Account Integration

This page describes best practices for building integrations between Linnworks and accounting solutions (including ERP platforms)

The following domain entities are key to the integration of Linnworks with an accounting solution:​

Orders

Principles of synchronising Orders from Linnworks to an accounting solution:

  • Support for multiple currencies should be considered upfront as part of your design.
  • Consideration should be taken in the design of when Orders should synchronise from. Often a user connecting an accounting solution for the first time will want to start the synchronisation from a designated date, and will not want to sync every historical Order.
  • Orders are generally recommended to be a one-way synchronisation from Linnworks to the accounting solution. This is because there may be many orders in the accounting solution that are not related to the marketplace/webshop channels that Linnworks manages.
    • Modifications to Orders should therefore be made on Linnworks exclusively.
  • Open Orders are not typically synchronised into accounting solutions.
    Processed/Paid Orders should be synchronised into an accounting solution as a Sales Receipt - record of orders placed through Linnworks.
    • Note: Optionally Processed/Unpaid Orders can also be synced to an accounting solution as an Invoice (a record of an invoice that should be paid by the customer)
  • Returned Items/Orders in Linnworks should generate a Refund on the accounting solution
    Exchanges in Linnworks should generate a Refund for the original item(s) and a Sales Receipt for alternative item(s).

Purchase Orders

Principles for synchronising Purchase Orders between Linnworks and an accounting solution:

  • Support for multiple currencies should be considered upfront as part of your design.
  • Purchase Orders can optionally be a one-way (Linnworks to accounting) or two-way integration.
    • For one-way integrations, modifications to Purchase Orders would generally be made in Linnworks exclusively.
    • For two-way integrations, modifications to Purchase Orders would generally be made in either solution.
    • Consideration should be taken in the design of when Purchase Orders should synchronise from. Often a user connecting an accounting solution for the first time will want to start the synchronisation from a designated date, and will not want to sync every historical Purchase Order.
    • Optionally, users should be able to configure that Purchase Orders for suppliers not known to Linnworks should not be synchronised.

Inventory

Principles for synchronising Inventory between Linnworks and an accounting solution:

  • Inventory Items (the SKUs that can be sold) are generally recommended to be a two-way synchronisation between Linnworks and the accounting solution.
  • Stock Levels (the quantities of SKUs available) are generally recommended to be a two-way synchronisation between Linnworks and the accounting solution.
  • Scrapped Stock is generally recommended to be a one-way synchronisation from Linnworks to the accounting solution.
  • The cadence of synchronisation of Stock Levels should be carefully considered to address the multiple potential use cases.
    • Note: To enable effective multi-channel selling and avoid stockouts from selling across multiple channels, it is recommended that Linnworks is generally considered the primary data source for Stock Levels and the accounting solution is a replica.

Customers

Principles for synchronising Customers between Linnworks and an accounting solution:

  • Customers are generally recommended to be a one-way synchronisation from Linnworks to the accounting solution. This is because there may be many Customers in the accounting solution that are not related to the marketplace/webshop channels that Linnworks manages.
  • Careful consideration should be taken in synchronising Customers from Linnworks to the accounting solution:
    • Optionally, Customers may be synced on an individual basis, so full details from the channel are captured in the accounting solution.
    • Alternatively, Customers may be recorded under a generic channel-named customer record such as "Amazon UK", which may be a better choice for users with infrequent repeat customers.

Suppliers

Principles of synchronising Suppliers from Linnworks

  • Suppliers can optionally be a one-way or two-way integration.