Supplier and e-commerce automation

The business need

The retailer worked with several suppliers whose inventory, purchase prices, ordering and shipment information arrived through different interfaces. Some provided files, others APIs or XML/EDI messages.

The task was to connect these operational flows to the existing e-commerce platform. Each supplier needed its own handling, and not every supplier supported every stage.

What I built

I built supplier-specific loaders, stock and purchase-cost updates, supplier order handlers and shipment-tracking adapters. A browser interface lets operators preview stock changes before applying them to the store.

Scheduled jobs handle supported flows: supplier data enters the store, eligible orders go to selected suppliers, and tracking information returns to the store. A database retains imported data, placement records and tracking events.

How the logic works

Match the right product and update the right field

Stock updates match both product code and supplier. Quantities are normalized, and changed values are sent in API-sized batches. Valid positive supplier prices update the purchase-cost field; this flow does not calculate retail selling prices.

Keep order placement and tracking traceable

Order handlers select eligible orders awaiting shipment and check placement records for each order and supplier. Tracking events are grouped and deduplicated, including cases with several tracking numbers for one order.

A tracking update is marked applied only after the store accepts it. Failed store updates remain available for retry.

Challenges handled

Suppliers use different file layouts, identifiers and delivery methods. Order acknowledgements and dispatch messages may arrive separately, so they need to be interpreted as different events.

The implementation handles polling and retry limits and includes controls over customer notifications during tracking backfills. Duplicate checks and retry records provide safeguards without assuming that an external supplier action can never be repeated.

What the system provides

The integration brings supplier stock and purchase-cost data, selected order-placement flows and shipment tracking into the retailer’s existing store workflow. Operators can inspect proposed stock changes before writing them to the store.

Support follows the capabilities of each supplier connection. The store remains in place, with the integration handling the supported exchanges around it.