The ERP software (enterprise management system), functionality rethinks not to be outdone in this sumptuous movement and attends the matter to be at the height of the circumstances.
In order to know the role of the ERP in Electronic Commerce, the selling companies were invited to answer a questionnaire with 4 groups of processes with their respective functions. They are:
- Online store and shopping cart: 15 functions.
- Security and payments: 4 functions.
- Connectivity and interfaces: 6 functions.
- Inventory: 7 functions.
- Product shipments: 6 functions.
37 responses were received, of which 20 were validated, corresponding to companies with a specific offer. As can be seen in the following graph, most of the e-commerce processes are part of the ERPs that responded:
Electronic commerce is a wave that is hitting stronger and stronger, that is gaining followers faster and that opens borders like no other technology. The ERP should be integrated into the e-commerce in selling constantly growing and provide the functionality and dynamism it requires. The ideal solution is to have both applications in the same product , fully integrated, otherwise the following actions will be required as an intermediate stage between one system and another, which is an additional possibility of error:
- Mappings
- Conversions
- Interfaces
- Upgrades
The role of ERP in electronic commerce is to work as a complement and what must be done is to establish the interfaces between both. Some e-commerce systems already come with interfaces built for specific ERP’s directly.
From the configuration of the products (images, texts, technical details, etc.), their availability for the e-commerce site, the price lists, the different languages, the handling of related products, to the same transactions, notifications and support cases that are generated on the e-commerce site must be directly integrated . This avoids duplication and / or possible loss of information, ensuring customer satisfaction through a secure purchase, with safe and reliable information.
What happens when ERP cannot be configured in e-commerce?
Currently, many ERPs are very rigid and do not allow simple configurations or adjustments, nor do they allow the business processes of the company to be defined within the system, this makes everything more complicated, difficult to follow and highly dependent on the system operator.
It is important to have a strongly adaptable system , so that companies can freely change their operations, their processes and their business units, with the ERP system in electronic commerce being in charge of controlling and validating these processes as required.
