Getting your eCommerce software to interact with the Shopify shopping cart API can greatly enhance its performance and features. Shopify being one of the premier eCommerce platforms provides a comprehensive API through which developers can control a number of aspects of a shopping cart. In this article, you will get to know about the benefits of using Shopify shopping cart API, how to integrate it, and why API2Cart is the best solution for multiple integrations.
API Meaning
An API is a set of rules and specifications that allow two pieces of software to communicate. An API acts as a go-between, ensuring that data flows back and forth so that each application can understand and work with the data appropriately. APIs offer businesses a convenient solution for integration projects, making the process faster and smoother.
API enables eCommerce software to access data from shopping platforms and use it to perform its core functions. For example, Shopify shopping cart API allows third-party software to connect with this platform and retrieve data such as orders, products, and customers by sending API requests.
API requests are a method of communication that allows a web application to interact with an API by sending queries for content or data. This streamlines the process for developers, who can more quickly access the information their applications need.
There are two types of APIs: SOAP API and REST API. SOAP stands for Simple Object Access Protocol and was one of the first APIs available. SOAP utilizes XML to pass messages, allowing for communication between two programs over the internet. On the other hand, REST stands for Representational State Transfer. It is an easier method of transferring information between clients and servers. Compared to SOAP's overly complicated XML-structured protocol, REST simplifies communication by utilizing HTTP requests such as PUT, GET and POST, which send data in a JSON format - making it easier to read.
Shopify Shopping Cart API
Shopify is a leading eCommerce platform. It currently runs more than 4 million online stores. It's especially popular in the United States (3 million e-stores), the United Kingdom (182,000+ e-stores), Australia (129,000+ e-stores), and Canada (103,000+ e-stores).
Now, let's explore how to use the Shopify API and what it is. The Shopify API is a tool that allows software providers to receive data from Shopify online stores and use it for their purposes.
The Shopify API supports both XML and JSON requests. It also works with GET, POST, PUT and DELETE requests. An interesting issue worth considering is the methods supported by the Shopify API. For example, the Category method allows to retrieve information about a category or product in a shop. The Customer method can enables to retrieve information about a customer who made an order. The Order method can be used to retrieve information about an order that has been placed in a shop. The Product method is for retrieving information about an item in the store.
The Shopify API is constantly being updated. Software service providers who want to work with Shopify store data should keep abreast of these changes—otherwise, the API connection won't be consistent and reliable.
Advantages of Receiving Access to Shopify API
For software providers, integration with Shopify API is crucial when they attempt to introduce their solutions to Shopify sellers.
Shopify API offers developers programmatic access to a variety of data. It includes the data on products, orders, customers, and other information. This data can be incorporated into eCommerce software to help perform core functionality.
For example, multi-channel software requires order data from Shopify to track, manage and ship orders. Also, it can update order statuses and create detailed reports for Shopify sellers. Likewise, shipping management systems rely on Shopify order data to allow users to monitor inventory levels and create shipments, shipping labels, etc.
Shopify Integration Development
API2Cart is a service that lets you connect your eCommerce software to more than 40 shopping platforms and marketplaces in one go. The list includes industry giants such as Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce, Wix, Amazon, eBay, and Etsy.
API2Cart's unified API allows you to access data from multiple shopping platforms simultaneously, eliminating the need for separate integrations. Moreover, API2Cart offers more than 100 API methods. They allow to manage various data related to orders, products, customers, shipments, and categories.
API2Cart handles all of the needed maintenance and upgrades required after integration development. To see how API2Cart’s unified API works in practice and get the most out of the Shopify shopping cart API integration, call our experts and schedule a free demo now.
