Understanding marketplace synchronizations can be overwhelming, especially when you're new to the world of automation. In this article, we will explain how synchronizations work and which synchronization is used for which purpose.
To start off, the image above is a simplified representation of how data is synchronized between your webshop/ data source, EffectConnect, and the marketplace. Every synchronization will be triggered automatically and with each its own interval.
Some synchronizations are very intensive for the servers, therefore they are started at 'quiet times'. Other synchronizations are less intensive and therefore started more often. To know more about the synchronization intervals, you can read this document.
Explained as a short story
The import of product data
EffectConnect is a data transmitter between your webshop and the marketplaces. Our software will import all your product data from your webshop or data source. Within EffectConnect, you can decide what you would like to do with this data. Do you want to change product information? Or maybe want to change the prices of your products towards the marketplace? No problem.
Sending your data towards the marketplace
EffectConnect will send your products, the stock level, price, and delivery time to the marketplaces. With most marketplaces, your products will come online pretty quickly when they already know the products. This is also called an 'offer match'.
If a marketplace doesn't know the products yet, you can forward the product information to the marketplace by creating mapping groups in EffectConnect. With these mapping groups, you create a translation between your data and the information that the marketplace requires.
Importing and processing orders
Once your products are for sale on the marketplaces, they can usually be ordered by consumers pretty quickly as well. Once this happens, you have an order. This order will be automatically imported into EffectConnect. If it doesn't, please read this article, some orders are not imported by default.
As soon as the order is imported in EffectConnect, it will be forwarded to your webshop where you can start processing it. You treat the order as any other order, mark it as 'sent', and add any information for the shipment (such as the track and trace code). This information is also sent to the marketplace by EffectConnect which completes the order on the marketplace itself.
Stock will be updated
Since your webshop has received this order, the stock levels in your webshop are automatically adjusted. This stock update is automatically sent to EffectConnect, after which it is also automatically sent to the marketplace.
In this way, it ensures a so-called 360 degrees synchronization in which all information is continuously kept up-to-date. The idea is that eventually, you can handle all your orders from your webshop, no matter how many marketplaces you have connected to.
We fully understand that you may have questions after reading this document. Please know that we are happy to help you. Feel free to contact one of our customer success colleagues if you have any questions or if you would like to receive more information.