Conducting e-commerce requires a Web site or mobile app which is front office (or showroom) software that people visit to browse and buy.
Although many businesses operate their own Web sites and mobile apps for e-commerce, they are turning increasingly to online marketplaces as well. Half of online spending now occurs on online marketplaces, and this is expected to grow by another third over the next five years.
Amazon is the largest online marketplace today and two of every three product searches begin there. Nonetheless, to maximize their visibility, sales and profits, just over half of Amazon sellers also utilized alternate e-commerce platforms such as eBay, Shopify, and Walmart last year, up from under a third the previous year.
Most businesses engaged in e-commerce also rely on back office software such as ERP, accounting, customer relationship management (CRM) and supplier relationship management (SRM) applications as their system of record, or single version of the truth. Ideally, their back office software would easily and reliably integrate with all the front office software they use (including all the online marketplaces they use as well as their own e-commerce Web sites):
- To automate their end-to-end record-to-report (R2R) business processes that perform functions which online marketplaces do not support, such as maintaining a general ledger;
- To avoid wasteful duplication of effort when operating multiple e-commerce platforms; for example, when selling on Amazon as well as their own Web site. The GM-X Content and Product subsystems function as systems of record for maintaining product listings, pricing, and enhanced content (videos, enhanced images, customized text placements, and shoppable product-comparison charts) just once for deployment onto many e-commerce platforms;
- To avoid financial losses, reputational risks, and potential legal compliance risks arising from missed opportunities and human errors when maintaining prices separately for the same product on multiple e-commerce platforms. Because competitors often reprice in near real-time, online marketplaces tend to require a much higher repricing frequency. Fast-paced repricing allows sellers to compete for the “Buy Box,” and Buy Box winners tend to get 80 percent of total sales for a product; and
- To consolidate and gain a comprehensive view of current inventory positions across all e-commerce platforms together with other physical sales and distribution channels. Consolidating the procurement of products that are consigned and shipped to diverse distribution centers operated by various fulfilment services could create opportunities to earn quantity discounts yielding significant cost savings.
GM-X is a perfect fit for businesses which operate their own Web sites or mobile apps, in addition to selling on Amazon or multiple online marketplaces, and desire a single system of record and version of the truth for their back office application.
GM-X provides built-in integration with both the Amazon Seller Central and Vendor Central apps:
- Third-party ("3P") sellers use the Seller Central app to sell their own products through Amazon's marketplace, and fulfill those sales orders using either Amazon's Fulfillment-by-Amazon (FBA) or Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF) options;
- First-party ("1P") sellers use the Vendor Central app to sell directly to Amazon. Amazon, in turn, re-sells and delivers those products to its customers; and
- Both 3P and 1P sellers can use the Amazon Warehousing and Distribution (AWD) option to store their inventories and distribute them to the Amazon store and other distribution channels.
Below is a list of Amazon SP-API interfaces which GM-X supports:
A+ Content Management
- Integrates with the GM-X Content and Product subsystems as the systems of record
- For use with Amazon Seller Central and Vendor Central apps
- Creates and updates content documents on the Amazon online marketplace from the GM-X Content and Product subsystems, including rich text and images
- Uploads images directly from the GM-X system to the Amazon online marketplace
- Validates and posts content document ASIN relations to the Amazon online marketplace based on products linked to each GM-X product category
- Posts content document approval and suspension submissions
Amazon Warehousing and Distribution (AWD)
- Integrates with the GM-X Order, Shipment, and Inventory subsystems
- For use with Amazon Seller Central and Vendor Central apps
- Extracts inbound shipments and inventory data from the Amazon online marketplace
Catalog Items
- Integrates with the GM-X Product subsystem as the system of record
- For use with Amazon Seller Central and Vendor Central apps
- Searches for and extracts catalog item details from the Amazon online marketplace to create new product entries in the GM-X Product subsystem
Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) Inbound Eligibility
- Integrates with the GM-X Order subsystem
- For use with Amazon Seller Central app
- Extracts eligibility previews from the Amazon online marketplace to determine if inbound shipments for FBA can be initiated
FBA Inventory
- Integrates with the GM-X Inventory subsystem
- For use with Amazon Seller Central app
- Extracts inventory summaries from the Amazon online marketplace
Finances
- Integrates with the GM-X Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable subsystems as the systems of record
- For use with Amazon Seller Central app
- Extracts financial events from the Amazon online marketplace by financial event group or order
Fulfillment Inbound for FBA and Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF)
- Integrates with the GM-X Party, Order, and Shipment subsystems
- For use with Amazon Seller Central app
- Creates and updates inbound fulfillment plans on the Amazon online marketplace
- Extracts inbound fulfillment plans, plan boxes, plan items, plan pallets, shipments, shipment items, and shipment boxes from the Amazon online marketplace
- Generates and extracts packing, placement, delivery window, and transportation options from the Amazon online marketplace
- Confirms packing, placement, delivery window, and transportation options
- Updates shipments and shipment tracking details
- Creates marketplace item labels
- Extracts shipping labels and bills of lading from the Amazon online marketplace
Fulfillment Outbound for MCF
- Integrates with the GM-X Order, and Shipment subsystems
- For use with Amazon Seller Central app
- Extracts delivery options including estimated delivery date and offer expiration from the Amazon online marketplace
- Creates, updates and cancels fulfillment orders on the Amazon online marketplace
- Extracts fulfillment previews, fulfillment orders, package tracking details, return reason codes, features, feature inventories, and feature stock-keeping units (SKU) from the Amazon online marketplace
- Creates fulfillment returns on the Amazon online marketplace
Listings Items
- Integrates with the GM-X Product subsystem as the system of record
- For use with Amazon Seller Central app
- Creates, updates, and deletes product listing items from the GM-X Product subsystem on the Amazon online marketplace
- Full support for product features and options
- Supports all Amazon online marketplace product attributes
- Supports all product identification requirements including Amazon Standard Identification Number (ASIN), seller SKU number, and GS1 EAN/UPC barcode numbers
Orders
- Integrates with the GM-X Order, and Shipment subsystems
- For use with Amazon Seller Central app
- Extracts sales orders and their items from the Amazon online marketplace
- Confirms customer shipments and package details
Product Fees
- Integrates with the GM-X Product subsystem as the system of record
- For use with Amazon Seller Central app
- Extracts Amazon fee estimates from the Amazon online marketplace by SKU or ASIN for inclusion in product cost by cost element
Product Type Definitions
- Integrates with the GM-X Product subsystem as the system of record
- For use with Amazon Seller Central app
- Extracts Amazon product type definitions from the Amazon online marketplace as GM-X product category classes
Solicitations
- Integrates with the GM-X Party and Order subsystems
- For use with Amazon Seller Central app
- Creates product review and seller feedback solicitations on the Amazon online marketplace
- Extracts solicitation actions by order from the Amazon online marketplace
Vendor Invoices
- Integrates with the GM-X Invoice and Accounts Receivable subsystems as the systems of record
- For use with Amazon Vendor Central app
- Submits customer invoices to Amazon
Vendor Orders
- Integrates with the GM-X Order subsystem
- For use with Amazon Vendor Central app
- Extracts purchase orders (PO) and PO status information from Amazon
- Submits PO acknowledgments to Amazon
Vendor Shipments
- Integrates with the GM-X Shipment subsystem
- For use with Amazon Vendor Central app
- Submits shipments and shipment confirmations to Amazon
- Extracts shipment details from Amazon