As an eCommerce software vendor, it is important for you to integrate your software with shopping platforms and marketplaces. They provide you with the data you need for your software to perform its core functionality. To establish a seamless connection with all the required platforms, you can use API integration tools. They can save you from the challenges associated with integrations.
What is an API?
To start with, an API (Application Programming Interface) is a piece of software code that acts as an intermediary between two applications. It is a medium of communication that allows those applications to interact with each other and transfer data. It forms a very important part of API integration software because they allow to connect with the shopping platforms’ API and retrieve data from the platforms.
APIs use abstraction—that works in the back-end of applications—to hide the internal complexities of integration. Therefore, you can relax with your software as it fetches data from eCommerce platforms with the help of APIs.
The ability to interact with other systems and extract data from them to use for its purpose makes an eCommerce software solution full-fledged for the retailers. At the same time, it saves you enough time, money, and resources that you would otherwise invest in different ways to get stores’ data for your software. Moreover, with API integration tools, you can speed up the process.
API Integration Examples
Before you get to know more about API integration tools, let’s first understand the basic concept behind API integration. It is definitely a constant part of your everyday operations without you even realizing it.
- Google Flights (or any other flight booking system) - These systems are connected with airline databases via APIs. These databases contain information about various flights, including costs, timings, places, etc. Google Flights integrates with these databases, fetches information from them in one place, and helps users find all the details easily.
- Siri/Google Assistant - These are virtual assistants that use APIs to connect you with your default applications on the phone when you look for something via Siri or Google Assistant. For instance, if you are looking for directions or some general information via Siri, it will plug you into your default app for navigations (Google Maps in case of Google Assistant) or search engine, respectively.
What are API Integration Tools?
API integration tools are the services that facilitate communication between multiple APIs of different applications. They make it easy for developers and software vendors to establish connections between various apps of their choice.
With API integration software, you can connect your software with multiple applications without having to bear the costs, delays, and resource consumption of in-house integration development. Moreover, these tools allow businesses to incorporate data better without compromising its quality or efficiency.
An API integration tool uses agile methodology to reduce the development time and the overall costs associated with integrations. Even if you build APIs or use them for your organization’s requirements, API integration tools will help you manage your functions better.
Top 5 eCommerce API Integration Tools in 2022
Here are some of the best API integration tools for you:
1.API2Cart
API2Cart is one of the most sought-after API integration tools that an eCommerce software vendor uses. It is a unified API that can connect software to more than 40 eCommerce platforms and marketplaces at once.
API2Cart supports the connection with Magento, Shopify, WooCommerce, Amazon, eBay, and other platforms. Also, it has 100+ API methods. With their help, you can easily access your merchants’ store data connected to order, products, prices, customer, and shipping details.
It offers the vendors an opportunity to eliminate costs, time consumption, and resource exhaustion associated with the in-house integration development process. It also saves them from setting up and infrastructure to build these integrations.
Since integrations demand maintenance and upgrades after shopping platforms release new API versions, API2Cart’s subscription model covers that too.
API2Cart provides detailed API Documentation and has 24/7 support. You can also use API2Cart for free for the first 30-days.
2.CartRover
CartRover is a one-stop solution for vendors who develop software for logistics and fulfillment providers. It can help them sell automated SaaS solutions and allow the end clients to streamline their business functions.
Offering integrations with some shopping cart solutions and 60 warehouse systems, CartRover helps your software perform functions like optimizing orders, tracking shipping information, and syncing the inventory.
It also offers a free service like API2Cart but stands behind the latter in terms of versatility. While API2Cart covers many industries, CartRover is limited to offering its solutions for logistics and fulfillment software providers.
3.Zapier
Zapier is one of the best API integration tools in the market—thanks to its spread awareness on social media platforms. Its varied range of integrations, automation, and straightforward workflows made it to the list.
When it comes to integrations, it offers support for 2000 applications. As much as they are into providing a variety of features to its users, it has not limited their services to SaaS solution providers. Moreover, it supports the limited number of eCommerce platforms.
Apart from this, there have been problems with support and technical functionalities with Zapier. Though it promises a streamlined workflow, businesses often run into technical issues, and the results are the opposite of what Zapier claims.
4.Itembase
Itembase is another API integration tool that provides seamless integration to software businesses. For example, it helps your software connect with multiple shopping carts and marketplaces if you deal in shipping and financial services. That means Itembase services are limited to these industries only. If you provide eCommerce software for any other industry, Itembase is not for you.
5.EcartAPI
EcartAPI is also a popular API integration tool covering eCommerce shopping platforms and marketplaces for SaaS vendors. You can connect with 26 marketplaces and shopping carts with the help of EcartAPI.
Moreover, it allows you to work with data related to products, categories, customers, orders, and carts, while API2Cart includes also baskets, attributes, subscribers, taxes, and live shipping rates.
Also, while API2Cart provides more than 100 methods to fetch data from shopping platforms, EcartAPI only offers more than 60 methods to do so.
How to Improve Your Software Through API Integration
With API integration tools, you can help your clients streamline their business operations while generating a fair stream of profits and revenue for your SaaS business. Tools like API2Cart offer a full-fledged integration solution from connecting your software with shopping carts to managing upgrades and maintenance.
Such tools can give you international exposure by connecting your potential clients (eCommerce businesses) on those platforms. You can offer advanced solutions to your clients and make strong relationships with them. All these features are provided to you without interrupting your business functions for integration development.
