We got several of these notifications regarding a new minor release of Business Central.

There’s nothing to do, and generally these updates don’t cause issues. Just be aware of them and know that sometimes they contain useful features. Watch ThinkingTech for more information on key Business Central features.

If you’ve been watching your Business Central toolbar, you know by now that the May upgrade brought a new option.

Shopify is an eCommerce package designed to be simple to implement, but with a variety of features. If you probe the settings a bit, you’ll find that this is a fairly robust connector allowing you to integrate Business Central with one or more Shopify stores. Multiple stores might be the way to go for diverse products, or to allow you to feature specific product sets in the design of the store.

Business Central Shopify Connector

 If you already have a Shopify store and are using Business Central, a look at the connector makes sense. After all, it is included in the Business Central subscription. If you’re thinking about adding eCommerce, Shopify is certainly worth a look since it’s a popular package. Here is the documentation on the Shopify connector from Microsoft.

Notes on Shopify

We won’t do a deep dive into Shopify, but a few points may be in order. Shopify has a wizard that helps you get started fresh or import from a variety of other store types. More on this in a later post.

Shopify will also handle your credit card processing. You can find the rates here. The monthly or annual fees for Shopify and credit card processing are comparable to other services, and the fact that you don’t have to deal with hosting a website or setting up credit card processing is a plus.

Shopify also has connectors to several Sales Channels including TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, eBay, Google and Walmart. A notable omission is Amazon, but there is a third-party connector if you want to sell on Amazon.

A Few Items to Consider When Evaluating eCommerce Systems

Some of the items we’ve run into with other eCommerce implementations deserve a look before you plunge headlong into Shopify:

• Make sure your pricing model will work with Shopify
• If you sell B2B as well as B2C, make sure the order entry process for your B2B customers is acceptable. In some cases where customers order a long list of items (common in B2B distribution), traditional shopping carts and searching for one item at a time are cumbersome.
• Make sure your shop is fully integrated with inventory quantities, particularly if you plan to sell products on several Sales Channels. eBay and Amazon in particular will penalize sellers that cancel too many orders because they are out of stock, and customers get very hostile if you offer a product for sale but do not have it in stock.
• Look at the integration and fulfillment models, particularly if you are selling high value products like electronics or jewelry. Make sure there are ample protections to identify orders that might be fraudulent. Order fulfillment tools may also be important.

We’ll try to post a deeper dive into the Shopify system in the next few weeks as well as the integration of Business Central with Shopify. Until then, if you need more information drop us a line at https://www.dgginc.com.