What is Marketplace API Data and How to Access It?
eCommerce marketplaces offer many opportunities for merchants and vendors who provide software for them. The data stored in these marketplaces is of the highest value and can be accessed to propose more advanced features to online sellers.
API integration between software systems and marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Etsy, etc., is crucial to any successful business-to-business software company. It enables software vendors to extend the functionality of their solutions and provide seamless business operations to e-merchants.
In this post, we will explore the meaning of marketplace API data and show you how it is possible to access it easily.
What Data Can You Retrieve from Marketplaces?
Marketplaces, such as Amazon and eBay, store data related to online shops listed on them. Merchants who build their stores on such marketplaces rely on that data to run their eCommerce business. For example, they use it to manage orders, products, customers, categories, and more. Therefore, eCommerce software that provides merchants with a solution to automate their processes needs access to such data so that it can perform its core functions.
Marketplace data includes customer information such as name, address, phone number and email address; product information such as ID number, price, image and description; and order information, including order number and status. This data is necessary for eCommerce software to complete its operations.
For example, multichannel software can integrate with marketplaces such as eBay and Etsy, allowing it to access their store data. With access to product data across multiple channels, the software can create product lists automatically without the need for merchants to create lists on every channel manually. Accordingly, multichannel software can add, update, or delete product information as required.
The Development of API Integration With Various Marketplaces
Data marketplace API integration is the process of establishing connections between eCommerce software and various marketplaces, such as Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Walmart, etc. These connections allow different software programs to access the data stored in such marketplaces — such as product information and prices — and use it for their own functioning.
The integration of two applications (eCommerce software and marketplace) enables them to communicate with each other and transfer data via an API.
Furthermore, API integration with marketplaces is good for software vendors in expanding their clientele. The more marketplaces they integrate with, the more e-merchants become their prospects. Most of these merchants include international websites, opening doors for software vendors to get international exposure for their business.
However, data marketplace integration involves a number of challenges. The cost of one connection is approximately $4,000; added to this are costs for infrastructure, setup, and maintenance. Moreover, the process takes about eight weeks to complete an integration. To manage one integration effectively, advanced developers are required — developers that are difficult to hire and onboard. To stay competitive with the latest releases from the marketplace APIs, upgrades to an existing integration may be necessary. Multiply the time and money needed for one integration by the total number of connections you wish to establish; this can be a significant financial burden on a business.
Marketplace API Data: How to Access it Using Third-Party Services
API2Cart is a unified API that allows its users access to more than 40 shopping platforms and marketplaces at once. These platforms and marketplaces include Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Magento, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, etc.
API2Cart eliminates the need to build and maintain separate integrations with various platforms and marketplaces, saving you time, money, and other resources.
In order to integrate your eCommerce software with all the marketplaces you choose, you need to connect it with API2Cart, which will then connect it to all of the marketplaces you need. Moreover, API2Cart also takes care of upgrades and maintenance throughout the integration lifecycle.
API2Cart offers more than 100 API methods that you can use to add, delete, edit, and update data on marketplaces. Therefore, with API2Cart, you can not only retrieve data from marketplaces but also manage it according to your needs.
By using API2Cart, your software business can quickly and easily integrate marketplaces. This service manages all the operations, so you do not have to worry about a thing.
