Follow Integrating Shopify & Printfection

Objective

To streamline operations and enhance customer experience through automated two-way communication between Shopify and Printfection platforms. 

Background

This integration facilitates automatic synchronization between Shopify and Printfection, aiming to foster operational efficiency, accurate inventory management, and improved customer satisfaction through real-time tracking updates.

Features and Benefits

1. Seamless Order Integration: When an order is created in Shopify, it automatically gets created in Printfection, saving time and reducing manual entry errors.
2. Enhanced Workflow: The need for manual order approval on Printfection ensures quality control. This can prevent issues like shipping an incorrect item or dispatching to the wrong address.
3. Real-Time Inventory Management: Automating the inventory count update on Shopify when an order is processed in Printfection prevents over-selling or under-stocking. It ensures that the product listing on Shopify accurately reflects the available inventory.
4. Efficient Cancellation Process: If an order is canceled in Printfection, the system will automatically update the inventory in Shopify. This ensures that stock levels are accurate and prevents customer disappointment due to ordering out-of-stock items.
5. Enhanced Customer Experience: When Printfection ships an item, the automatic update of tracking numbers in Shopify allows customers to have real-time tracking information. This can increase customer trust and satisfaction, as they can easily track their orders and know when to expect delivery.

Workflow

1. Order Creation:
   • Shopify: An order is created.
   • Printfection: The order is automatically created and associated with the relevant collection campaign.
2. Order Approval:
   • Printfection: Order may need to be approved to initiate shipping and fulfillment.
3. Inventory Management:
   • Shopify: Inventory count updates automatically post-order processing in Printfection.
4. Order Cancellation:
   • Printfection: Allows order cancellation.
   • Shopify: Inventory updates automatically upon cancellation in Printfection.
5. Shipping and Tracking:
   • Printfection: Initiates shipping post-approval.
   • Shopify: Receives and updates the tracking number automatically.

Requirements

• Shopify Account
• Printfection Account
• API access Key for both platforms.

*If you are interested in activating a Shopify storefront integration with Printfection, please reach out to your Customer Success Manager

Integration Setup

To facilitate a successful integration with Printfection, first create a custom app within your Shopify store. After doing so, share the app's access token with the Printfection Development team. Also, provide your "Shopname" as an example, which can be found below.

Enable Custom App Development in Shopify
Before you can create a custom app, ensure that custom app development is enabled in your store. To do this, you must be either the store owner or a staff member with the "Enable app development" permission.

Steps:

1. From your Shopify admin, navigate to Settings > Apps and sales channels.
2. Click on "Develop apps."
3. Click "Allow custom app development."
4. Read the provided warning and information, then click "Allow custom app development."

Create the App
Once you've enabled custom app development, you can create your custom app. 

Steps:

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Apps and sales channels.
2. Click on "Develop apps."
3. Select "Create a custom app."
4. In the modal window, enter the App name and choose an App developer (either the store owner or a staff/collaborator account with the "Develop apps" permission).
5. Click "Create app."

Select API Scopes
After creating a custom app, assign the necessary API scopes. A custom app can have either Admin API scopes, Storefront API scopes, or both, based on the app's requirements. For integration with Printfection, select Configure Admin API scopes.

Steps:

1. Click "Select scopes."
2. Under the Admin API access scopes section, choose the API scopes you want for the app (Ensure you select both read and write for all scope options).

Install the App and Obtain the API Access Tokens
After setting the API scopes, install the app to get your API access tokens.

Steps:

1. Click "Install app."
2. In the modal window, confirm by clicking "Install app" again.
3. Navigate to the "Admin API access token" section and click "Reveal token" once.

Note: The Admin API access token grants API access to sensitive store data and is visible only once on this page. After revealing the token, document it securely for future use. Treat this token as you would a password, share this token with your Printfection representative; this will enable Printfection to authenticate access to your Shopify store.

Add products and required ID fields to your store 

If you're just setting up your Shopify store you'll want to create a new Shopify product for each item you want to offer from Printfection.

Note: If you already have your products created in Shopify just follow along. You'll need to make sure you add/update your CampaignID, sizeID, Variant Size Title and SKU for each product or product variant. 

Create Custom Fields in Shopify:

1. Log into your Shopify admin.
2. Once logged in, select "Settings."
3. From the Settings menu, click on "Custom data."
4. Under Metafields, choose "Variants."
5. From Variant Metafield Definitions, select "Add definition."
6. For the first field, label the Field name as "SizeID" and set the Type to "Integer."
7. Repeat the process to add a new definition for "CampaignID."
8. Enter the sizeID,and CampaignID in the newly created fields 

Here's how to retrieve your CampaignID and SizeID from Printfection:

Your “CampaignID” can be located under campaign settings in Printfection

"SizeID" can be retrieved by clicking the relevant item from the respective campaign. If an item lacks a size, leave the field empty.

To find your "ItemID," select the desired item from its corresponding campaign. 

Your Printfection ItemID should be mapped to the product's "SKU" in Shopify.

 

Commonly Asked Questions (FAQ)

Can I send kits via this Shopify integration?

Not at this time 

Do shipping costs automatically get updated in Shopify based on what Printfection charges? 

At this time, shipping costs in Printfection and Shopify are completely independent of each other. Feel free to reference your shipping costs in Printfection if you’d like to use them to help define what you charge in Shopify though,

Can tracking numbers be shared from Printfection to Shopify?

Yes, tracking numbers will be shared from Printfection to Shopify once the order has been shipped!  

Do inventory levels from Printfection automatically integrate and show in Shopify and show items that are out of stock?

Yes, inventory levels will flow from Printfection through to Shopify and indicate when items are sold out! 

References

http://printfection.github.io/API-Documentation/#items

https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/apps/app-types/custom-apps