bindCommerce is an online service that manages the integration between platforms related to commerce, in particular the copying of data that allows systems to communicate to manage the process of selling and updating the archives automatically or semi-automatically.

Below we will describe a simple usage scenario characterized by an ERP installed on the local network of the user company and an online store installed on a remote web-server.

Using bindCommerce terminology, the system connects 2 nodes :

1. ERP
2. eCommerce platform

using 4 connectors :

• publish products from ERP to bindCommerce
• publish products from bindCommerce to eCommerce
• download orders from eCommerce to bindCommerce
• download orders from bindCommerce to ERP

which will be activated by specific automatic procedures .

The behavior of each connector can be configured parametrically, being able to choose, for example, whether to publish all the information of each product on the management system (code, name, description, characteristics, photos), or only an update of stock availability.

After the first population of products on the eCommerce system, as the management system will record the retail and wholesale sales made offline, it is important that whenever an event that changes the availability of offline warehouse occurs, a procedure is run in order to activate in sequence the connectors:

1. publish products from ERP to bindCommerce (quantity update only)
2. publish products from bindCommerce to eCommerce (quantity update only)

The procedure for updating from the web world to the ERP will instead be timed by the management system and bindCommerce, which at defined deadlines (e.g. every 5 minutes, managed by cronjob) will query the eCommerce platform to activate the connectors:

1. download orders from eCommerce to bindCommerce
2. download orders from bindCommerce to ERP
3. publish products from ERP to bindCommerce (quantity update only): to automate this activity, active action is also required by the ERP
4. publish products from bindCommerce to eCommerce (quantity update only)

The last 2 steps may be superfluous (in this procedure) with the use of a single eCommerce platform (only one online store), but they become mandatory when it is necessary to manage the congruence towards multiple online stores or marketplaces (e.g. eBay).