Shopping Cart API: The Meaning and The Process of Integration with It
Tags: api, programming
Published: 2022-08-24 09:49:56

Software companies, such as ERP (enterprise resource planning), shipping management, warehouse management system, order and inventory management systems, or pricing solutions, have always struggled to reach their target markets in the face of increased competition. In 2022 — as the eCommerce market continues to grow — it becomes even more important for these companies to get an edge on the market. This goal can be acquired through shopping cart API integration development.

Shopping cart integration is critical for various eCommerce software companies, who need reliable connections with multiple shopping platforms like Magento, Shopify and more.

Online retailers usually begin by using shopping platforms to promote their products and are later on able to use various software to streamline and simplify business processes. Shopping platforms can help them reach a certain level of success. Still, when online sellers get a certain point and have managed to scale their companies enough, they start using different software to simplify their processes and automate tasks. That’s where you come in.

As an eCommerce software provider, you are probably interested in expanding your customer base and reaching out to eCommerce shop owners who need your service. However, you must know that your software is not capable of servicing customers without developing a connection with the shopping platforms that they use.

Data is critical for your business. To gain access to e-retailers’ store data, it’s imperative to integrate your business with all major eCommerce platforms. Let’s look at the most important aspect of the shopping cart API integration process.

## Shopping Cart API Meaning

The [shopping cart API](https://api2cart.com/?utm_source=dev.to&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=shoppingcartiapin.kov) allows developers to access different types of store information, usually providing access to orders, products, customers, categories, etc. 

Shopping cart API integration is the process of developing a connection between an app or software and an eCommerce platform. As a result, software providers can offer various useful features for online store owners. These features include order management, inventory sync, product management, and many more.

## Shopping Cart API Integration Development Aspects

Shopping cart integrations are an integral part of various eCommerce software companies, affecting a wide range of their processes.

For example, with the right integration, shipping management software can get data from e-merchants' stores needed for automation of shipping processes, improving order packaging and generating shipments. This includes data on orders, products, courier details and much more.

Software companies that offer order management need the developed integration between their solution and eCommerce platforms to be able to retrieve data that enables them to provide the main functionality. For instance, access to an e-store’s order info enables such systems to sync inventory across multiple sales channels.

## The Best Shopping Cart Solutions for the Integration

Let’s take a closer look at how you can choose the right shopping cart solutions to integrate your software with. First, you need to realize that integrating your solution with multiple shopping platforms can bring a number of benefits to your company. Automating e-store owners’ businesses and streamlining their workflows can go a long way toward ensuring that you are perceived as a reliable and experienced service provider.

The integration of shopping cart API with the top five platforms — [Shopify](https://www.shopify.com/), Magento, WooCommerce, PrestaShop and OpenCart — is an excellent scenario. Each of these platforms powers many thousands of webstores globally, and each is investing heavily in advanced features for its users.

For example, more than 500,000 eCommerce store owners are currently using Magento. Also, by 2022, more than 21% of all web stores will be built on [WooCommerce](https://woocommerce.com/). Shopify has a million merchants spread across 175 countries worldwide.

These five platforms account for a significant share of the market. By integrating your solution with them, you can gain access to all e-shop owners who use them. Consequently, you can increase your customer base and overcome your competitors, most of which are probably not targeting multiple platforms at once.

When choosing an eCommerce platform to integrate with, we also should consider less popular platforms, such as ZenCart, Gambio, Hybris, Ecwid, osCommerce, Squarespace, etc. Each one of them has its own specific features. For example, Gambio and ZenCart are more popular among German-speaking e-shop owners; Ecwid and osCommerce are preferred by retail site owners in the United Kingdom and Italy.

## The Development of a Secure API Integration with Multiple Shopping Platforms

As an eCommerce software company, you need to be able to develop secure API integration with multiple shopping platforms, as quickly as possible. This is especially true if you have the plans to expand into new markets. However, you need to be aware of the fact that establishing a secure connection with only one shopping platform can be quite a time-consuming and costly process.

A manual API connection with a platform such as Magento can take around two months to complete and costs $10,000 in investment. Further maintenance is required, which could lead to additional financial resources invested.

To make integration with multiple platforms easier, you can use an API integration solution. An example of such a solution is API2Cart, which provides a unified API for connecting your software with 40+ shopping platforms at once. When using this kind of software, you won't need to develop separate connections with the various platforms.