API Meaning
Today’s technology-led world depends on the three-letter acronym - API. It is almost impossible to imagine technological advancements and innovations without API.
To start with, API stands for Application Programming Interface. Just like humans communicate with each other via language or gesture or even facial expression, computers or applications talk to each other with the help of user interfaces known as APIs.
According to the definition, an API is a set of codes that acts as an intermediary between one software product and the other to establish communication between them. Such communication enables data transfer from one application to another with the help of this API.
There are two parts of an API:
Technical specification that gives details about the possibilities of data transfer and the protocols to be used in data delivery.
The interface of the API that presents this specification to connecting software on both sides.
This article talks specifically about marketplace API integration. As the name suggests, marketplace API integration is all about establishing communication between eCommerce marketplaces and the software used to perform operations on these marketplaces.
The eCommerce software like inventory management, shipping management, warehouse management, order management, multichannel systems, marketing automation systems, etc., need a medium to communicate with the marketplaces and help retailers with their core business operations.
API Integration Process
Before we discuss more about marketplace API integration, let’s understand the meaning of API integration.
So, API integration is the process of connecting two or more APIs with each other so they can communicate with each other and facilitate data transfer between the two applications.
With the help of API integration, businesses can automate their operations and many other functions that are regular and impact the productivity of the employees. In a business ecosystem, the transfer of enterprise data and business processes is impossible to do manually, especially when we talk about large enterprises.
API integration is, therefore, the only feasible and efficient solution to facilitate data transfer between these applications. Moreover, after the inception of cloud applications and products, it is crucial to exchange data between software tools automatically. Therefore, whenever you feel the need to extract or embed data from different applications or software, API integration is your go-to solution to do so.
Importance of Marketplace API Integration
Marketplace API integration is the process of establishing a connection between eCommerce marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, and Etsy and eCommerce software like inventory management systems, warehouse management systems, etc.
With the help of this integration, the software can access all the information from the online stores built on these marketplaces and use it to perform their core functionality. The software, in turn, helps the retailers carry out their operations seamlessly with advanced features.
In simple terms, marketplace API integration allows vendors to access data related to customers, products, categories, orders, etc., and use it to provide upgraded software to the e-retailers.
Talking about the importance of marketplace API integration, it is impossible to provide eCommerce software to online retailers without their core functionality. For example, an inventory management system allows retailers to manage and sync their stock levels across all of their online stores. If retailers have their stores based on multiple platforms, how will they be able to synchronize their inventory across all of them? Either they will end up underselling the product (displaying “out-of-stock” when the product is “in-stock”) or overselling (displaying “in-stock” when the product has been sold on all the channels) it.
Retailers need to have software that can sync inventory on multiple channels to prevent such misinformation cases. This is possible only with the help of marketplace API integration with inventory management software because then the software can access the inventory data from all the sales channels.
Examples of APIs of Various Marketplaces
Three popular marketplace APIs are always under consideration when it comes to marketplace API integration.
Amazon is the most sought-after marketplace for both online shoppers and retailers. It boasts of millions of sellers and websites along with nearly equal customers. Amazon API is, therefore, the most popular API that allows software developers and vendors to work with this marketplace data. With the help of Amazon API, the developers can:
- Retrieve product information from Amazon online stores
- Review product-related data
- Retrieve seller feedback and their profiles
- Extract information related to the customers of Amazon
Basically, after marketplace integration with Amazon API, you can directly manage the data on Amazon listings, orders, and payments.
eBay features more than 800,000 online stores on its website, and every month more than 170 million users get served. Undoubtedly, eBay is among the most popular marketplaces. Therefore, you can leverage various information available on this marketplace with eBay API.
It allows developers and software vendors to access all the data related to customers, products, orders, and categories from online stores listed on eBay and use it to perform their primary functions.
Etsy is yet another marketplace that allows vintage sellers and handcrafters to showcase and sell their products on its website. More than 70,000 websites live on Etsy, making it popular across the masses.
Etsy API is, therefore, designed by keeping in mind the capabilities of the end-users. It offers a reliable, RESTful interface along with support for JSON format. In addition, it enables the developers and software vendors to send and receive data on Etsy easily.
How to Develop Integration with Different Marketplaces?
There are two ways to develop marketplace API integration - in-house integration development and use of third-party integration development services.
The first option is time-consuming, costly, and resource-eating. Your developers will need time to understand the logic and architecture of different APIs, code individual integrations, and then look after their upgrades and maintenance every time the API gets a new version.
You also need to pay a significant salary to your advanced developers, spend on their training and set-up and infrastructure for integration development, and invest in integration maintenance.
All your resources will be used up in just developing integrations.
The other option is to use the services of a third-party integration development provider like API2Cart.
API2Cart is a unified API that allows software vendors to integrate with more than 40 eCommerce marketplaces and shopping platforms at once.
With API2Cart, you can save significantly on time, money, and resources as its unified API eliminates the need for separate integrations. API2Cart also looks after the maintenance of integrations to ensure they remain secure and reliable after a new version of API is released.
Conclusion
So, the development of marketplace API integration is a good choice for different eCommerce software providers. It can bring more new clients and get access to all the necessary data. You can develop the integrations with multiple marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, etc., with the help of your company team of developers or use some third-party solution.