Recommendations

The time required for connector setup may vary from one day to three weeks, depending on several factors:

• The selected Shopify plan
• The complexity of the e-commerce setup and customization
• The implementer's experience, both with the e-commerce platform and Sales Layer

Before starting a Shopify testing connection with Sales Layer:

It is recommended to have:

1. An accessible Shopify staging or testing store that is capable of replicating the main processes and configurations of the production store.
2. Properly configured API development permissions in the staging store
   • Permissions required for the correct operation of the connector (read and write access for products, categories, stock, metafields, markets, etc.).
3. A representative catalog in the staging store:
   • Ideally, a copy of the production catalog or a representative subset.
   • Including products with variants, images, stock, markets, pricing rules, etc.
4. An equivalent configuration to the production store
   • It is recommended that the staging store include the same third-party apps and configurations as the production environment.

Additional recommendations: highly recommended

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

Find more info on how to configure a staging environment here. 

Note: If your Shopify store already exists before configuring the channel, creating a secure copy or export of all products is advisable 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 do not propagate to the Sales Layer catalog, which could cause inconsistencies in product information.
• The exception is stock updates, which we recommend sending directly to the e-commerce platform.
• All changes made in Sales Layer will be sent to the e-commerce channel.
• This connection is designed to match with the generic data structure of the Shopify database tables. Any other third-party plugins that modify the original data structure in Shopify's database could cause synchronization issues or data loss. 

Limitations of Sales Layer as SaaS

Sales Layer, as a SaaS (Software as a Service), doesn't offer professional services such as consultancy or integrations. Any additional services can be provided through separately signed agreements with one of our Specialized Partners.

Warning: Our API is configured to send all changes made in Sales Layer, even if they are not included within the connector filters. For example, if we set a connector to export only visible items and modify invisible products or drafts, the API will send these items as disabled to the e-commerce.