What is an ecommerce API (Application Programming Interface)?

API is the acronym for Application Programming Interface. As the name suggests, APIs provide an interface for connecting different computers or applications and help disparate systems and software communicate.  Ecommerce APIs are methods that establish communication among applications within or outside of an ecommerce platform. 

APIs are the intermediary layer between an application and the web server and process data transfer. In simple terms, APIs help different systems and applications talk to each other. For example, an ecommerce API can connect your favorite third-party marketing, accounting, CRM, POS or any other software to your online store and help with your brand’s day-to-day functionality.

How do Ecommerce APIs work?

The main task of APIs is to ensure proper data orchestration for the smooth implementations and ongoing operations of enterprise ecommerce portals. APIs help in creating a headless system by acting as digital messengers that take communication to and fro from various systems and software used by an ecommerce brand.

Since the disparate systems have different ways of communicating, setting up a common messaging system between these systems can be a challenge. APIs help in streamlining these communications by translating the message from one system into data that another system in your ecommerce set up can understand and utilize for completing a set of processes.

This kind of ecommerce API based system enables your enterprise brand to communicate with a variety of diverse systems to deliver a uniform and centralized experience for your buyers. For example, you can use mailing software to send the latest deals to your customers. When the customer clicks on the deal link and buys products you connect the customer with their chosen payment channel. Once the payment is done a confirmation SMS or mail is sent to the buyer through your CRM. Finally, your chosen delivery service provider delivers the orders and you can give a tracking link to your buyers on your ecommerce portal. For the customer this whole exercise is one uniform experience on your online store whereas in the backend multiple disjoint systems are using APIs to communicate among themselves and help in completing an order and its delivery.

Usually, ecommerce APIs connect your ecommerce platform with multiple back-end systems  and handle multiple requests and responses associated with your ecommerce website simultaneously.

E-commerce API integration connect your ecommerce platform with many backend systems like:

• Order Management system
• Product and inventory management system
• Marketing and messaging systems
• ERP, CRM, WMS, CMS, Accounting and other software
• POS systems
• Payment gateways
• Fulfillment and shipping solutions
• Enterprise resource planning (ERP) 

By correctly integrating these systems and enabling smooth and accurate information flow among them ecommerce API integration makes your business agile, efficient and growth oriented. 

What are the benefits of using an ecommerce API?

APIs for ecommerce help e-commerce systems communicate easily to perform a variety of functions designed around data-sharing and eventually executing processes based on the data passed from one system to the other. 

APIs for ecommerce are the middlemen that enable developers to build new interactions used for the better functioning of an ecommerce system/website. APIs create new levels of data sharing thus helping enterprises with building agile and innovative ecommerce solutions for business growth.

Here are some of the benefits of ecommerce API:

• Help in creating out-of-box solutions by connecting different software or systems
• Make customizations easier, faster and better
• Make it easy to develop new business flows and scale to new markets, customers or business models
• Create personalized and improved user experiences by offering a wide range of services to the buyers
• Design frictionless checkouts and easy transactions
• Help enterprise brands introduce automation at different levels
• Enable easy authentication and enhance security throughout the ecommerce platform
• Help with strategic, data-driven and targeted marketing for business growth

E-commerce API integration goes a long way in helping enterprise businesses build future-proof ecommerce systems. Thanks to APIs enterprise brands can create their tailor-made ecommerce environments and create a niche for their brand.

What is the future of Ecommerce APIs?

Ecommerce Application Programming interfaces have changed the way digital business ecosystems were built a few years ago. By giving the tools to collaborate successfully between different systems APIs equip enterprise businesses to carry out innovative disruptive business.

From automating processes to creating personalized immersive experiences across different touchpoints, ecommerce APIs have the potential to revolutionize ecommerce businesses. 

By powering their business with an API-first ecommerce platform enterprise businesses can leverage modular commerce and build tailor-made, innovative and disruptive ecommerce solutions for their brand. 

StoreHippo is built on MACH (Microservices, API-first, Cloud-native, Headless) architecture and offers an API-based architecture to help enterprises build out-of-box solutions. The decoupled headless architecture and 300+ built-in features along with support for B2B, B2C, D2C, B2B2C, and other hybrid business models gives enterprise brands the tools and means to build successful businesses.