Understanding Ecommerce APIs and the Role They Play in Your Tech Stack

What if you could take the ecommerce platform you love, and ensure it stays competitive and truly future-proof?

With ecommerce APIs, you can go beyond the usual confines of open-source and software-as-a-service (SaaS) models, expanding what your store can do without the pain of an entire replatforming.

How?

By allowing the backend of your ecommerce website to communicate with external solutions that give you a competitive edge, fill unmet customer needs, and streamline workflows.

An ecommerce platform should enable extensive scalability and streamlined workflows. With the right ecommerce API integrations, you can fully realize the true potential of the ecommerce model.

Before you don your developer hat and try building the greatest ecommerce site the world’s ever seen, it’s important to know how APIs work, their role in scaling, and what types exist.

What is an ecommerce API?

An application programming interface (API) is essentially a neatly packaged building block of code that enables a series of services to chat with one another. An ecommerce API is the same, albeit, specifically for ecommerce.

Some platforms, like BigCommerce or Shopify, provide ecommerce APIs to use. Others may not offer APIs, but have support for them. When not provided by a platform, an API can often come in a software development kit (SDKS), which includes the API and documentation, etc.

In a nutshell: An API is built via code, like Python, typically following a design format like the representational state transfer application programming interface (REST API). This powers an API request from one URL to another. Many REST APIs use JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) formatting for data to enable this exchange from one URL or tool to another. Keep in mind there are numerous types of APIs and custom APIs that can break therules.

Regardless of their source, an ecommerce API ultimately acts as a connector that enables numerous tools, plugins, or platforms to pick up the phone and communicate with one another.

To better illustrate this, let’s take a look at life before ecommerce APIs.

• Your ecommerce platform lacks an inventory management system, so you use a third-party solution.

• Whenever you sell a product, you have to manually update it in your inventory system.

• Meanwhile, when your inventory system notifies that it is out of stock, you have to manually update this on your ecommerce site.

Without ecommerce API integrations in place, your systems aren’t on talking terms. Spoiler alert: They’re not even aware the other exists.

Now, what does this look like with proper ecommerce API support?

• Your ecommerce platform is awesome and has API support, allowing it to integrate with your inventory system, thus opening the door to sharing relevant ecommerce data.

• A product is sold, at which point your ecommerce platform issues an API call, likely via a webhook.

• The inventory system sends an API response, and updates with the inventory changes

• The inventory system updates automatically, sends an API call to your ecommerce store to notify it that you’re out of stock.

• The ecommerce store sends an API response, updates the product listing to reflect this, and prevents further issues, thus helping with order management too.

• …Meanwhile you’ve been eating lunch.

This is only one scenario. In reality, ecommerce APIs can do so much more, turning disconnected systems into one seamless system. This allows for real-time data exchanges, scalable automation across your ecommerce business, and the painless integration of adding tools to your tech stack.

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Meet the foundation of scalable ecommerce: APIs

As your ecommerce business grows, so will your customer base and need for more advanced functionality. All the while, you’ll be amassing more and more customer data and product data, all of which becomes a jumbled and unusable mess without the right tools in which to utilize it.

Proper API integration makes it possible to turn your ever-growing, disjointed systems into a proper ecosystem that scales. This is possible thanks to a number of doors opened by APIs.

1. Automated operations.

There are numerous ecommerce automation tools, capable of streamlining everything from inventory to shipping to updating product catalog descriptions. This is only possible when the automation tools have access to the right data, and the means to share it.

This is one of the primary use cases of ecommerce APIs, as they enable integrations across systems, powering automation that can:

• Sync inventory across channels, updating in real-time based on sales and received shipments.

• Update pricing dynamically, pushing that price across any channels where your product information lives.

• Trigger fulfillment workflows, generating shipping labels, sending a notice to your warehouse staff to pick the item, and so on.

• Send abandoned cart emails after someone leaves a product behind, pulling personalization from your customer relationship management (CRM) platform.

The above is only scratching the surface at the number of ways an API can streamline your ecommerce workflows. If it’s a process in your business, it can likely benefit from some form of API automation.

2. Improved customer experience.

The best customer experience is one that meets the customer where they are. Ecommerce APIs can help make this happen during the customer lifecycle with:

• Fast search and navigation, including AI-powered search that updates based on product availability.

• Personalized recommendations, from dynamic search results to product recommendations for your store.

• Real-time order notifications and updates, synced up with tracking information provided by the courier.

• A stronger checkout experience that uses APIs to provide accurate shipping, support payment gateways, and beyond.

• AI-powered chatbots capable of pulling in personalization via your CRM, escalating customers to Support, or directing them to the appropriate resources as needed.

One of the best things about having a platform with API support? As customer expectations shift, you can integrate various features to meet them.

3. Expand your platform without rebuilding.

It’s not unheard of to outgrow an ecommerce platform, especially if that platform is limited in functionality. Migrating ecommerce stores is a real drag, though, consuming precious resources, eating up time, and often hindering the customer experience during the process.

Using a platform that supports ecommerce APIs allows you to expand functionality under one dashboard — without having to rebuild and start from scratch.

This opens your business up to real expansion, like:

• Launch new storefronts, syncing each of them to your unified point of sale (POS) system, inventory, and more.

• Add marketplaces or channels without having to manually update them anytime your inventory, product descriptions, etc. change.

• Enter new regions and use APIs to integrate with compliance-related tools, cross-border shipping, and currency conversion platforms.

• Expand online payment support using APIs to connect to other payment gateways as customer expectations shift.

Many things can hold your business back — your platform shouldn’t be one of them. Proper API support can ensure your ecommerce software is there to build on, not hold you back.

4. Future-proofed stack.

Just as API integrations make it possible to expand without replatforming, they also help you future-proof your tech stack.

Tools that worked for you today might not work for you next year. For example, a tool or feature that was once competitive, like personalized email marketing, could become commonplace. Not to mention, expectations from customers can shift, and business needs can change. 

It’s also possible new technology has emerged and you want to experiment. (Those advanced chatbots could be the next best thing for your business, and with API support, they can be accessible, too.) 

Without API support, a simple tool swap can result in a loss of data sharing, requiring manual updates on your end or breaking automation entirely.

API integrations make it possible to swap tools in and out and change vendors anytime — giving you a tech stack that’s truly future-proof.

Core types of ecommerce APIs

If you wanted to be pedantic, you could likely categorize ecommerce APIs into dozens of groups.

APIs are all about fostering efficiency, so we’ll keep it simple with several types of ecommerce APIs.

1. Storefront APIs (frontend experience).

Storefront APIs are critical to powering a headless commerce model, which allows changes on the frontend UI without altering the backend code that powers your commerce platform.

For example, the BigCommerce GraphQL Storefront API makes it possible to:

• Query product catalog data, powering storefront search.

• Request product images.

• Enable customer sign-in functionality.

• Fetch products based on category, brand, or URL.

• Create or pull existing carts and initiate checkout.

Much of this functionality is seamless for the customer, meaning they shouldn’t realize they’re engaging with an API, it should just work.

2. Catalog APIs (product data management).

Catalog APIs power functionality across your product catalog. This includes:

• Updating product descriptions based on content APIs.

• Maintaining category and brand filters.

• Setting bulk pricing rules.

• Applying product types, like digital or physical.

• Supporting variants, like size or color options.

As your catalog grows in size and complexity, the above APIs will only grow in importance, too. Without these kinds of APIs, you’re left manually updating any of the above information across every page or marketplace, which will take more and more time.

3. Payments APIs.

Allowing for more diverse payment options will help with customer satisfaction and reduce the chances of someone shopping with a competitor who accepts their preferred payment type. This is where payment APIs come in.

A payment API bridges the gap between your store and payment processors, allowing you to accept credit cards and other payment types, like PayPal.

4. Order & management APIs.

Order and management APIs primarily come into play with the post-purchase process. With these kinds of APIs, you can:

• Enable coupon or discount support.

• Build an order history database.

• Seamlessly share order information with shipping platforms.

• Unify orders across multiple channels or marketplaces.

• Integrate POS devices into your ecommerce system.

Manual order processing is a time-consuming process that’s rife with opportunities for human errors. By utilizing APIs in this area, you’re able to streamline much of the ordering process, improve order accuracy, and give customers a better experience.

5. Content APIs.

Every ecommerce business has content to manage, from product images to potential articles and marketing assets.

Content APIs can interface between your ecommerce site and any content management platforms you're running, making it possible to:

• Automatically update product descriptions across pages and marketplaces.

• Incorporate email templates into your workflows and automated sends.

• Build pages with customized, structured themes, even if pulled from another source.

• Integrate widgets into existing pages.

The above is by no means comprehensive, as content has a broad meaning and content APIs are equally expansive in what they can facilitate.

6. Search & discovery APIs.

The greatest products mean little if customers can’t find them. Search and discovery-related APIs give customers a way to find your products. These APIs can enable:

• Site/store search

• Product catalog search

• Personalized product recommendations (when given CRM access)

• Chatbot-supported search

Search functionality isn’t always the most thrilling feature, but the larger your catalog grows, the more important it is for shoppers to have a quick way to find what they need.

7. B2B APIs.

The B2B ecommerce experience is drastically different from traditional retail B2C. Successful B2B requires a unique approach that prioritizes a hyper-personalized experience.

B2B APIs are critical to this ecommerce approach, providing functionalities like:

• Pricing/quote requests

• Customer portals

• Secure authentication services

• Company-based orders

• Invoice management

• Sales staff company assignments

While it’s possible to find success as a B2B ecommerce company without the above, you’ll be at a competitive disadvantage and create more work for yourself as time passes by.

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Examples of software to connect via an API

Choosing the right APIs isn’t just about features — it’s about selecting the best tools for each part of your ecommerce stack.

Below are some of the top ecommerce API providers by category, covering everything from search and personalization to payments, logistics, and analytics.

Search APIs.

Product recommendation APIs.

Payment processing APIs.

Shipping and logistics APIs.

Tax and compliance APIs.

Customer data & marketing APIs.

Analytics & reporting APIs.

PIM and ERP APIs.

Implementation best practices

The right ecommerce platform opens the door to API integrations for days. But, fully benefitting from ecommerce APIs requires a calculated approach and some foundational knowledge.

Plan before you build.

With so many APIs available, it’s easy to get overwhelmed or excited. This can result in trying out APIs based on appeal, over actual need. Instead, focus on:

• Business goals: A single API likely won’t save your business or help you reach lofty goals, but it can make an impact. Consider your business goals: reducing cart abandonment in Q2, increasing sales for a certain type of product, and so on. What kind of features would help you achieve them?

• Current shortcomings: Turn to customer feedback, metrics, and competitor analyses to figure out where you may fall short. Is your checkout experience lackluster? Are shipping logistics tossing a wrench in the gears? Just as you do with your goals, find an API that maps to each shortcoming.

• Current capabilities: Take note of your current tech stack and capabilities. This can help you identify any obvious gaps in your ecommerce offerings, but also serve as an inventory for ensuring any APIs you consider are compatible with your current tools.

• API-specific goals: As you look at various APIs, set goals specific to that type of API and functionality. These can be smaller, one-off goals, like “improve site speed X%” or “expand payment types accepted by Q3.”

Like any effort, proper planning will make sure the juice is worth the squeeze. Be sure to loop in appropriate stakeholders across your organization as you plan, too.

Secure your integrations.

Expanded functionality is great. You know what’s even greater? Keeping your store and customers safe.

Just as you take great effort to secure your ecommerce solution, it’s essential you properly secure any API integrations you add to the mix.

Many APIs will come with certain security features, like OAuth and data encryption. This layer of security helps safeguard data received through the API. But, it’s still important that you do your part as well.

Keep your ecommerce platform and site up-to-date, put security best practices into place, and train your staff on how to safely use any added functionality.

Build for reliability.

Closely examine the reliability and overall track record of any APIs before integrating them into your mix. During this process, look at the provider’s support as well. If the API runs into a snag, will they be able to help you address it in a timely manner?

Also, ensure your own house is in order before adding any APIs, taking steps like:

• Putting an error-handling process into place.

• Running hypothetical support or failure scenarios.

• Confirming you have the right customer/product data to power an API.

• Putting data backups and safeguards into place.

The best ecommerce APIs will come with a solid track record where reliability is concerned, but you still need to make sure you’re doing your part. Not only will this help your APIs function properly, it will also make it easier to implement future APIs and expand.

Measure cost and performance.

Determining whether an API is actually delivering value requires more than taking your best guess. What’s better? Try measuring an API’s performance and ongoing cost with hard metrics.

Return to the business and API goals you set earlier. Then, look at the relevant metrics to see if things have improved. This varies depending on the API and problem you’re addressing.

For instance, if you have APIs in place to strengthen site speed, you can test things like overall site speed, response time, and initial load, to name a few.

If you’re using an API to help with the checkout process, such as one that adds real-time shipping estimations, check to see if cart abandonment has gone up, or if average order values have increased.

Similar to measuring performance, there’s no single way to measure cost. In some instances, an API may have a monthly cost, in which case it's easy to figure out. If the API is based on volume or usage, you’ll need to weigh its usage cost against any gain in profits as a result of the API.

Consider the future.

Your ecommerce business is never static, with room to grow and change: The same is true for your API stack.

As you continually evaluate your API performance, take note of shortcomings, wishlist features, and make a plan for what’s next. The market will change, consumer expectations will shift, and your business and API mix will soon need to evolve too.

The final word

What you see is not the only thing you get in the world of running an ecommerce business. The sky is the limit, especially when you’ve got the right APIs injecting further functionality and power into your site.

When looking ahead, few things open up these possibilities like composable commerce.

With a composable approach, you can alter what customers see without changing the systems behind it, making it possible for your team to launch one-off pages, apply visual tweaks to a campaign, and beyond.

BigCommerce makes this freeing approach to ecommerce more accessible than ever. With the BigCommerce platform, benefit from a headless, composable approach, while ensuring your store never falls behind — thanks to more than 1,200 integrations.

See how BigCommerce can future-proof your ecommerce business, and sign up for a free demo today.