Your successful business, whose main sales channel is based on your online store, is likely to grow exponentially. You had already made the winning choice to rely on one of the leading e-commerce platform technologies: Magento or Prestashop.
But the management functionalities offered by your e-commerce site are now reaching their limits. To "industrialize" your activity and processes, the implementation of an integrated management solution becomes essential. No more multiple re-entries, loss of information and lack of reliable and aggregated indicators: think ERP software!
What are the main criteria to take into account when choosing the GOOD ERP that will support your development? Our answer in 5 essential criteria....
#1: Adaptability
Your business is booming. You are even planning to move in the short or medium term on multi-channel sales complementary to your e-commerce site... In short, even if you have strong ambitions, you do not know exactly where you will be in a few months... Your future ERP will therefore have to adapt to this state of affairs!
You can leave aside the toolbox type software packages that naturally attract all VSEs and SMEs because it is ready to use. But not very progressive, they will not be able to follow your "massive" development projects!
On the other hand, choosing an ERP for large accounts (SAP R3, Sage X3, Microsoft Nav, etc.) would be a loss both financially and in terms of deployment time.
You should therefore opt for a middle-market solution. Indeed, they were created with the aim of providing medium-sized companies with the flexibility and power of "Key Account" solutions, but with more realistic deployment times and budgets.
#2: Evolutivity
Your business context is constantly changing: new products, increased international competition, fluctuating markets... You must therefore adapt to these paradigm shifts very quickly to avoid finding yourself on the side of the road.
To answer this question, we strongly advise you to look towards open-source, which offers unrivalled development and scalability compared to so-called "classic" software solutions. Odoo, the ERP revolution for mid-sized companies, is an excellent alternative.
#3: Scalability
Your company will most certainly have to face more and more transaction flows, more and more sustained interactions with your suppliers and service providers; not to mention the new internal resources that will contribute to your development.
Your ERP solution must therefore meet these future needs with the possibility of multiplying, if necessary and on demand, your user licenses.
You should also opt for a solution whose hosting and maintenance could be delegated to a service provider (ideally the one who will assist you in setting up your project). The latter will ensure you an availability rate and performances much higher than a "home-stay" accommodation.
#4: Interoperability
To ensure the success of your project, ERP and e-commerce platform must communicate automatically and securely, via a Magento ERP connector or a Prestashop ERP gateway. Similarly, it will be necessary to build bridges with your other business applications.
The objective, as you will have understood, is for your ERP software to become the center of your Information System.
Article to be read soon on our blog: the parameters on the Magento and Prestashop ERP connectors to take into account.
Integration with third-party applications is crucial for e-commerce businesses. Ensure the ERP system you choose supports seamless integration with essential applications like e-commerce platforms (e.g., Shopify, WooCommerce), payment gateways (e.g., Stripe, PayPal), and shipping carriers (e.g., FedEx, UPS).
Discover how to integrate your Odoo/Prestashop or your Odoo/magento connector
#5: Support
Choosing your integrator is easy. Work with a partner:
- aware of the stakes, problems and specificities of e-commerce;
- able to advise you on the approach and the software solution;
- and able to challenge you and support you in the long term.
So, your choice is made?
