.png?width=210&height=40&name=bleu%20et%20gris_Sigle+logo%20SBO%20(4).png){kind=small}
Connecting sales channels to Shippingbo - Best practices
Summary
💡 Key point:
Connecting sales channels directly to Shippingbo is the best guarantee of data reliability and support quality, serving the end customer experience.
1. Tutorial objective
The purpose of this guide is to present the best practices for connecting sales channels to Shippingbo, in order to ensure data reliability, support quality and end customer satisfaction.
The connection method chosen has a direct impact on Shippingbo's ability to guarantee the proper functioning of the platform and to support you effectively.
2. The different ways of connecting to Shippingbo
There are two main categories of connection between your sales channels and Shippingbo.
The direct connection, via an official Shippingbo connector, allows the platform to retrieve orders and associated data directly from the source, relying on the sales channels’ native APIs. This connection method guarantees standardized, reliable flows that are maintained over time, and is the recommended configuration.
The indirect connection relies on an intermediary tool, such as a CMS, an ERP, an external connector, an FTP feed, or manual or automated imports. This type of architecture is tolerated, but it introduces intermediaries that may modify or alter the data before it arrives in Shippingbo.
🔷 Note:
When the CMS (Shopify, PrestaShop, WooCommerce, Magento, etc.) is not the original source of the orders but acts as an intermediary tool used to bring in flows from marketplaces, private sales, B2B/B2B2C flows or any other external source: Shippingbo considers that the transmitted data is no longer controlled at the source.
In this context, although the CMS connector is an official Shippingbo connector, it cannot be considered a direct connection to the actual source of the orders. Shippingbo therefore guarantees neither the integrity, nor the completeness, nor the functional compliance of the data transmitted via this type of architecture.
3. Why direct connection is an essential best practice
Connecting your sales channels directly to Shippingbo first and foremost makes it possible to guarantee data integrity. The information retrieved is strictly what is issued by the sales channel, without any intermediate transformation. This greatly limits the risk of missing fields, truncated data or uncontrolled reformatting.
This connection method is also essential to ensure compatibility with the entire Shippingbo ecosystem. Advanced features such as artificial intelligence, BI reporting, automations, or transactional emails rely on structured and standardized data. Altered or partial data limits, or even prevents, their proper functioning.
Finally, direct connection contributes directly to the quality of logistics flows and to the end customer experience. Reliable data allows error-free label generation, consistent communication with carriers and a significant reduction in operational incidents, which translates into greater recipient satisfaction.
4. Limits and risks of indirect connections
When orders go through a third-party tool before being transmitted to Shippingbo, the platform no longer controls the entire data transformation chain. Changes may be applied without visibility, such as the deletion of fields, the modification of formats, the creation of duplicates or the alteration of statuses.
These discrepancies can generate anomalies that are complex to diagnose, particularly during preparation, shipment or invoicing. They can also cause inconsistencies in communications with customers or carriers. In this context, Shippingbo cannot guarantee that the malfunctions observed originate in the platform itself.
5. Shippingbo support scope
The Shippingbo support scope covers only data retrieved via official channels and native connectors. When the connection is indirect, the support intervention is limited to analyzing the data actually received in the platform and checking Shippingbo’s standard behavior based on that information.
Shippingbo is not able to investigate the processing carried out upstream by a third-party tool or to correct anomalies resulting from external transformations. Responsibility for the data before it enters Shippingbo therefore remains with the intermediary system used.
🔷 Note:
By choosing an indirect connection method, in particular via a CMS used as a gateway for external flows or via FTP feeds or third-party connectors, the customer acknowledges being solely responsible for the quality, consistency and compliance of the data transmitted to Shippingbo.
The customer also acknowledges that this configuration choice deliberately limits the scope of standard Shippingbo support and accepts that any anomaly resulting from transformations or processing carried out upstream is not the responsibility of Shippingbo.
6. Specific investigations and billing
In some cases, requests may require in-depth investigations, such as lengthy technical analyses, specific tests or exchanges with third-party solutions. These actions go beyond the scope of standard support when they concern indirect flows.
🔷 Note:
In this context, Shippingbo may offer a specific service, carried out after prior approval, and subject to dedicated billing. This approach makes it possible to frame the interventions while ensuring an appropriate allocation of resources.
Therefore, the use of indirect connections structurally generates more support requests and technical investigations. These requests, when they concern flows whose original source Shippingbo does not control, are not covered by the standard support included in the subscription.
➡️ The customer acknowledges that this type of architecture may result in recurring support costs and agrees that the necessary interventions will be billed on a time-spent basis, under the conditions in force, after prior approval.
7. Recommended best practices
To secure your operations, it is strongly recommended to favor a direct connection of your sales channels to Shippingbo via the official connectors. This configuration allows you to fully benefit from support, ensure data reliability and optimize the entire logistics chain.
When the use of an intermediary tool is necessary, it is important to assess its impacts, anticipate support limitations and, if needed, plan for specific assistance in order to reduce operational risks.
⚒️ Recommendation:
Before fully using the feature described in this tutorial, we strongly recommend running a test phase with your own settings to check that the result matches your expectations.
As the customer remains fully responsible for the actions carried out in the Shippingbo account, these tests are essential to use the tool with complete peace of mind.
Contact us 📬:
Questions about this feature? Feel free to write to us here so that we can answer your questions.