Integration Tips
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4 MIN READ
This year has been transformative for Merchants, with rapid shifts driving many merchants to embrace ecommerce faster than anticipated. As businesses adapt to the evolving retail landscape, the need for efficient integration solutions has become a priority, especially with the pressure of peak shopping seasons like BFCM approaching. For many, the challenge is getting these solutions up and running within tight timelines. But how long should a complex data integration really take to implement?
For large businesses with intricate systems and specific business rules, rushing to implement an integration solution for the 2024 BFCM season may be unrealistic. When moving towards an upmarket, non-"plug-and-play" data integration, it’s essential to understand the timeline involved and set realistic expectations before going live.
Let’s explore what it takes to implement an agile, scalable integration solution and what a reasonable timeline looks like for launch. Dive in!
So, how long should onboarding and implementation of a data integration solution take?
The answer to this question is not one size-fits-all. It varies as much as there are individual businesses. Each with its own complexities and business rules.
However, there is a general rule of thumb: From contract signing to go-live date should be approximately 8-12 weeks if the certain conditions are met in a timely manner.
Here are some considerations to keep in mind as you seek to implement an integration solution with the help of an integration expert.
You must consider that creating a scalable and agile data integration solution is a partnership effort. Integration services like VL by eHouse’s work best when there is a true partnership between Merchant and solution providers. Because we are dealing with specific and technical aspects of Merchant data, integration providers like VL by eHouse must have active access to data sets and other applications to set up Connectors.
In basic terms, you get out of a project what you put in. Integration specialists like VL by eHouse’s developers need certain technical information about our Merchants systems, data, and applications that are key to creating your Integration Connectors. Promptly answering inquiries and giving us all the information we need in a timely manner allows us to start right away.
There are often other application processes that must be set up before integration Connectors can be put into place, such as setting up an ERP implementation or a new ecommerce store. In a partnership integration solution, Merchants must prioritize their ecommerce back end set up in order to efficiently grow their business.
Being available for calls, answering emails promptly, and being able to answer the important technical questions that our developers need to create your solution will speed up the implementation process ten-fold.
When there are delays in the information gathering process, delays in returning emails or phone calls can delay the implementation process considerably. We understand that integration can be a technically complex process that can be overwhelming for an Ecommerce Manager or Business Development personnel to understand fully.
We strongly recommend that there is a technical point person on the Merchant team, so that person can liaise with VL by eHouse’s developers and onboarding team to reduce time delays and frustration.
In reality, creating and implementing an integration solution that is both agile, flexible, and scalable with VL by eHouse can take only a couple of weeks depending on complexity and business rules. The overall benefit and ROI of these integrations are immediately evident to your business.
For Merchants, our biggest advice is having a complete data integration strategy realized before implementing a solution to avoid heading down the wrong path, partnering with a solution that may not fit your goals, or ultimately getting stuck in an “it’s almost ready!” loop for weeks (or months).
Here at VL by eHouse, we have a tried, tested, and true onboarding process that allows the merchant to be fully involved in the implementation and kickoff. That’s the difference a great data integration provider like VL by eHouse makes — one that looks at your business holistically, understands your business’ needs deeply, and deploys a solution to match your needs.
We hope this guide helps you determine what and how long it should take to implement an integration solution.
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