Integrating an eCommerce Website with Third-Party Apps and Plugins

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There’s nothing quite like starting an online business and watching it grow as you learn more about boosting your brand and increasing your online sales. Part of that learning curve inevitably involves integrating your eCommerce website with third-party apps, plugins, and extensions.

Think of it this way, if your eCommerce engine was a toolbox, third-party apps, plugins, and extensions would include all the various tools inside that can be used for different jobs to enhance the performance, functionality, and usability of your site. You can find plugins that help you:

• Customize payment and shipping options
• Optimize sales with coupons or promo codes
• Build an email list from customer data
• Improve your site’s SEO
• Automate accounting tasks
• Set up website tracking and analytics
• Conduct A/B tests for user experience
• Protect your website
• Embed your social feeds
• Connect with other marketplaces like Amazon
• And much more!

While many eCommerce merchant platforms come with these types of features built-in, you will still find a slew of third-party apps you can use to extend your site’s capabilities even further. Choosing the right third-party apps for your website can be overwhelming though, especially when the options for installation or integration are seemingly endless.

You might find a plugin that’s free but doesn’t quite do all the things you need it to do. Or you might desire extra functionality that requires a more complicated API integration with a third-party app, i.e., to connect with reliable shipping services and get the most up-to-date delivery timelines for customers.

No matter what you are looking to do as the owner of an online business, when it comes to integrating with third-party apps, we have you covered. Check out our essential guide to understanding what plugins are versus APIs and the pros and cons of each.

Plugins and API’S Defined

On a fundamental level, plugins and API’s are connectors. They connect your website to another application and automate the flow of information between them.

• API (Application Programming Interface): An API acts as an intermediary that facilitates the communication between two different pieces of software. Technically, an API is a defined set of tools, routines, and protocols that determines how components access or interact with another application, operating system, or other services.
• Plugin (also called an extension): A plugin is a software component that can extend an existing computer program or application with additional features. Without altering the system design, a plugin enhances an application’s capabilities and allows for customization.

Pros and Cons of Using an API

Pros

• Allows for more integration and flexibility (if you have the technical chops to set it up yourself or can hire a developer with eCommerce expertise to do it for you).
• Gives you control over the payment flow, allowing you, the business owner, to define payment options, check out steps, and how everything displays for the customer.
• Provides extensive customization when it comes to altering the functionality of specific features; for example, when you need to process installment payments, set up recurring or 1-click payments, or hide a payment method to be displayed at a later time.

Cons

• API set up, integration, and maintenance requires a degree of technical knowledge that an eCommerce business owner may not have. The initial implementation also takes more time than installing and activating a plugin.
• Merchant must have specific certifications to comply with the standards set forth by the Payment Cards Industry (PCI). The parameters around accepting debit and credit card payments online and securing any customer data that is transmitted, processed, or store are strictly regulated.

Pros and Cons of Using Plugins

Pros

• Integrates fairly quickly and easily. Typically, you can download a plugin from your eCommerce platform merchant or somewhere else online and then “activate” it to work on your site.
• Less technological knowledge is needed to install and activate a plugin versus connecting your store to a third-party app via an API.
• The developer who created the plugin is responsible for fixing bugs and making improvements. All you have to do is remember to routinely “update” your plugins to their latest versions.
• The payment information typically runs through secure servers set up by the payment provider (eCommerce platform merchant) so there is a reduced PCI scope.

Cons

• Plugins rarely allow you the extra functionality or design you may require to customize the payment flow of your eCommerce website.
• You can’t control the design of a preconfigured plugin, and its functionalities will often be limited to a few basic features.

Three Approaches to Third-party App Integration

In the 21st century, eCommerce is king (which is good news for owners of online stores who are looking for a variety of options to customize their sites on their own budget!).

We’ve identified the three approaches to integrating third-party applications, extensions, and plugins into your site:

1. Integrate an off-the-shelf plugin and use as is. Many eCommerce businesses begin with a reasonably robust system operating on a reputable platform like BigCommerce, Magento, or Shopify. For added functionality and personalization, you can visit a plugin marketplace and shop for extensions to install and activate on your website. Overall, this method is the least expensive and easy to update but lacks flexibility as you are limited to the design and functionality of the plugin itself.
2. Integrate an off-the-shelf plugin and have a web developer with eCommerce expertise customize it for you. Say you integrate your eCommerce website with an off-the-shelf plugin that does all but a couple of key functions you require. You may consider hiring a web developer or digital agency that offers eCommerce website development services to customize it for you further.
   They can access and update the code to build out the extra functionality or performance you are after. While this does cost more than simply using a plugin off-the-shelf, the conversion and revenue benefits to your business might be worth it. Just keep in mind, that any updates or bug fixing to the custom code will need to be addressed by the developer(s) you hired.
3. Develop a fully customized plugin. You can skip the plugin marketplace altogether and hire a web developer to build a plugin or API from the ground up for your eCommerce website. This may be the most expensive option, but could also be the most effective as you can ensure you get exactly what you need in the way of functionality, performance, and usability.

Making the right choice for your business between custom web development or an off-the-shelf solution will come down to what exactly you need your website to do, what your budget is, and how much time you have. In a country where over 80 percent of the population will make at least one online purchase in 2019, you must do everything possible to make your eCommerce store successful. Competition for online sales grows fiercer every day, which can seem daunting, but the good news is, the world of third-party apps you can use to augment your eCommerce website is also expanding. . . so have at it!