Customer success story: Linnworks
An ecommerce platform uses Vendor and Seller APIs to help its customers manage their Amazon sales channels
About Linnworks
Linnworks is an SaaS ecommerce platform that allows retailers to view, manage, and automate their online sales efforts. Its software supports inventory management, listings, fulfillment, and data insights from multiple sales channels, including Amazon, on a single platform.
Linnworks are specialists in helping brands sell better. We want to be the best at what we do. And we want to help our clients achieve their business goals, too.
Linnworks has offered Amazon integration for more than 13 years. The integration was initially based on Amazon MWS, but now Linnworks uses APIs to help its customers manage—and optimize—their Amazon operations.
APIs used
Vendor
- Orders
- Direct Fulfillment
- Vendor Procurement
Seller
- Reports
- Listings
- Catalog Items
- Feeds
Support for Vendors and Sellers
The Linnworks platform relies on both Vendor and Seller APIs. Each API serves a different purpose, but the overall API integration enables Linnworks to respond to its customers’ needs, maintain a high level of service, and continually improve its offerings.
Vendor APIs vs. Seller APIs
An Amazon selling partner can be a seller or a vendor. Sellers list and supply their own goods on Amazon; vendors supply inventory for Amazon to sell. Seller APIs and Vendor APIs can have different use cases, workflows, and requirements.
An Amazon selling partner can be a seller or a vendor. Sellers list and supply their own goods on Amazon; vendors supply inventory for Amazon to sell. Seller APIs and Vendor APIs can have different use cases, workflows, and requirements.
Vendor APIs
Linnworks chose to adopt Vendor APIs based on requests from its customers, who needed a solution for order workflow management.
We do regular site visits with our clients, and Vendor was a gap that they told us needed to be filled. Most importantly, they wanted to be able to easily compare their stock levels in Linnworks to their Amazon purchase orders without having to swap between systems.
Orders
With the Orders API in place, vendors on the Linnworks platform can now get a better handle on purchase order workflow. "For Vendor APIs, we implemented the Orders API first to start working on the complicated flow of acceptance/rejection or order lines in vendor purchase orders."
Direct Fulfillment & Vendor Procurement
Two more Vendor APIs, Direct Fulfillment and Vendor Procurement, help Linnworks customers simplify and streamline their vendor workstreams. The Vendor Direct Fulfillment API allows vendors to complete direct fulfillment orders like they would any other order on the Linnworks platform, while Vendor Procurement helps them manage POs and ship procurement orders directly to Amazon.
Seller APIs
Linnworks also uses API to cover Seller use cases, such as listing items on Amazon, creating new products, and matching products in bulk and individually.
“Publishing products is one of the most important tasks…Helping our customers submit products and offers to the Amazon catalog was the number-one priority for us from the very beginning of Linnworks.”
“Publishing products is one of the most important tasks…Helping our customers submit products and offers to the Amazon catalog was the number-one priority for us from the very beginning of Linnworks.”
Listings
Linnworks prioritized full listings integration from the start. Currently, the Listings API helps streamline and simplify listings management for Linnworks customers with larger inventories.
The Listings API integration allows sellers to manage listings in bulk, perform individual and bulk inventory matching against the Amazon catalog, view and edit product categories, handle error messages, manage offers, update prices, and much more. And for new customers, it enables seamless migration of their Amazon listings to the Linnworks platform.
The Listings API integration allows sellers to manage listings in bulk, perform individual and bulk inventory matching against the Amazon catalog, view and edit product categories, handle error messages, manage offers, update prices, and much more. And for new customers, it enables seamless migration of their Amazon listings to the Linnworks platform.
Catalog Items and Feeds
To further improve the functionality offered by the Listings API, Linnworks uses the Catalog Items and Feeds APIs. Catalog Items helps sellers match existing listings before creating new ones, eliminating redundant work. The Feeds API helps customers upload or edit listings in bulk.
Future API integrations
Linnworks is still exploring ways to use APIs to improve the customer experience for vendors and sellers on its platform. Its highest priorities are further streamlining the workflow for the listings process, helping customers troubleshoot listings errors, and staying compliant with future Amazon Selling Partner updates.
Amazon Click&Collect is the next API integration on our roadmap.
Not all apps/services may be available in all stores/all languages and all Selling Partners should check their representative Selling Partner Appstore for the referenced service.
