A merchant wanted to connect their store to a new fulfillment provider. The first question wasn’t technical but organizational: who sets up the connection? The agency, the provider or the merchant themselves? In this case, the provider brings its own integration. Our job was the Shopify side: location, product mapping, open orders and the testing afterwards. Clarifying that up front saves weeks of back-and-forth.
The case
“Shopify integration” sounds like a clearly defined service. In reality, it can mean three different things: a ready-made app from the provider, an interface the provider runs itself, or a custom build. Who is responsible determines who gets asked when something breaks. Without clarity, three parties email each other and nobody feels responsible.
Three data flows, three questions
| Data flow | Direction | What needs checking |
|---|---|---|
| Orders | Store to provider | Does every order arrive complete, including special requests? |
| Inventory | Provider to store | Is the real stock level transferred, and how often? |
| Shipment tracking | Provider to store | Does the customer get their shipping email with a tracking link? |
Each of these flows can work on its own or be missing. Inventory sync in particular isn’t automatically included in every integration. We treated it as a separate item instead of taking it for granted.
What still needs doing after the connection
- A dedicated location in Shopify for the provider, so it’s clear which goods are where.
- Map the products, so SKUs match on both sides.
- Sort out open orders before the switch. Anything still being processed at the old warehouse must not ship twice.
- Test orders all the way to the customer’s shipping email.
Your takeaways
- Ask first: who owns the integration? Whoever runs it is responsible for its errors.
- Think in data flows, not “connected yes or no”. Orders, inventory and tracking are three different things.
- Don’t take inventory sync for granted. Get written confirmation that it’s included.
- Plan the switchover day. Open orders are the most common reason for duplicate or missing deliveries.
Switching fulfillment providers soon? We clarify who does what and test every data flow before real orders go through.