Before you test the connection

The time required to set up the connector may vary depending on several factors.

• The Shopify plan selected
• The complexity of the ecommerce setup and customization
• The implementer’s experience with both Shopify and Sales Layer

Recommended setup for testing

Before starting a test connection between Shopify and Sales Layer, it is recommended to have the following in place:

1. An accessible Shopify staging or testing store that can replicate the main processes and configurations of the production store.
2. Properly configured API development permissions in the staging store.
   • Read and write permissions for products, categories, stock, metafields, markets, and any other data needed for the connector to work correctly.
3. A representative catalog in the staging store.
   • Ideally, a copy of the production catalog or a representative subset.
   • This should include products with variants, images, stock, markets, pricing rules, and similar cases.
4. An equivalent configuration to the production store.
   • It is recommended that the staging store includes the same third-party apps and configurations used in production.

Additional recommendations:

• Clone shipping rules, markets, and checkout conditions.
• Replicate catalog automation or third-party apps related to the catalog.
• Validate that URLs and navigation structures are equivalent.
• Run the first imports with a small sample of data.

You can find more information about staging setup here: Staging Environment.

If your Shopify store already exists before you configure the channel, it is advisable to create a backup or export all products first to preserve the original data.

Technical considerations

• Once the connector is fully implemented, it is recommended to manage all product information from Sales Layer and avoid doing so directly from Shopify.
• Changes made in Shopify are not reflected in the Sales Layer catalog, which may cause inconsistencies in product information.
• The only exception is stock updates, which are recommended to be sent directly to the ecommerce platform.
• All changes made in Sales Layer will be sent to the ecommerce channel.
• This connection is designed to adapt to the generic data structure of Shopify’s database tables. Any third-party plugin that modifies that structure may cause synchronization issues or data loss.

Performance considerations

Several factors can affect synchronization performance:

• The total volume of catalog items, together with the number and complexity of attributes and metafields. This includes complex field types such as images, lists, markets, and related products.
• The frequency and volume of updates, especially when large batches of items are modified at the same time.
• A large number of variants per product, particularly when they are updated frequently.
• Using the native Sales Layer connector at the same time as third-party plugins that synchronize or modify catalog data in Shopify, which may cause conflicts and reduce performance.
• Frequent changes in the data model, including adding new metafields or changing existing field definitions.
• Real-time inventory expectations. The connector is not designed for high-frequency real-time stock updates.
• Limitations imposed by the Shopify account plan, including rate limits, API restrictions, or unavailable features.