Integration with file-based interface
Introduction
Experlogix Digital Commerce integrates seamlessly using a file-based interface, allowing you to use and extend your business data online without compromising its quality and integrity.
Data is sent using agreed formats and naming conventions from an FTP server where is created during your WebShop build.
Pre-requisites
Access to an FTP server
This article defines the standard product features available when you integrate our platform with a file-based interface.
Remember our platform is a Software as a Service (SaaS) platform.
This means that it includes all of the support, regular feature updates, and security monitoring required so that no customer is left behind on older, insecure software and you can concentrate on your core business function.
Of course you can still opt for additional professional services to help you with extensions, migration and roll-out.
Introducing terms and concepts used in this article
Term | Definition |
|---|---|
Customer | a client of the merchant. |
File transfer protocol | (FTP), is a standard communication protocol that is used to transfer files between computers. |
How it fits together
Typically, file-based integration with Digital Commerce is used when you want to integrate a WebShop but do not wish to integrate directly with your ERP. Instead, an FTP server is created during the Onboarding process. Files are stored in a specific file location on the FTP server. Exports are retrieved at regular intervals to ensure the data on your WebShop is as accurate as possible. Each file has a specific purpose, name, type and layout. Currently the following files are supported:
File name | Description | Where | Accepted format | Find out more |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Items | Stock and pricing data | Retrieved from your FTP server and imported into Digital Commerce Platform. | CSV or XLS | See The Items File |
Customer information | Customer data | CSV or XLS | ||
Customer price lists | Pricing sync data | CSV or XLS | ||
Orders | Sales orders and quotes | Exported from Digital Commerce Platform and transferred to your FTP server. | CSV or XLS | See The Orders File |
In addition to the file-based integration, you have access to a wide range of WebShop and Management Interface features, which are detailed under Technical Specification.
Technical specification
WebShop interface design
Browser support
Supports latest version of Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge and Safari
Mobile optimized with a responsive design for your desktop, tablet or mobile phone
Layout optimisation for brand and catalogue
Catalog listing options
Customize field names and error messages with our Translations feature
No specific data transferred via file transfer.
Content management
Configure your WebShop’s content using Pages, our content management system. Found in Management Interface, you can create, edit and delete blocks, pages and links.
Customize the content in your WebShop using Visual Page Builder, our intuitive drag and drop functionality and interactive configuration controls.
Manage SEO data controls for the content you create in Pages
Configure and display banners in WebShop, using our easy to configure banner management system for Hero and Category banners.
Use our news and blog management system in Management Interface to share your company news and updates in the “Latest News Section” in WebShop.
Includes Essential pages, which are mandatory pages required by WebShop such as WebShop home page, Contact Us, Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy and so on.
Add store locations using our Store locator tool
Store files and images in Files manager, our built-in file management feature.
No specific data transferred via file transfer.
Account management
Customer account management
Allow customers to manually create a web account on your WebShop
Allow customers to manage their own accounts with secure login and reset password functionally
Create and manage customer groups
Restrict viewing of specific WebShop pages to a specific set of customers.
Merchant account management
Allow access to and manage Management Interface administrators
Configure administrator permissions
Configure email confirmations (Order to / Order from)
Assign order documents to the correct location (head office or branch), when the Approving Orders feature is enabled
On behalf of customers, administrators can create, edit and delete customer accounts in Management Interface
On behalf of customers, administrators can update customer passwords.
No specific data transferred via file transfer.
Catalog management
Automatic regular import of your product catalog.
Products created and their status adjusted nightly based on data in the Items file.
Easily update your product catalogue using import and export tools in Management Interface
Define and implement custom catalog structure
Define and implement segmented catalog structure
Restrict catalogue search by customer group
Catalogue management is carried out in Management Interface and WebShop. No specific data transferred via file transfer.
Product configuration
Displays most recently synced version of your product catalog so you can
Upload and download products by spreadsheet and / or
Manually add or edit products in Management Interface
Once you’ve saved your changes, they are immediately visible in WebShop.
Products created and their status adjusted nightly based on data in Items file.
Use our AI Wand to automatically generate product descriptions
Improve search engine optimisation by including SEO meta data controls
Display multiple product images
Include product options
Include additional product attributes
Include product specifications
Display selling units and pack sizes
Display PDF Downloads
Structured data markup
Link related products
Use our product reports to keep your product catalogue up to date and accurate
Edit product content from within WebShop
No specific data transferred via file transfer.
Search and filter
Extensive catalogue search
Search product catalog by SKU, keyword and alternative codes
Visual auto-suggest from search
Search by category or brand
Combine several independent category tree into one more complex category tress to provide your customers a more directed navigation option as they search for products.
Filter listed products using the category structure
Dynamic search filters - set up filters based on product options or sub-categories
Powerful cross referencing
No specific data transferred via file transfer.
Customer self-service
Automatically register a WebShop Instant Account for B2B customers
Workflow that supports manual account creation for B2C customers
Secure login, access to a range of self-service options and password reset functionality
“My Account” screen, which is populated with your customer’s credit status and contact details. Customer details are retrieved from the most recently received file.
Manage delivery addresses
Add additional delivery addresses through your WebShop dashboard.
Favourites, allowing your customer to mark products as Favourites for easier re-ordering
Order history for web orders only; view recent orders and repeat ordering based on Order History
Manage Favourites groups
Approve orders
View and re-order recently ordered products
View a list of top products
Edit content from within WebShop
Account security - change your password from within WebShop
Access to Service Desk, an integrated online communications channel
The Customers file
File name and format
Customer data is transferred in a file called Customers.
Accepted formats for Customers are CSV or XLS.
File layout
Column Heading | Description | Mandatory [M] or Optional [O] | Status | Type | Example Value |
Code / ID | Customer code | M |
| Alphanumeric | COL55 |
Name | Customer/Company name | M |
| Alphanumeric | Global Commerce |
Address 1 | Customer address line 1 | M |
| Alphanumeric | Doora Cross |
Address 2 | Customer address line 2 |
| Alphanumeric | Doora | |
Address 3 | Customer address line 3 |
| Alphanumeric | Portmagee | |
Address 4 | Customer address line 4 |
| Alphanumeric | Co. Kerry | |
Address 5 | Customer address line 5 |
| Alphanumeric | Ireland | |
PostCode | Customer Post Code |
| Alphanumeric | D02 AF30 | |
VAT Number | Customer VAT Number |
| Alphanumeric | IE12345678 | |
Phone Number | Customer phone number |
| Alphanumeric | 0123456789 | |
Customer email |
| Alphanumeric | |||
Currency Code | Customer account currency code | M |
| Alphanumeric | EUR GBP USD |
Credit Limit | Customer credit limit. If customer does not have a credit limit, can be set to 0 or left blank. |
| Decimal | 5000.00 | |
Credit Balance | Customer credit balance |
| Decimal | 5000.00 | |
YTD | Customer year to date (only SalesRep) |
| Decimal | 4589.55 | |
On Order | Total value on order (only SalesRep) |
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| 200.00 | |
Pricelist | Used to match the customer to a specific price list in the TradePrice file |
| Alphanumeric | List1 | |
Full Address | Full address of the customer Used for Admin purposes in Management Interface |
| Alphanumeric | Company 1 Test1 Addr 1 Test1 Addr 2 Test1 Addr 3 Test1 Addr 4 Test1 Addr 5 12345 | |
Rep Code | ID/value of the rep associated with this customer, This means that this customer will be displayed on the rep’s customer list when the rep logs in | M for SalesRep |
| Alphanumeric | REP123 |
Example
Code | Name | Address 1 | Address 2 | Address 3 | Address 4 | Address 5 | PostCode | Phone Number | VAT Number | Pricelist | Currency Code | Vat Code | Vat Rate | Credit Limit | Credit Balance | YTD | On Order | Rep Code | Full Address | |
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TEST | CompA | Test1 Addr1 | Test1 Addr 2 | Test1 Addr 3 | Test1 Addr 4 | Test1 Addr 5 | 12345 | 1544558 | DE23445 | 1 | EUR | AB | 20 | 250000 | 250000 | 12000 | 2000 | JO | Company 1 Test1 Addr 1 Test1 Addr 2 Test1 Addr 3 Test1 Addr 4 Test1 Addr 5 12345 | |
ABC2 | CompB | Test2 Addr2 | Test2 Addr 3 | Test2 Addr 4 | Test2 Addr 5 | Test2 Addr 6 | 67890 | 1544559 | DE23446 | 2 | USD | SV | 12 | 250000 | 250000 | 12001 | 2001 | BD | Company 2 Test2 Addr 2 Test2 Addr 3 Test2 Addr 4 Test2 Addr 5 Test2 Addr 6 67890 | |
CFD3 | CompC | Test3 Addr3 | Test3 Addr 4 | Test3 Addr 5 | Test3 Addr 6 | Test3 Addr 7 | 54321 | 1544560 | DE23447 | 3 | GBP | ZD | 15 | 250000 | 250000 | 12002 | 2002 | FE | Company 3 Test3 Addr 3 Test3 Addr 4 Test3 Addr 5 Test3 Addr 6 Test3 Addr 7 54321 |
Sales order processing
Compile your order
Browse catalog and use "Add to Cart" button to add products to the Cart
Allows customers with accounts compile orders while offline. Your customers can compile orders when and where it suits them, regardless of their internet connectivity.
Checkout
Save order for transfer to your system via file transfer at regular intervals
Enable guests compile orders and checkout with no account required
Enable B2B and B2C customers to have One Page checkout
Include all the elements of a standard checkout (shipping address, order notes and product details and pricing) on a single screen for quicker checkout
For North America customers, when you have an active Avalara AvaTax integration, checkout calculates sales tax in real-time
Once your customers have completed the checkout process fully the order is added to the Orders file for transfer at regular intervals. The default order status for Sales Orders is set to “WEB”.
Pay for your order
Accept payment against a credit balance
Accept immediate payment for both B2B and B2C customers via a payment gateway
B2B payment on account - include workflow that allows your B2B customers pay some or all of the balance on their account
Additional features that support sales order processing
Automatic order confirmation email sent to your customers when they place an order
Verify that an order has been successfully submitted to your ERP in Management Interface
Provide access to order history in your customer's WebShop dashboard
Create quotes. Quotes are added to the Orders file for transfer at regular intervals. The default order status for Quotes is set to “QWEB“. Quotes can not be converted to Sales Orders via file transfer.
The Orders File
File name and format
Sales orders and quotes are transferred in a file called Orders.
Accepted formats for Items are CSV or XLS.
File layout
Order information / row | Description | Field type | Example value |
Order ID | Unique identifier for the order | Alphanumeric | Sales order numeric ID/web order reference |
Customer Code / ID | Customer code | Alphanumeric | COL55 |
Notes | Order notes added when the order was placed by the customer | Alphanumeric |
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Customer Reference | Specifies a PO or customer reference number | Alphanumeric | PO1234 |
Contact Name | Contact name provided during checkout | Alphanumeric | Jane Doe |
Contact Phone | Contact phone provided during checkout | Alphanumeric | 00011122333 |
Delivery Charges | Shipping costs applied to the order | Decimal | 15.49 |
Net Total | Net value of the transaction | Decimal | 43.11 |
Tax/Vat Charges | Tax amount on the transaction | Decimal | 1.12 |
Gross Total | Gross amount on the transaction | Decimal | 127.00 |
Delivery Address | Delivery Address for the transaction | Alphanumeric |
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Billing Address | Billing address for the Transaction | Alphanumeric |
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Order Lines - Product Code | Product code | Alphanumeric | XYZ123 |
Order Lines - Quantity | Quantity ordered | Integer | 1 |
Order Lines – Selling Units | Selling Unit of the item ordered, if applicable | Alphanumeric | PCS |
Order Lines – Pack Size | Pack size of the item ordered, if applicable | Integer | 1 |
Order Lines – Unit Price | Unit price of the item | Decimal | 127.00 |
Order Lines – Discount % | Discount % on the line | Integer | 10 |
Order Lines – Net Price | Final net price | Decimal |
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Order Lines – VAT Rate | Vat/Tax rate of the line item | Decimal |
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Example
Order ID | WEB-25 |
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Customer Code | 10000 |
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Delivery Address | Kingdom Street | 2 | Paddington | London | London | United Kingdom |
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Delivery Address Post Code | W2 6BD |
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Billing Address | 12 The Tower | The Avenue | Cambridge | Cambridgeshire |
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Billing Address Post Code | CB1 2FB |
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PO |
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Notes |
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Contact Name | Lyndsey Turner |
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Contact Phone Number | 3434 |
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Delivery Charges | 15.49 |
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Net Total | 656.41 |
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VAT Charges | 0 |
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Gross Total | 656.41 |
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Order Lines | Quantity | Selling Units | Pack Size / UoM | Unit Price | Discount % | Net Price | VAT Rate |
ELDC13 | 1 | PCS |
| 27.8 | 0 | 27.8 |
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ELDC25 | 1 | PCS |
| 613.12 | 0 | 613.12 |
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Pricing and stock
Pricing in multiple currencies.
A default base currency can be set for the site or multiple currencies can be configured with conversion rate controls in Management Interface. A single default price band for the site must be configured. Prices can be displayed either ex-VAT or incl-VAT.
Customer currency is set automatically on login.
Apply customer-specific pricing
Display quantity breaks, volume discounts and period discounts. These discounts are based on a single set of discount rules and apply to all customers.
Display quantity break information on the detailed product screen with display of a From price where quantity break is enabled.
Provide multi-buy offers to your customers
Display WEEE charges if applicable
View stock availability based on the most recently imported Items file
View pricing based on the most recently imported TradePrice file
Display stock level on product listing and detailed product pages
Display stock level indicators on product listing and detailed product pages
Re-calculates stock based on selling units and/or pack sizes
Stock can be recalculated based on whether you have enabled use of selling units and/or pack sizes for your products.
Configure and apply minimum product pricing
This can be configured using one of the selling price columns in the Items file.
Implement minimum order restrictions
This can be configured using the Old Price field in the TradePrice file
Display price on application products, which requires additional configuration during Onboarding.
Handle sales tax for your retail customers, both in EU and non-EU scenarios
The Items file
File name and format
Stock and pricing information is shared in a file called Items.
Accepted formats for Items are CSV or XLS.
File layout
Column Heading | Description | Mandatory [M] or Optional [O] | Status | Field Type | Example value |
Code | Product code/SKU | M | Set to available or unavailable in Product Catalogue | Alphanumeric | ABC123 |
Stock | Stock count | M |
| Integer | 12 |
DefaultPrice | Standard price | M |
| Decimal | 20.12 |
VATRate | VAT value - can have one or more VATRate columns | M |
| Decimal | 0.00 (= 0%) or 23.00 (= 23%) |
WEEE | Product code/SKU or integer specifying the WEEE charge | O |
| Alphanumeric or Decimal | SKU = WEEE123 or Decimal = 1.20 |
Pack Quantity | Numeric field of quantity per pack (10 per pack) displays as a minimum order quantity in Cart | O |
| Integer | 10 |
Weight | Numeric field specifying the gross weight of item in kilo | O |
| Decimal | 10.00 (= 10kg) |
Example
Code | Stock | DefaultPrice | Price1 | Price2 | Price3 | Price4 | Price5 | Price6 | Price7 | Price8 | VATRate | VATRateUK | WEEE | Pack Size | Weight |
123456 | 45 | 1175.68 |
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| 19 | 20 |
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ABC123 | 58 | 1175.68 |
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| 19 | 20 |
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DG789 | 69 | 1175.68 |
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| 19 | 20 |
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85679 | 75 | 5157.45 |
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| 19 | 20 |
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945268 | 80 | 5157.45 |
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| 19 | 20 |
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63476 | 95 | 5157.45 |
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| 19 | 20 |
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63254 | 45 | 5157.45 |
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| 19 | 20 |
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63479 | 58 | 4874.8 |
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| 19 | 20 |
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63411 | 69 | 4874.8 |
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| 19 | 20 |
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The TradePrice file
File name and format
Pricing sync data is shared in a file called TradePrice.
Accepted formats for Items are CSV or XLS.
File layout
Column Heading | Description | Mandatory [M] or Optional [O] | Field Type | Example value |
Pricelist | Pricelist that the customer is on. Must match the value of the PriceList field in the Customers file | M | Alphanumeric | 1, Price1 or PriceListName |
Product Code | Product code/SKU. Must match the vaule of the field in the Items file
| M | Alphanumeric | ABC123 |
Price | Customer-specific price | M | Decimal | 20.12 |
Old Price | Used to configure prices for Was / Now prices. Lists the last price that this product was set to, if on promotion, otherwise can be left blank | O | Decimal | 19.12 |
Example
Pricelist | Product Code | Price | Old Price |
1 | 63748 | 1175.68 | 1500 |
2 | 63745 | 1175.68 | 1600 |
3 | 63744 | 1175.68 | 1800 |
4 | 63477 | 5157.45 | 1900 |
5 | 63283 | 5157.45 | 2000 |
Shipping and delivery
Use Shipping Services in Management Interface to set up shipping charges. Shipping charges are automatically applied to your customer’s orders in PocketShop.
Select a stored delivery address. Delivery addresses are stored on Digital Commerce Platform.
Configure collect in-store options using Stores in Management Interface.
No specific data transferred via file transfer.
Payment gateway integration
Use our App Store to quickly and easily select and add a payment gateways - see the full list here.
Assist in fraud prevention by including a limit on the number of times your customers can use a payment gateway.
No specific data transferred via file transfer.
Integrating with external tools
Use our App Store to quickly and easily add new integrations to WebShop.
WebShop can integrate with:
Search engine optimization tools, such as Google Analytics
Communications and marketing tools, such as reviews.io , Klayivo*and Google Shopping*
Customer Service tools, such as Service Desk and Google Tag Manager
Form building tools, such as Wufoo
Social media platforms, such as Flockler*, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and LinkedIn
Tax calculation software, such as Avalara
Security tools, such as Google SSO, Microsoft SSO and reCAPTCHA
Miscellaneous tools, such as cookie-script and Animate on Scroll
Remember
Typically, to integrate with Digital Commerce, you will be asked for your credentials for the third-party software. You are responsible for maintaining an active account for third-party software you wish to integrate.
Any costs associated with using third-party software is your responsibility.
* Premium: additional cost applicable
No specific data transferred via file transfer.
Localization
Use Translations to display and update field labels and error messages.
Use Translations to display and update field labels for the six languages [English (UK), English (US), Dutch (Netherlands), French, German and Spanish] we support.
Use Regional Settings to customize the format of your currency.
Configure the currency symbols displayed for products in your product catalogue. Note that the Language Switcher feature must be on before using this feature.
Display trade pricing in multiple currencies.
The customer's currency is retrieved from your when your customer logs in, and any prices are displayed in that currency. Should you update that customer's currency in your ERP, that change is reflected the next time that they log in.
No specific data transferred via file transfer.