The power of an open API enables third-party solutions and a seamless e-commerce experience

Both technology and customer behaviour are evolving at a rapid pace. If your e-commerce needs to keep up, it has to become more flexible, with more sales-driving and customer-friendly features. One way to do that is by adding new functionality through third-party solutions. That becomes much easier when your platform has an open API that simplifies integrations with third-party solutions and makes it easier to adapt and develop the platform as new services and features become necessary. In this article, we share how to think about e-commerce platform functionality if you want to integrate third-party solutions that give you a seamless e-commerce setup and increased sales.

Why a powerful open API matters in an e-commerce platform

An API (Application Programming Interface) is a set of routines and protocols that define how software components interact with each other. If an e-commerce platform is also going to integrate third-party solutions easily through an open API, it is important that the platform offers clear, easy-to-understand documentation. It should also support common API standards and secure authentication. Other important aspects include the ability to receive real-time updates and a flexible data model.

Examples of what an open API can do in e-commerce:

• An open API connects applications or software so they can exchange information seamlessly. For example, an e-commerce platform can use an open API to integrate payment providers such as PayPal, Klarna and credit card services. When a customer makes a purchase, the platform communicates with the payment provider via the API to process the payment, verify the transaction and update the order status in real time. This gives your customers more payment options, improves the user experience and increases the likelihood of completed purchases.

• An open API also provides an interface that lets external applications use a system securely. In e-commerce, that could mean integration with warehouse management systems (WMS). An e-commerce platform can use an open API to allow external warehouse management systems to securely access and update stock levels. When a new delivery arrives or a product is sold, the WMS can update the platform’s inventory status in real time via the API. This ensures stock information is always up to date, reduces the risk of overselling or underselling, and improves overall warehouse efficiency.

Different third-party solutions for different parts of your e-commerce

E-commerce is now more complex and fast-changing than ever. New needs and conditions require new functionality, and those functions need to work together. If your e-commerce platform has an open API, you can easily add and use more functionality through third-party solutions, and remove them if they are no longer relevant. That way, you only pay for what you use.

For example, you can integrate applications and services for order management, payment and shipping services, or marketing with your e-commerce platform. That gives you a more scalable and adaptable e-commerce setup, which is essential if you want to keep up in today’s fast-moving market and stay ahead of the competition.

Different parts of your e-commerce will also benefit in different ways from different types of third-party solutions. It is often smarter to use third-party solutions for specialised functions such as payment processing and logistics, where external services can offer a better user experience. Marketing tools and CRM systems are other areas where third-party solutions can add significant value through advanced functionality and scalability.

That said, not every third-party solution is right for every business. Every operation has its own requirements and conditions, which means your choice of third-party solutions should be based on your business needs and strategy. With Viskan Open API, for example, you can choose and integrate the third-party solutions that best support your e-commerce and growth goals, giving you the freedom to tailor your e-commerce platform for optimal performance and efficiency.

Create a seamless omnichannel experience by implementing third-party solutions through an open API

With an open API, you can extend the core functionality of your e-commerce system without having to change the entire platform. That is something you would probably face with a more monolithic system, where all functions are tightly coupled. Thanks to an open API, you can create secure connections to new components with just a few lines of code. That makes it possible to add new features and e-commerce solutions quickly and with relatively little complexity. It also means you can respond faster when new technology or changing customer demands reshape the conditions for your e-commerce. At the same time, it helps you bring new ideas to market faster, giving you an edge over your competitors.

The integrations with third-party solutions that an open API enables also make it easier for you to create a seamless end-to-end experience for your customers. This is especially important if you work with omnichannel, where different integrations help all channels work together. If you want to improve the shopping experience, you can, for example, integrate advanced search functionality and enriched product data. If you want greater visibility, you can strengthen your presence on social media by adding new features that support it. That makes it easier for both you as a retailer and your customers to share content, campaigns or competitions across multiple social channels at the same time. You can also use different integrations to access and use more customer data, allowing you to create better, more personalised marketing and shopping experiences. Integrations with third-party solutions give you more room to be creative, so you can create a better user experience while increasing sales.

What to consider when choosing third-party solutions for your e-commerce platform

The possibilities may be almost endless, but that does not mean you should add more third-party solutions than you actually need. While it is relatively easy to add more functionality through third-party solutions via an open API, it is not like downloading and installing an app on your phone. It takes planned implementation and testing to make sure every part of your platform is compatible and works seamlessly together. That requires both time and resources. Adding many third-party solutions through an open API also increases the complexity of your e-commerce platform. The more complex it becomes, the harder it is to keep track of every part and maintain the system over time. So make sure your e-commerce platform provider has the right performance and support for what you want to build.

Some solutions make sense if you run an e-commerce business with high transaction volumes. Others are useful if you sell across multiple markets. If you do not have those needs, those solutions add no business value at all, only complexity. So always start your strategy by asking what value you are actually looking for. Is it to connect your e-commerce with social media? Or to create a seamless omnichannel experience? Would you gain a lot from making your warehouse management more efficient? Always start with your business needs and your plans. Otherwise, it is easy to choose third-party solutions simply because they are popular or widely used by others. Focus on the gain a specific integrated function can give you, and you can strengthen your e-commerce, create entirely new experiences and sell more.

What to consider when choosing third-party solutions for your e-commerce platform:

• Do you actually need to implement third-party solutions via an API? Learn to separate need-to-have from nice-to-have. Avoid implementing third-party solutions in your e-commerce platform because of industry trends or simply because others are using them.

• What return will specific third-party solutions give you? What purpose will the implementation serve in your business? A good way to work that out is to do an ROI calculation.

• Choose the right third-party solutions based on your conditions. Some types of functionality require your e-commerce to have higher transaction volumes and more site traffic for the third-party solution to deliver the gains you want.

How we work with third-party solutions through our open API at Viskan

We want you to get as much as possible out of your e-commerce. That is why our e-commerce platform offers open API integration capabilities that make it possible to build integrations with third-party solutions and tools. Today, at Viskan, we have a range of ready-made third-party solutions, and more are on the way. Want to know more about our integration capabilities?

Talk to us at Viskan about the possibilities with our open API!