Automate ecommerce site admin?

[BelleEtoile]

I've a small growing, ecommerce business.
It's hosted on a local provider, not shopify or woo commerce etc.
I use stripe for payments and Sage Business Cloud for accounting.

I want to find a way to:

• automatically generate and send invoices (not just receipts) to customers after they pay.
• stock control
• integrate the sales, invoice and stock details from the online sale into an accounting software package.
• reconcile the payment received to the bank account on the accounting package

I am not committed to any provider or package and will change for the right solution.

Has anyone any suggestions?
What does anyone else use?
I would appreciate any advice.

[Fluffywithteeth]

Does your provider have api documentation? If so you will be able to connect all these. Worth checking zapier or make to see if there is already an integration between the different pieces of software you use. If you need some external help it’s worth googling (or searching kn Twitter) for automation consultants who could easily set this up for you.

on invoices you can probably adjust the info included within receipts to include full itemisation and vat details (which I’m assuming you need for invoices)

For the accounting / bank I used xero and starling

and well done on your business!

[feralberry66]

Hey! Fortunately, several tools and integrations can help you streamline your admin tasks. For automatically generating and sending invoices, consider using an invoicing software like Freshbooks or Quickbooks, which can integrate with Stripe for payment processing. I also suggest using a Magento development agency for building your e-commerce business. I hope this helps, and good luck with your e-commerce journey!

[BelleEtoile]

Apologies for the late reply.

Thank you for the suggestions.
I will have a look at Zapier. I never thought of an automation consultant.

Unfortunately my provider doesn't have API documentation and has not been very helpful.

I am expanding so I am taking the opportunity to start afresh.

I think I am looking for a unicorn ERP/accounts software with full ecommerce integration.
My main concern is stock control. I dont want to have to duplicate data entry.
Ideally when I purchase stock it's automatically updated on the website and conversely when someone purchases an item, invoice is automatically generated and stock levels in the accounts reduce.

[morecoffeeJD]

There are a few automated workflow tools, including Zapier that was mentioned, worth considering. You have them listed here, with pros and cons (and pricing), have a look, in case you haven't made the decision yet. Also, you'll find the comparisons between Zapier and other similar tools (Make, Unito, Automate.io, and one more I can never remember). And integration with other tools is definitely something to keep in mind, it can save you lots of time.