Why connect an ecommerce store to an apparel ERP?

Without integration, the storefront and the ERP hold separate product records and separate inventory counts, so the same SKU can be sold twice or go out of stock invisibly. Connecting the two systems keeps available-to-sell inventory accurate across channels, removes duplicate product entry, and lets the ERP show a comprehensive view of both retail and wholesale activity in one place.

How do you connect existing products between an ERP and an ecommerce store?

If both systems already hold the same products without prior integration, each SKU has to be matched manually so the ERP and the storefront recognize each other's records. It is cumbersome but only needs to be done once per catalog. A useful integration also lets a brand choose whether each color variation appears as a single product or as separate products on the storefront.

What does pushing products from an ERP to an ecommerce store include?

A useful push sends more than SKUs and prices. It carries formatted HTML descriptions, multiple images per color variation, product weight, customs information, and shipping data, so the storefront does not require re-entry of details already captured during design and development. It should also support sending a product as one listing or splitting each color into a separate listing.

Why pull ecommerce customers and orders into the ERP?

Pulling retail customers and orders into the ERP matters when fulfillment runs from the ERP, and is still useful even when ecommerce orders ship from the storefront. It gives one record of every customer and order across channels. The ERP should clearly separate retail customers and orders from wholesale, so reporting reflects both sides of the business without mixing them.

How does real-time inventory sync between ecommerce and an ERP work?

When an ecommerce sale happens, inventory drops on the storefront and the same reduction has to reflect in the ERP. Returns and cancellations move inventory in the other direction across both systems. If available-to-sell inventory changes in the ERP because of a wholesale shipment or warehouse transfer, the new ATS figure has to update on the storefront immediately to prevent overselling.

When does an apparel brand need multiple stores and multiple warehouses in its integration?

Small brands usually run one store and one warehouse. Brands selling across regions often run separate storefronts, such as a US store and a Canada store, to support different languages, currencies, and tax rules. Brands with multiple warehouses need the integration to deduct sales from the correct warehouse. Without that, regional inventory and fulfillment routing fall out of sync with what the storefront shows.

What does Uphance do beyond standard ERP functionality?

Uphance is positioned as a complete management system for apparel brand operations rather than only an ERP. That means product data, production, inventory, orders, and the ecommerce connection live in the same system, instead of sitting in separate tools that each hold a partial view. The goal is one operational record covering both wholesale and DTC activity.

Ecommerce

Fashion ERP and ecommerce Software

Q: What is fashion ecommerce software?

Fashion ecommerce software refers to specialized platforms designed to help apparel, footwear, and accessory brands manage online stores. These platforms handle product display, order processing, and customer experience for the DTC channel. On their own they do not manage production, wholesale orders, or warehouse inventory, which is why most brands pair the storefront with an ERP that handles the broader operational workflow.

By Venkat Koripalli · Reviewed by Ruchit Dalwadi · September 26, 2018 · 5 min read

For an apparel brand running both wholesale and DTC, fashion ecommerce software is only half the picture. The storefront sells; the ERP behind it has to hold product data, inventory, and orders so the two never disagree. This guide covers what to want from an ERP and ecommerce integration, and where the connection breaks when it is missing.

What is Fashion ecommerce Software?

Fashion e-commerce software refers to specialized platforms designed to help fashion brands manage online stores. From showcasing products to handling orders and enhancing the customer experience, these solutions help brands run online sales and scale in an increasingly digital marketplace.

What Do You Want in the ecommerce Integration?

One of the major challenges of managing inventory for an e-commerce business is figuring out the right ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) to use.

At a minimum you want the configuration to be simple and quick. You should be able to connect your products across the two platforms and keep the inventories in sync and accurate, available to sell inventory across both your ERP and your ecommerce platform. To reduce effort and to increase efficiency, you may want more functionality in the integration. Let us take a look at some features Uphance users find useful.

ecommerce and fashion software — Fashion software and ecommerce

1. Pull Products From ecommerce Store Into Your ERP

This ability is useful only for new users of the ERP and does not have ongoing value. I find it very useful for new users as they are getting started with the ERP. They can get started importing products in a file but it generally takes a little effort organizing your data in the format required by the ERP system and actually importing the file. It may be easier for the new user to click a few buttons and let the system do the rest.

The other benefit of pulling from the ecommerce store is that you do not have to perform the next task of connecting existing products.

2. Connect Existing Products

This is a cumbersome process but may be unavoidable if you have been using both systems without integration. You do not want to start this way but many find themselves in this situation. If you are there, don't fret it. You only have to do it for one season. Your ERP and your ecommerce platform both have the same products but they do not have any knowledge of each other's products. In that case, you will have to manually and painstakingly connect each product.

You may like to organize products in your ERP with each product having multiple color variations. This is easier when working with sales, production, inventory, etc. Your retail customer may like to see each color as a separate product. Your integration should offer that flexibility.

3. Push Products from Your ERP to Your ecommerce Store

You have been designing, developing your products in your ERP and have been selling to your wholesale customer but now you are ready to get them on to ecommerce store to start selling your new season. Wouldn't it be great if you can click one button to send all products from your ERP to your ecommerce store? Of course, you want all of the detailed well-formatted HTML descriptions, multiple images for each variation, prices, product weight, customs and other shipping information to be pushed also without having to enter that information again on your ecommerce store.

Just as described in 2. above, you will want the ability to send your product as is or each color as a separate product.

4. Pull Customers and Orders

This is essential if you fulfill your retail orders from your ERP. Even in the case where you ship your ecommerce orders on your store platform, you may want the ability to bring customer records and all your retail orders into your ERP. Your ERP should have a clean way to separate your retail orders and customers from your wholesale business. You want your ERP to be able to provide a comprehensive overview of your business - both retail and wholesale.

5. Automatically sync inventory

Inventory management is one of the most critical components of apparel e-commerce. This is why it's important to go for an ERP that supports e-commerce integration and can sync inventory levels in real time.

When an ecommerce sale happens, the inventory is reduced on the ecommerce platform and the same reduction needs to reflect in your ERP. Returns and cancellations should similarly affect inventory on both platforms. If ecommerce ATS is reduced on the ERP due to any transaction, the new ATS inventory should immediately reflect in the ecommerce platform.

6. Advanced Features

Multiple stores: This may not be needed by small brands but I do see several brands having separate ecommerce stores for different regions, such as a US store and a Canada store. This may be due to the need to support different languages, currencies, etc.

Multiple warehouses:If you have multiple warehouses, you want your integration to have the ability to accurately affect inventories in the appropriate warehouse.

How Does Uphance Do It?

Uphance is not just an ERP; it is a complete management system for apparel brand operations. Product data, production, inventory, orders, and the ecommerce connection live in one system, so wholesale and DTC run from one operational record instead of two that drift apart. Book a tailored demo to see how it fits your channel mix.

Frequently asked questions

Tags: apparel-software, ecommerce, integration

Where this fits in the Uphance platform

Written by

Venkat Koripalli

Founder & CEO, Uphance

Venkat is the Founder and CEO of Uphance and the author of the 6 Breakpoints of Apparel Operations framework. He writes about operational clarity for apparel brands as complexity grows across channels, warehouses, partners, and teams. His work focuses on why disconnected operations, not growth itself, create the chaos most mid-market brands feel between $5M and $100M in revenue, and on the operating-model patterns that decide whether scaling a brand strengthens execution or fractures it. He argues that the status quo is the real competitor in apparel software, and that the right move is fewer systems with deeper connection, not more dashboards.

Reviewed by

Ruchit Dalwadi

Head of Product, Apparel Operations, Uphance

Ruchit writes about product strategy for apparel operations, covering how mid-market fashion brands use connected workflows to manage product development, inventory, orders, warehouse execution, and reporting. As Head of Product at Uphance, he shapes the roadmap that ties PLM, PIM, BOM management, allocation, fulfillment, and warehouse operations into one system. His articles dig into apparel-specific operational mechanics: tech packs, spec sheets, putaway, pick-pack, landed cost, and the data plumbing that makes inventory truth possible across multiple channels and locations. He focuses on the workflow-level questions that separate generic ERPs from systems built for how apparel brands actually run.