eCommerce Marketplace Integration: Meaning and Benefits for SaaS
Tags: ecommerce, marketplace, api, programming
Published: 2022-08-25 07:37:23

The growing popularity and success of eCommerce marketplaces has opened a pool of business opportunities for online merchants. The merchants willing to expand their online presence are leveraging a great deal of variety both in terms of new markets and customers. 

To keep up with increasing demands of merchants for advanced features and functionality in their eCommerce software, the software vendors should now focus on establishing [eCommerce marketplace integration](https://api2cart.com/integration-with-marketplaces/?utm_source=dev.to &utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=marketplaceintegartionkh.ol). Such integrations can help them improve the functionality of their eCommerce software and equip them with features that can streamline an eCommerce business.  

Read on to know more about eCommerce marketplace integration and its benefits for SaaS businesses. 

##What is eCommerce Marketplace Integration?

eCommerce marketplace integration is a term used to describe the process of tying SaaS applications with various eCommerce marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, Etsy, etc. to work with data related to customers, products, orders, categories, shipments, and more. Such data is available on online stores which are built on these marketplaces. 

To retrieve the data and process it for further use in eCommerce operations, SaaS applications like inventory management software, shipping management software, WMS, marketing automation system, etc. need to integrate with the marketplaces. 

An eCommerce marketplace integration is established between the APIs of the marketplace and the SaaS application. For every marketplace platform that your client has built a store on, you need an integration with that platform to provide them with seamless SaaS solutions. 

##What are the Benefits of eCommerce Marketplace Integration? 

It is important to know more about what eCommerce marketplace integration can offer your SaaS business before you invest your time, money, and resources in it. Here are some significant benefits of [marketplace integration](https://api2cart.medium.com/marketplace-api-peculiarities-of-integration-f07a5223fecf) that you cannot avoid. 

###Attract more clients

With eCommerce marketplace integration with platforms like Amazon, eBay, and Etsy, you get to connect with more online shop owners other than your clients. Integration with an online marketplace allows you to access all types of data related to customers, products, orders, and categories from an online shop. This means, you will be exposed to millions of other online shop owners who run their business on a particular marketplace. 

Consequently, you can propose your SaaS solutions to them in case they are also looking to expand their online business while streamlining their business operations. In this way, with the help of integration with a marketplace, you can attract more clients for your SaaS business. 

###Increase revenue

As a result of eCommerce marketplace integration, when you propose your B2B eCommerce software to other online shop owners, you may convert some of these leads into actual customers. These shop owners, when they decide to buy your software, actually add a huge ROI to your records. In simple words, when you connect with prospective buyers on the marketplace platforms, they can eventually become your customers, and hence, increase your overall revenue. 

Moreover, with advanced features and functionality added to your software, you can create different pricing packages for your clients according to their requirements. As a matter of fact, it all depends on the marketplace platform and SaaS application under consideration. 

###Be competitive

There are a plethora of SaaS solutions providers across the globe or even in your service radius. How will your clients differentiate between the services of you and your competitors? How will they know if your software is the one they should invest in and not your competitor’s? 

The simple answer is to give them a solid reason to buy from you - the features that only your software can provide and even better than your competitors. This can be attained with the help of eCommerce marketplace integration, which gives you an edge in the competition - a software that is well-equipped with the required data to perform eCommerce operations and the ability to automate business processes. This way, you can position yourself as an industry leader in your market and expose yourself to markets across the globe. 

###Which Marketplaces Must Be a Top Priority?

If you are starting to make up your mind for eCommerce marketplace integration, the first question that must have struck your mind is - “which marketplaces should I integrate with first?”.

Let us make it easy for you. Here are [top three marketplaces](https://api2cart.com/business/top-3-marketplaces-your-ecommerce-software-has-to-integrate-with/?utm_source=devto&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=marketplaceintegrkh.ol) that should be on your priority list. 

###1. Amazon

Amazon is the most popular and profitable choice for an eCommerce marketplace integration. It is trusted by both customers and online merchants over any other marketplaces available out there.

Amazon has more than 350 million active members and more than 120 million products of different varieties. Therefore, it has a huge customer base, allowing it to shop from a diverse range of products. Moreover, the online marketplace giant has [1.9 million active sellers](https://www.oberlo.in/blog/amazon-statistics). You can now imagine the number of prospective clients you can have.  
  
###2. eBay

eBay set its foot in the market in 1995 and soon became popular for its easy to use and cost-effective platform. More than 170 million customers trust eBay for their shopping needs. It ranks second to Amazon in terms of the number of clients however, it has a high customer rating when it comes to vintage and handmade items. That said, if you establish an eCommerce marketplace integration with eBay, you can tap into an entirely new market of vintage or handmade items. 

###3. Etsy

Though Etsy is third on the list, it is a very promising marketplace, both for online merchants and its customers. It’s been 20 years since Etsy was found and since then it has attracted millions of customers who love factory-made and handmade items. 

It boasts of a target audience of around [54 million members](https://www.statista.com/statistics/409375/etsy-active-buyers/) (a huge clientele if you are looking forward to tapping into a new market). These sellers satisfy the customers who look for unique gifts and items that aren’t easily available in the market elsewhere. 

##How to Easily Implement eCommerce Marketplace Integration?

By now, you know what eCommerce marketplace integration is, its benefits and the top marketplaces you can integrate with. Here comes the main part - how to implement eCommerce marketplace integration in an easy, cost-effective, and resource-saving way. 
{% embed https://youtu.be/OOBl0biHmA0 %}

[API2Cart](https://api2cart.com/?utm_source=devto&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=marketplaceintegrkh.ol) is the answer to all your queries. It is a unified API that allows SaaS businesses to connect their eCommerce software with more than 40 eCommerce platforms and marketplaces at once. It doesn’t require you to connect your software with individual marketplace one by one. Instead, it establishes a unified integration with all the platforms. 
Moreover, it looks after the upgrades and maintenance of integrations after every new version of the marketplace gets released. Therefore, you won’t need to worry about the after-care of your integrations with API2Cart. 
![api2cart](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/9cw6gvfn998qnpzngvil.gif)
It also provides a [30-day free trial period](https://app.api2cart.com/#register?utm_source=devto&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=marketplaceintegrkh.ol) for you to see if it covers your business needs.