We all love tinkering with figures (that’s why we’re here), but eCommerce clients take that to another level. Importing sales orders into Xero can, quite frankly, be a nightmare. Add multiple sales channels and international orders into the mix, and you’ve got yourself a full-on horror movie. But is there an easier way?
The challenge of eCommerce
Amazon, eBay and Shopify have made it incredibly easy for anyone to sell online. Almost too easy. Thousands of budding entrepreneurs are setting up shop, without first considering the tax implications that follow. When they eventually turn up to your door, you're faced with challenges that include:
Orders to import
With thousands of invoices that are nowhere near Xero, you need to export, format, import, assign and approve, which is time-consuming, error-prone and not always MTD compliant.
International sales tax
With the ability to sell items internationally at the click of a button, you’ll likely have to deal with cross-border orders too – finding them, assigning them and applying the right tax.
Multiple sales channels
And, while there are Xero eCommerce integrations out there – as soon as a client sells using Amazon, Magento and Etsy, suddenly it’s not so easy – requiring a mixture of apps, CSVs and manual entry.
The opportunity of eCommerce
But, despite these trials and tribulations, you can’t ignore the fact that eCommerce is a hugely profitable business. So what can you do to make eCommerce work for Xero so that eCommerce works for you?
A variety of new and improved Xero eCommerce integrations have entered the Xero Marketplace – overcoming these issues and increasing your capacity to take on more clients. But, what should you look for to ensure that you’re not putting your time, money and reputation on the line?
Importing orders
Importing sales orders into Xero should be quick and pain-free, which is why your app should:
- Automate orders into Xero or a daily, weekly or monthly basis;
- Batch orders to avoid Xero’s soft transaction limit; and
- Allocate orders to different accounts depending on the channel and payment method.
Approving orders
Importing orders into Xero is one thing – making your life on Xero easier is another. Look for a Xero eCommerce app that pre-approves orders into the approved or paid section, so you don’t have to.
Xero’s tracking categories
Xero’s tracking categories can be used to filter and bulk-update international taxes. Streamline this process further by using an integration that automatically assigns orders to the relevant sub-category and creates new ones if necessary.
Multiple sales channels
An app for each sales channel isn’t necessary. Instead, use a multi-channel app that can handle Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Magento, Shopify and more – creating further opportunities for you and your clients. eCommerce doesn’t have to be difficult – you just need to know how
