ERP integration
Shopify Xentral integration
Xentral and Shopify. For day-to-day operations.
For D2C brands outgrowing spreadsheets that want to run order processing, warehousing and shipping in one place at last.
When the combination is worth it
For many D2C brands Xentral is the first step away from spreadsheets and manual processing. The focus is on day-to-day operations: accepting orders, picking, printing labels, keeping stock. That is exactly the gap Shopify alone does not close once several hundred orders a day come in.
Xentral brings its own Shopify connection with it. For a manageable range with clear pricing logic that is usually enough. It gets interesting once bundles, sets, subscriptions or several sales channels are added, because then the question of which system calculates inventory decides how stable the whole setup is.
Which objects sync in which direction
In everyday operations Xentral is the leading system for everything that touches the warehouse. Shopify stays leading for the order and the customer account.
| Object | Direction | Leading system | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Products | → Shopify | Xentral | Products and bills of materials from Xentral, marketing texts stay in the store. |
| Inventory | → Shopify | Xentral | Available quantity after reservation, calculated per warehouse. |
| Prices | → Shopify | Xentral | Sales prices from Xentral, discount promotions run through Shopify. |
| Orders | Shopify → | Shopify | Shopify creates the order, Xentral takes it over for processing. |
| Customers | Shopify → | Shopify | The customer account is created in the store, Xentral mirrors it for documents. |
| Fulfillments | → Shopify | Xentral | Shipping and tracking from Xentral back into the Shopify order. |
| Credit notes | → Shopify | Xentral | Return and credit note in Xentral, refund via Shopify. |
Which integration pattern holds up
Native Shopify connection
The standard route and the right one for most D2C setups. Products, orders, inventory and shipping run without additional software. You reach the limits where your product logic differs from the Xentral structure.
Supplementary middleware
Useful when bundles, subscriptions or several stores come together. A lean service can rewrite orders before they are handed over, for example by breaking sets down into individual items, without replacing the native connection.
iPaaS for several channels
Only relevant once marketplaces or a logistics provider hang off the setup alongside Shopify and all of them need the same inventory truth. For a pure Shopify setup an integration platform is usually oversized.
Typical pitfalls
Bundles and bills of materials
If Shopify carries sets as products in their own right while Xentral calculates them as a bill of materials, the stock figures drift apart. There has to be exactly one system that determines the availability of a bundle.
Product texts in the ERP
Overwriting descriptions, images and SEO fields from Xentral is tempting and mostly wrong. As soon as the sync overwrites the store content, marketing loses its work on every run.
Subscriptions and partial deliveries
Recurring orders and partial deliveries produce order structures the standard flow does not anticipate. These cases belong in a dress rehearsal before go-live, not in the first month after launch.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is the native Xentral connection enough?
For a clear D2C range with one warehouse and standard prices, usually yes. As soon as bundles, subscriptions, several stores or a logistics provider come into play, an additional layer is worth it, not as a replacement for the native connection but for the special cases.
Which system leads on inventory?
Xentral, because goods receipt, reservation and picking are all booked there. Shopify only displays the figure. What matters is that Shopify receives the quantity available after reservations and not the physical stock level, otherwise the store sells goods that are already committed.
How do bundles go through cleanly?
Either Shopify sells the bundle as its own product and Xentral breaks it down via the bill of materials, or the store carries the individual items. Both approaches work, just not at the same time, otherwise two systems count the same stock differently.
Can Xentral create the invoices?
Yes, that is the usual route. Shopify creates the order, Xentral turns it into a delivery note and an invoice and passes the data on to accounting. For DATEV a separate handover is then still required, and that step does not come along automatically.
What happens with returns?
The return is recorded in Xentral, because goods receipt and inventory sit there. The refund runs through Shopify so that the payment provider is served correctly. Both steps need a shared reference, otherwise support has no overview of what belongs to which order.
Keep reading
Related integrations
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