Modern SaaS platforms can make themselves accessible by offering a variety of ways to access and push/pull data. Zoey offers a variety of ways to access data and move it to other systems, starting with a robust REST API and Zoey-built connectors to platforms such as QuickBooks Online and NetSuite. We also offer Webhooks for event-based data push and pull scenarios, CSV export/import capabilities, Google sheet synchronization and data mapping of information pulled from data sources such as Dropbox and FTP.

SaaS solutions are all-in-one packages, so a reliable suite of infrastructure is an important aspect of the performance of a solution. Zoey, for instance, uses industry-standard Amazon Web Services servers for hosting its solution, and is part of the Cloudflare network for Content Distribution Network (CDN) services, faster routing and Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) protection. You can also see how Zoey’s uptime history by viewing our public Status Updates area, where outages are acknowledged and information updated.

SaaS offers systems administrators a number of key benefits over open source solutions. The total cost of ownership is lower, because instead of having to pay separate bills for hosting, site updates (including security patches), new development and more, SaaS solutions handle all of this within one subscription price, taking the pressure off your team to have to manage all of these items. Second, it allows the team to focus on other elements, instead of being an expert on everything that comes with managing an Ecommerce platform, as outages and other issues ultimately fall upon the IT team to be involved in, and many times resolve.

Selecting a platform that has more built-in functionality out of the box is the key to success. Zoey, for instance, features the most robust array of B2B Ecommerce functionality, reducing the need for third party apps and plug-ins. Zoey offers direct integrations to key third-party solutions like NetSuite and QuickBooks Online, avoiding the need for a third-party connector. By having these features directly managed by your B2B Ecommerce solution, you know they will be properly maintained to continue to work with each other, avoiding frustrating breakdowns later.

There are a few things you can look at to confirm a SaaS platform will be a good choice. One is their longevity – products that have been on the market longer simply have had more time to evolve and mature their capabilities. The second is whether they’re actively developing and releasing new features. We constantly hear from customers who moved to Zoey that the first sign a solution they were using wasn’t going to work long term was the lack of updates and improvements that one expects when being on a SaaS solution. Third, look to third party customer review sites to see what their customers are saying. Zoey’s received high marks and awards for its customer service to our sellers, and the satisfaction of our sellers overall.

Technology can replace existing methods of capturing orders, and in some cases facilitate orders taken in non-ideal ways through technology today. Instead of manually receiving orders by phone, email, pen and paper while in person, you can use a B2B Ecommerce platform built for your warehouse to thrive online. You can connect Ecommerce to other key systems, especially if you’re managing a more complex business setup. If you have fulfillment partners or a warehouse, they can be linked in as well, allowing a seamless flow from order placement to fulfillment to invoice management/payment.

Shopify is a popular Ecommerce platform, built primarily to support B2C use cases. Its app ecosystem allows for extending the platform in a variety of ways. That said, relying on a platform built for a different use case means more frequent frustrations and limitations that can constrain a business. A B2B-focused Ecommerce platform can help not just take pressure off of Ecommerce managers, but many other roles that can benefit from such an approach, such as marketing, sales and fulfillment.