, HubSpot, Klaviyo, ActiveCampaign, Deployteq, Pipedrive, Dynamics 365 CRM, Gorgias, Cirqll

email

SendGrid, Mailjet, Mailgun, Postmark, Flowmailer, Gmail

EDI

Transus, NetOrder, GoAnywhere, Osapiens

data and cloud

Microsoft 365 (Graph / SharePoint), Azure Storage, Google BigQuery / Cloud Storage, Google Sheets, Snowflake, Supabase, OpenAI, Dropbox, Slack, Pipedream, KVK API, Pro6PP, SAP Concur

HR

HiBob, Deputy

other

EDGE, Next