E-commerce has drastically changed how we do business and access the products and services we need. This type of commerce has long become the norm as it gives businesses of all sizes a chance to expand beyond their physical locations. However, the e-commerce purchasing experience has constantly been evolving.
Customers expect nothing less than a smooth purchasing experience from when they search for an item on an e-commerce website to when it arrives on their doorstep. The feasibility of such an experience depends on the website’s back end and how seamlessly it integrates with its front end.
So, let’s break down what back-end integration is and how important it is for e-commerce.
What’s the Difference Between Back End and Front End?
The front and back end are parts of an e-commerce website that define its design and functionality.
The front end is the part that customers see when they visit your website. It’s also the part they directly interact with, and it includes features such as search bars, drop-down menus, and image sliders. The front end is sometimes referred to as the digital storefront.
In contrast, the back end of an e-commerce website is the part that handles products, orders, and customer data. Simply put, it’s the engine of your website. The back end enables your website to respond to queries quickly and allows customers to browse products, put them in the cart, and check out.
In short, the front end defines the visual appeal of an e-commerce website, while the back end defines its functionality.
Understanding how the front and back end works together is crucial for building a seamless omnichannel shopping experience.
What Is Back-End Integration for E-Commerce?
Back-end integration aims to coordinate the front and back ends of an e-commerce website. When an e-commerce website is fully integrated, there’s an unobstructed flow of information between both ends. Plus, you can access all the necessary information from one location or database.
This connection is instrumental for a smooth-running website that allows customers to get exactly what they want as soon as they need it.
Despite how vital back-end integration is, many businesses haven’t fully embraced it on their websites. The lack of back-end integration typically results from a lack of awareness, time, or, most commonly, resources. Although completely integrating a website can be costly, failing to do so will severely impact the business’ revenue in the long run.
How to Implement an Efficient Back-End Integration?
A lot of moving parts exist when it comes to back-end integration. In most cases, it involves the software that creates the website pages, the product search engine, and the shopping cart. In addition, an electronic data interchange (EDI) system should be in place, enabling customers to receive real-time inventory information and order status updates.
With all this in mind, let’s see how you should go about integrating your e-commerce website fully.
Hire a Skillful Web Developer
After identifying your business’ shortages regarding back-end integration, hiring a skillful developer is crucial to help you resolve these issues quickly and efficiently.
There are three types of web developers that you can hire:
- Front-end developers
- Back-end developers
- Full-stack developers
Full-stack developers have experience in developing both ends of an e-commerce website. These specialists might be the best solution for a business with limited resources. They typically have a higher hourly rate than back-end developers. Still, working with a full-stack developer is more affordable than hiring separate front and back-end developers.
However, if your website is mostly in place, and you only want to target the back-end issues, it would be best to hire a back-end developer. These specialists will help you integrate your website fully, resolve technical difficulties, and improve the website’s speed. They mostly use technologies such as:
- Python
- PHP
- Java
- Ruby
When it comes to databases, they usually work with the following:
- SQL – MySQL
- MongoDB
- SQLite
- PostgreSQL
Become Familiar With Back-End Integration
No one expects you to know all the ins and outs of a website operation. However, you can immensely benefit from a basic understanding of the interaction between the front and back ends. With a healthy understanding of back-end integration, you’ll be able to see the big picture and steer your web developer in the right direction.
Instead of making unreasonable requests that lead to wasting precious time and resources, you’ll be able to collaborate with the web developer to achieve the best results for your website.
Besides the information outlined in this article, you can benefit from knowing some commonly used terms, such as:
- UI (user interface)
- UX (user experience)
- Client side (the front end)
- Server side (the back end)
This will help you identify your website’s weak points and discuss matters in-depth with your web developer.
Integrate Slowly
Achieving a fully integrated e-commerce website usually requires a phased approach. This method is more affordable, making it attainable for businesses with limited resources. Also, streamlining ordering gradually gives you time to spot potential issues early on. This way, you’ll spend less money and time ironing out all the bugs and fixes than on a fully integrated website.
The phased approach requires manual integration initially and slowly working toward a total integration where your website runs like clockwork.
That said, let’s dive into what each phase entails.
Phase 1
In the beginning, you should only sell a subset of items on your e-commerce website. Customers can order from your website, but you’ll have to integrate the back end manually. A manual integration includes:
- Printing out online orders
- Keypunching each order into an existing back-end system
- Manually entering the order status
Manual integration means that the orders will likely be fulfilled later than expected. Plus, this process requires a lot of person-hours. Although it’s hardly an ideal solution, manual integration is an excellent compromise for businesses just starting out. It gives them a relatively inexpensive way to build an integrated online catalog.
Phase 2
During Phase 1, you’ll start to distinguish your priorities. These may include offering customer-specific pricing, providing real-time links to customer service, or speeding up the process of inputting orders. Then, in Phase 2, you can introduce limited integrations based on your priorities. Also, Phase 2 is the time to start selling your entire product line on your e-commerce website.
Phase 3
Phase 3 is the time to implement a full integration with the existing back end. At this point, your system should be able to provide a shopping experience that’s as smooth and effortless as placing an order over the phone or going to a brick-and-mortar store.
The Benefits of a Fully Integrated E-Commerce Website
Thanks to their automated features, fully integrated e-commerce websites are miles ahead of their competition. Here are some compelling benefits of building a fully integrated online catalog.
Up-to-Date Product Access
An online catalog connected to your business’ back end offers your customers real-time access to product offerings and stock status.
Improved Service
When customers browse a fully integrated e-commerce website, they can immediately get answers regarding the stock status and delivery. They don’t have to waste time on hold to speak to a customer service representative, which motivates them to complete their order and make a purchase. This, in turn, allows a business to increase profit.
Specific back-end features that make this happen include:
- A shopping cart that allows them to place the order quickly and hassle-free
- A credit card processor that immediately authorizes a credit card transaction
- A transaction engine that can handle numerous orders simultaneously
- Inventory hooks that can confirm whether a customer’s order is available in real-time
- Shipping data links that offer email shipping verification
Reduced Costs
A fully functional online catalog is a valuable investment that will eventually pay off by increasing the volume of your orders. Plus, moving product inquiries and order placements entirely online will cut telecommunications charges and labor costs.
Improved Marketing Results
A successful back-end integration also offers several benefits for the company’s marketing efforts, including the following:
- Usable data for determining the effectiveness of an online digital marketing strategy
- Focused marketing improvements on how potential clients interact with marketing material
- Greater return on investment (ROI) thanks to the possibility of creating detailed cause-and-effect data
Strive for a Symbiosis Between the Front and the Back Ends
A few years back, a basic home page was all a company needed for its online presence. However, those days are long gone, and businesses must do their best to keep up with competitors in the world of fast-paced online marketing.
While back-end integration is undoubtedly the backbone of any successful e-commerce website, business owners shouldn’t neglect the front end. After all, the road from a customer’s first interaction with the website to closing a sale can be long and winding. So, both ends of the website should be up to par and able to rely on each other. Such a cohesive approach will allow these systems to make the most of their functions and the website owner to use the received data better.
