Häufig gestellte Fragen
Do I even need an ERP for my online shop?
A dedicated ERP is generally only worthwhile from a certain order volume or as soon as several sales channels are served in parallel, since the manual effort for stock reconciliation, shipping and accounting then becomes the bottleneck. With just a few orders per day and only one sales channel, the combination of a shop system, accounting software and a lean order management tool such as Billbee is often sufficient. The decisive factors are less the absolute order numbers than the degree of process automation, the assortment depth and the number of connected marketplaces. Specific requirements therefore depend heavily on company size, growth pace and the historically grown IT landscape.
What distinguishes Xentral and weclapp?
Xentral positions itself as a lean, e-commerce-focused cloud ERP with strong connectivity to shops and marketplaces and is particularly widespread among DTC and Shopify brands. weclapp is more broadly positioned and, in addition to online retail, also covers B2B wholesale, integrated CRM and service modules, which brings it closer to a classic, holistic ERP. The pricing logic also differs: weclapp typically bills per user per month, while Xentral tiers its packages more by order volume and includes an unlimited number of users. Which system fits ultimately depends on the company's individual business processes and strategic IT roadmap.
Which ERP is suitable for Shopify brands?
For pure Shopify brands, Xentral is considered a common choice, as it includes a Shopify connection and is tailored to operations such as order, shipping and returns processing. weclapp also offers a Shopify connection and is suitable when CRM or B2B functions are additionally needed, while Billbee serves smaller setups as an order layer on top of the accounting. What matters is whether the connection is native or runs via a middleware such as Tradebyte or Channable once further marketplaces are added. A reliable recommendation always requires a look at the assortment, order volume and planned channel strategy.
Should the ERP-shop connection be native, via plugin or via iPaaS?
Four approaches have become established in practice: prebuilt plugins or connectors, an intermediary middleware, a direct point-to-point integration via the REST API, and cloud-based iPaaS platforms. Native solutions such as Pickware for Shopware use the same data basis and avoid synchronisation gaps, but are in return tied to a specific shop system. Plugins are quick to get up and running, while middleware and iPaaS offer more flexibility in data mapping and orchestration when there are many channels. The most important criterion is that stock is reconciled in near real time across all channels in order to avoid overselling.
How does an e-commerce ERP support EU VAT and the OSS procedure?
For cross-border shipping to private customers in the EU, a common delivery threshold of 10,000 euros net per year has applied since July 2021; above this, the VAT of the respective destination country must be paid at that country's rate. Via the One-Stop-Shop procedure (OSS), these sales can be reported centrally to the Federal Central Tax Office (Bundeszentralamt für Steuern) on a quarterly basis instead of having to register individually in each destination country. An e-commerce ERP supports this by storing country-specific tax rates, correctly assigning OSS-relevant sales and providing analysable reports for the filing as well as the DATEV handover. The tax assessment itself remains the task of the tax advisor; the ERP provides the clean data basis.
What does an e-commerce ERP cost, and which factors drive the total cost of ownership?
Cloud solutions for online retail start, depending on the provider, in the low two- to three-digit range per month, with some billing per user and others by order or revenue volume. For mid-sized online retailers, the pure licence budget is often in the four- to five-digit range per year, but the total cost of ownership is strongly influenced by module surcharges, interfaces and setup. Added to this are costs for implementation partners, data migration, training, as well as ongoing maintenance and any iPaaS fees. Platform solutions with a broader functional scope such as Actindo or plentyONE sit above the lean tools, but in return bundle more functions under one roof.