What we do boils down to two things – web development for Magento and marketing for ecommerce. But, what we really do, ends up being so much more than that. I’m not talking about building better businesses (which we do). No, instead, I’m talking about systems integration.
We’re web developers and marketers, but systems integrators are what we really are. Integration is really what it’s all about. Marketing is all about successfully integrating multiple channels and strategies to work together seamlessly with your ecommerce website.
Looking purely at development, we’re always integrating different systems together to ensure sites render and function flawlessly. This includes hosting, connection to an ERP, installing extensions, building custom functionality, etc., but it’s all about integrating different systems so they work together to create a strong, visible site that provides an amazing experience to its visitors.
A systems integrator is defined as “a person or company that specializes in bringing together component subsystems into a whole and ensuring that those subsystem function together.” These are just a few of the subsystems that go into making your Magento site an integrated success:
Hosting
This is where your site lives and breathes. If you’re not with the right hosting company, it can also be where your site dies. This is why keeping integration in mind is so important, even at this step. Choose a host that can handle the ups and downs of your site to make sure that, when someone comes to your site, it’s up and running flawlessly.
ERP Integration
Whether it’s an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system or a system for order management, Magento and a good systems integrator have you covered! You need your ERP system to communicate appropriately with your ecommerce store to make sure your inventory is current and up-to-date, on both sides – this requires a seamless integration. Often this happens through an API, but can also be accomplished through a direct database connection or a series of EDI documents. We’ve integrated Magento seamlessly with the following:
- Epicor P21 (Prophet 21)
- SAGE 200
- TGI E21 (Enterprise 21)
- MS Dynamics GP/Nav
- Infor SyteLine
- Dydacomp M.O.M. (Multichannel Order Manager)
- And more!
Extensions
Magento is fully customizable and extendable. Usually, what you want to do can be accomplished with a clever extension. But, again, think about integration. You can have a ton of extensions all fulfilling different capacities on your site; however, if they’re not playing well together, your site’s not functioning well either. Some extensions play better with others. It’ll be up to you and your systems integrator to determine which ones to use and how to integrate them to achieve the desired function.
Custom Development
For the functions you want and need that can’t be achieved with extensions, there’s custom development. In general, custom development will be more costly than implementing extensions; however, the possibilities are endless. Custom development can really take integrating your systems to the next level, which also increases usability on your site and delights your customers.
Marketing
Marketing isn’t really a system, like an ERP is a system; but, the strategy as a whole could be considered a subsystem that needs to integrate with the other subsystems to make your business successful. A successful marketing strategy is an integrated strategy. You’re dealing with multiple channels, multiple segments of customers, and more – and it all needs to tie back to your site. Any landing pages you create need to be targeted towards a specific goal for your business, and the design, copy, offer, all of it, needs to tie in to, not only the rest of your site, but also that specific buyer persona’s wants and needs. There is so much more to it than that, but the fact remains – it all needs to integrate.
User experience, often referred to as UX/UI, is a huge visibility factor for your site. And, a successful integration of all of your systems is key to making that happen. Your bottom line depends on your ecommerce store being seen and converting. A seamless, flawless systems integration can help make that happen.