From a post-checkout, order-to-fulfillment perspective, the current state of the e-commerce industry can be described as “hyper fragmented”. At the core there is a connectivity problem. The post-checkout ecosystem consists of 1000s of platform providers that can broadly be categorized into: Selling Channels (shopping carts, marketplaces and points of sale systems) Fulfillment Channels (3PLs, Warehouse Management Systems/WMS and Returns providers) Systems of Record (ERPs, inventory management and financial systems) Having a continual exchange of data between providers is an essential part of ..read more

ChannelApe, a leading inventory and order management platform for DTC brands, and Pipe17, a SaaS provider that makes it simple for ecommerce businesses to integrate their applications and streamline multi-channel operations, have entered into a strategic partnership. Starting today, ChannelApe, the latest addition to the Pipe17 Connectivity Partner program, is available to all Pipe17 customers as a new inventory and order management (IMS/OMS) application connector. In addition, ChannelApe’s clients can now take advantage of Pipe17’s expanding base of commerce application connectors to further ..read more

Cin7, a pioneer in cloud-based inventory management software (IMS), is the latest addition to the Pipe17 Connectivity Partner program. Pipe17 Connectivity Partners are Software-as-a-Service providers that share our vision to democratize connectivity for eCommerce businesses. As ecommerce businesses grow, so do the number of applications that need to exchange data in order for the business to operate smoothly. Cin7 and Pipe17 are committed to building an ecommerce ecosystem where easy and reliable connectivity is the standard, instead of a constant frustration, for sellers and brands. Pipe17 ha ..read more

The world of eCommerce is evolving. Shoppers have gotten used to seeing products and making purchases just about everywhere they visit online, leaving legacy eCommerce platforms struggling to keep pace. Advances in technology are giving consumers new ways to discover new items, read reviews, and order goods. Consider the different ways eCommerce has gotten more accessible (voice shopping) and engaging (video shopping). You can even shop in VR and try on a pair of sunglasses without leaving your home. However, with this expansion of eCommerce selling channels there is a need for a better way to ..read more

To say that eCommerce has changed over the past two years would be the understatement of the decade. As people around the world embraced social distancing and obeyed stay-at-home orders, they turned to online shopping more than ever before. Prior to the pandemic, merchants who imported goods from overseas were already feeling the pressure of the increased tariffs imposed starting in 2018. Merchants, and by extension, consumers, were projected to feel the pinch of increased product costs due to higher tariffs being imposed as the products cross the US borders.  Then the pandemic happened ..read more

It’s the little things in life that matter, including customers’ shopping experiences. The checkout stage is easily overlooked by eCommerce professionals, who may think once customers are there, the sale is in the bag. However, many people still abandon their carts before completing checkout due to a variety of factors. Research shows that 18% of shoppers abandon their carts due to complex checkout processes, and 12% abandon carts because they have to input too much information. To avoid losing out on sales due to inefficient checkout processes, we recommend adding address verification systems ..read more

In eCommerce, orders are a straightforward summation of what a customer wants, whereas order inventory flow looks different across every sales channel and app. As an eCommerce store’s system processes orders, that same order must adapt to the various tools and stages of fulfillment it goes through. In this article, we’ll talk about the differences between orders and order inventory flow, what each looks like, and how to optimize both. What is an order? Simply put, an order is the batch of stock keeping units (SKUs) a buyer has requested, as read by your shopping cart or marketplace. Even at th ..read more

Note: All the suggestions in this article are at the discretion of the author and her research, and do not reflect Pipe17 as a company. Every eCommerce business owner is fuelled by the ability to build their business on their own terms. Honing your eCommerce strategy from day one presents an opportunity to scale and grow however you want. If you’ve achieved the dream of owning an eCommerce business that turns over million-dollar annual sales, it’s likely you’ll need an enterprise-level eCommerce platform to support your ongoing growth. Using a small platform with limited features can hinder, r ..read more

eCommerce return operations are an increasingly important component of a successful eCommerce business. That’s a given for international sellers who must comply with EU regulations for returns. However, U.S. sellers are beginning to fall in line as well. With eCommerce giants like Amazon enforcing return policies, customers now expect to be able to make returns. In fact, one Klarna study showed 78% of shoppers look for return policies and are hesitant to make purchases without them, emphasizing the impact of return policies on conversion. That’s especially true in niche industries like fashion ..read more

eCommerce goes way beyond having a website page with shoppable products. It’s about building an ecosystem made up of multiple cogs that all turn in the right direction. These cogs — or rather, tech stack — must work together seamlessly to support the growth of your brand. If you want to turn your eCommerce business into a well-oiled machine primed for success, you’re going to need a sophisticated stack of eCommerce integrations. What is eCommerce integration? eCommerce integration concerns the coordination between your eCommerce website (what your customers see) and their back-end systems (you ..read more