Guide to Developing Integration with Shopify API

API2Cart
3 min readSep 15, 2021
shopify api development

Shopping platforms have revolutionized the eCommerce industry. They give an additional source of revenue for online business owners while also providing various benefits. The most significant is the capacity to grow the loyal customer base.

As a software vendor, such as shipping software, inventory management, chatbots, AR tools, video commerce platforms, etc., integration with eCommerce platforms is vital for you. Connection with numerous shopping platforms helps you to get more customers and expand your market share.

Shopify is the most popular platform among online merchants. It manages approximately 4 million online stores and is very popular in the United States, Australia, United Kingdom, and other countries. That is why every SaaS software provider should prioritize the integration of their solutions with it.

This article will show you how you can quickly and easily integrate your SaaS software with Shopify API and benefit from such a connection.

What Is Shopify API

Shopify API allows you to access and use data from Shopify-based online stores. The Shopify API supports XML and JSON and works with HTTP requests in these forms: PUT, GET, POST, and DELETE.

Methods offered by Shopify API allow working with various entities like products, customers, orders, categories, and many others. Each method has different characteristics and purposes for which it might be used.

Shopify also releases a lot of cart versions, so you must continually check to see if the Shopify API editions are up to date, or else the API integration will be unreliable and inconsistent.

Shopify API Integration Challenges

Since each eCommerce platform has its unique way of working with its data, each integration presents its own set of difficulties. Consequently, integration with shopping platforms is one of the most challenging things for any SaaS software company, and the Shopify platform is no different. Integration with this shopping platform requires a lot of time, effort, and resources. Therefore, when attempting to connect with Shopify API, SaaS application providers usually face a lot of challenges, some of which are described below:

  • The integration procedure may be lengthy and will require hiring a professional developer who can devote at least several months to its completion. If the programmer is unfamiliar with Shopify’s features, he will need to devote substantially more time;
  • Some specific technical obstacles are not documented in Shopify documentation;
  • Data breach methods are getting more sophisticated, so poor integration can become a big problem;
  • Even if your integration is completed successfully, it will require ongoing updates and maintenance, which will consume time and money due to IT team support requirements.

Integration Development of Shopify API

Regarding the number of challenges involved, creating Shopify API integration is a complicated task. Though, there are two ways to establishing this integration.

In-house integration development

This approach is based on the development of integrations by an in-house development team. But first, you should seek out experienced developers, hire them, and train them for the job. Additionally, since integrations are complex, time-consuming, and costly, you will end up spending a significant amount of money on developing a single integration.

Third-party integration development

Another method for ensuring a seamless API connection is to enlist the help of a third-party service provider. They enable you to connect your application to a variety of eCommerce platforms without requiring a substantial investment of time, money, or effort. Moreover, such solutions handle any additional updates and modifications. All you have to do is to buy the subscription.

API2Cart is one of the top integration solutions that allow software providers to connect their eCommerce software simultaneously to over 40 shopping platforms and marketplaces, including Shopify. It provides 100+ API methods to get, add, update and sync various store data like orders, products, customers, shipments, etc.

The detailed documentation makes API utilizing an easy process. We also provide a free 30 day trial period for you to test the service and try out all its features. If you have any questions on how API2Cart works, contact us, and we will gladly answer all of them.

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API2Cart

API2Cart is a unified API provider that establishes integration with 40+ shopping carts, including Magento, WooCommerce, Bigcommerce, Shopify, PrestaShop, etc.