E-commerce growth

How to choose an ERP system for your Shopify store by Linda Bleijenberg

Is your Shopify store growing fast and would you like your tech stack to keep up? Then you might be considering an ERP system. A well-functioning ERP can become the heart of your e-commerce business: the place where all your business processes converge digitally, and where relevant data is automatically exchanged between different systems.Because ERP implementation is a lengthy process, choosing an ERP is not a decision you take lightly. At Code, we know how important it is to do your research beforehand. In this blog, we'll help you get started.

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What is an ERP system?

ERP stands for Enterprise Resource Planning. An ERP system is a comprehensive software package with a number of modules. Each module controls a specific process within your business: accounting and finance, project management, human resources, purchasing, sales, production, logistics, business intelligence, and much more. E-commerce companies often also use modules for CRM (Customer Relationship Management), price management, order processing, inventory management, supply chain management, and reporting. 

Depending on what your business needs, you combine the various modules into a single system containing almost all the processes within your business. In this way, you make the ERP the ‘source of truth’ for everyone in your company.

An ERP system is not plug & play software: it takes time to fully integrate it with your unique business situation. Hence, you can expect a rather long (and expensive) ERP integration process, in which you review the entirety of your business operations and give all of it a place in the ERP. If your company uses other software in addition to the ERP, such as an e-commerce platform like Shopify, you can integrate it in such a way that the data from your webshop is continuously synced with your ERP.

Advantages of ERP systems for Shopify stores

The big advantage of ERP systems is that they centralize all the data in your company. What was once in all sorts of different systems is now gathered in one place and automatically synced. This is crucial for core processes that almost every e-commerce entrepreneur has to deal with,  like financial administration, purchasing and order processing, inventory management, shipping and returns. If you also sell B2B, there are a number of additional processes: customer groups and price rules are usually managed in your ERP.

In short, ERPs ensure control, effectiveness and efficiency in your business-critical processes. For that reason, an ERP is often a smart investment for companies where multiple complex processes are interconnected. This could mean, for example, connecting to multiple sales channels (such as a B2B webshop in combination with a POS system for brick & mortar stores, various marketplaces, and social media), each with its own conditions (such as market- and channel-specific pricing, shipping rules, or available inventory).

 

Disadvantages of ERP systems for Shopify stores

ERP systems have many benefits, but there are also some disadvantages that make an ERP not necessarily the right choice for every company. Below, we discuss the most important ones.

Implementation is complex

As we already mentioned above, implementing an ERP system takes a lot of time. The entire process can take up to a year. Moreover, it is not uncommon for such projects to exceed their budget and delivery date. Keep in mind that there will also be ongoing maintenance required after implementation.

For all these reasons it is important to do extensive research before choosing an ERP system. For e-commerce companies on Shopify, it is a sensible move to involve a Shopify expert in this process, too. At Code, for instance, we collaborate with a number of trusted implementation partners of various ERP systems, to be able to give the best possible advice to clients who are considering an ERP.

You don’t use all the functionality

An ERP consists of a standardized core with additional modules. It often happens that you pay for modules that you do not necessarily use, which makes things unnecessarily complex and ‘bloated’.

In this case, an alternative solution could be to go for a more modular set-up, where you move functionality to Shopify Plus. Make more effective use of Shopify Flow and Shopify Functions, for instance, and connect a separate WMS or OMS and a separate accounting system (e.g. Exact Online) to Shopify. A flexible tech stack like that has the additional advantage that there is a much lower chance of lock-in, which is another disadvantage of ERP systems.

Chance of lock-in

Choosing an ERP package is a big deal: you will be using it for a long time, most likely. Large companies that have been in business for a while typically have all their business processes brought together in the ERP. They might even have switched ecommerce platforms a few times over the years, which becomes almost a cosmetic procedure if your ERP is the core of your business.

But it also shows how difficult it is to stop using an ERP system. All the data that was in your ERP needs to be migrated to a new ERP, or to a combination of other systems - which will inevitably be a big and time-consuming migration.

When is it advisable to make this move anyway? Based on our experience with clients at Code, we say: if your company finds itself in one of the following situations:

  • Your ERP is outdated, still runs on local servers (on-premise) and is therefore difficult to connect with external systems like Shopify. 

  • You want to migrate to a cloud-based ERP. (Note: this is a common case, for the German market in particular)

  • Your processes are not well-designed within your current ERP.

  • You can save a lot of money by streamlining processes.

  • You are not satisfied with your ERP, or your ERP cannot do something you need.

  • Your business is shrinking and your ERP is becoming too expensive.

  • Your business is growing and your ERP cannot keep up.

  • You want to remain flexible because your company is still growing rapidly.

When should you consider an ERP system?

Adopting an ERP is always a big step. Hence, before you take that step, it's wise to do a lot of research and think carefully about what fits your current and future situation. It’s particularly important to estimate how much time an ERP will save you, compared to your current situation: is it worth the investment? Here are some scenarios where an ERP can be a good solution.

If your company  uses many different (legacy) IT systems

Companies that have been in business for a while or are growing rapidly often struggle to keep their systems up-to-date. There is too much data and not enough manpower, they improvise in the moment to solve an acute problem, and over time the entire software system in the company is held together with duct tape and chewing gum. This means, for example, that data from different spreadsheets has to be manually imported into the accounting program. Or that inventory levels have to be manually updated in your e-commerce platform, daily, based on reports from your warehouse. This not only slows down the entire process, but it is also very prone to errors.

With an ERP, you solve these kinds of problems in one go. The individual modules of an ERP are cleverly linked together and exchange data, so that everyone in the company has access to the same information. In this way, an ERP saves a lot of work, administration, costs (and errors!), and also ensures that your company's financial situation is always clear.

If your business operations are complex

As your business grows larger and more complex, the challenge is to prevent your activities from becoming fragmented, with separate ‘silos’ for the different sales channels that all use their own datasets. With an ERP, you maintain an overview, and when you have an overview, you can start optimizing. With all your data in one central location, you make better-informed business decisions, eliminate double work, and prevent, for example, multiple versions of the same piece of information.

A well-integrated ERP system enables extensive automation. Because data is continuously synced in real time, you eliminate human errors and can further improve and streamline your business processes into a well-oiled machine.

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When is an ERP not the right choice for your business?

At Code, we support not only enterprise brands but also many successful start-ups that are still in full growth mode. Because it is not yet clear whether and when that growth will stop or stabilize, it makes sense for these brands not to commit to systems too early. Flexibility and agility are what they want, to be able to react quickly to future developments.

For those clients, we often choose a different solution. Instead of the all-in-one approach of an ERP system, we advise these companies to put together a flexible tech stack from separate, stand-alone components, and to link them together in an effective way. Depending on the client's situation, we integrate their Shopify webshop with an Inventory Management System, for instance, and/or an accounting program, a PIM (Product Information Manager), a WMS (Warehouse Management System) or a fulfillment partner (3PL).

The advantage of such a modular setup is that each of these separate components can be replaced quite easily if necessary, and that new components can be added relatively fast. This way, start-ups can see what combination works best and quickly switch if something doesn't work, or no longer fits a changed situation. By the time their situation has stabilized, the tech stack they built up until that point can serve as a model when switching to an ERP.

Shopify ERP integration

Which ERP systems work well with Shopify? More and more ERP suites have a ready-made Shopify ERP integration and are therefore quite easily connected to your webshop. Moreover, Shopify has a partnership with a number of the best ERP systems in Europe, as well as a handful of ERP systems used worldwide, and highly recommends the ERPs in these programs. Connections with these preferred suppliers can also be found in the Shopify app store - but these standard apps often only support the most basic flows.

The extensive API capabilities of Shopify Plus also offer a wide choice of connectable ERP systems. At Code we see that a lot is currently possible for B2B use cases, for instance, provided that the ERP also works with APIs.

Is there something very specific missing with the ERP of your choice? Then Code will be happy to build additional custom solutions for you, such as custom flows from Shopify to your ERP suite. We do this with integration platforms like Alumio or Celigo and via development platforms like Gadget.dev.

Commonly used ERPs in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany

Which ERP is the best choice for your online business? Since Code is primarily a Shopify Plus agency, we prefer to leave advice on which ERP system is suitable for your situation to ERP experts. That said: based on our years of experience with successful companies in e-commerce, what we can do is point you in the right direction, so that you can continue your research.

What are the most widely used and most popular ERP systems among ecommerce businesses in the Benelux and Germany? At Code, we regularly see the following ERPs, from smaller specialists to big international names. For some ERPs we also included an implementation partner that we can recommend.

  • ItsPerfect Fashion ERP - Dutch ERP specialized in the fashion industry. Very popular among Dutch fashion brands. Extensive experience with Shopify.

  • Becosoft - The Belgian equivalent of Itsperfect. Specialized in fashion and non-food.

  • Exact ERP - Dutch company known for its accounting system Exact Online. Also offers an ERP solution for smaller businesses. For advice on Exact ERP and Shopify, Code recommends xCore.

  • Afas ERP - The ERP solution of the Dutch company Afas Software. Like Exact, Afas is known for accounting and payroll software for SMEs.

  • Xentral ERP - German provider of business software for SMEs.

In addition to these local providers, there are a few big names that are widely used both in the Netherlands and internationally:

  • ODOO - The only open source ERP in this list, with the corresponding different pricing policy. For advice on ODOO and Shopify, Code recommends the Belgian agency Dynapps.

  • Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central - Widely used ERP for SMEs, and a Shopify partner in the Global ERP program. Code advises the Dutch agency Tinx IT for advice on Dynamics and Shopify. 

  • Brightpearl - Also a Shopify partner in the Global ERP program, Brightpearl profiles itself as a Retail Operating System.

  • NetSuite - Oracle's ERP, and a partner in Shopify's Global ERP program.

  • SAP - A major player that develops business software, including various ERP systems for different sizes and types of companies.

We hope that this will help you take a big step in your search for a good solution for your online business. Do you still have questions, or would you like to brainstorm with us? Feel free to get in touch!