Store Connection Flows

Description

Connection Flows Discover how to build the API integration with shopping carts and provide the best user and integration experience Contents 16 19 19 22 Introduction Hosted and Open-Source carts with plugin OAuth Authentication 25 28 30 Improve your UX design 5. About API2Cart 4 Contents 13 8 2 Connection without FTP credentials 4. Tips and Usability Hygiene Open-Source cars without plugin 3. Blank Plugins 7 6 Connection with FTP credentials Hosted carts without plugin 27 29 Basic Authentication Best authentication practices 2. Connection Flows Authentication 1. API Integration Strategy 13 3 Contents 1. API Integration Strategy Make integration simple 3 Introduction Contents Before you start, let’s use the mock up below as an example of an order and shipping management application. The admin panel of this application includes common tabs such as Dashboard, Settings, Billing, etc. We will use this example within the pdf to show how a UI/UX may differentiate depending on a shopping cart and a way you want to integrate with them.

Informations

• Publié par: API2Cart
• Publié le: 10 mars 2017
• Nombre de lectures: 3
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

CONNEctiON FOws

Discover how to build the API integration with shopping carts and provide the best user and integration experience

Contents

16

19

19

22

Introduction

Hosted and Open-Source carts with plugin

OAuth Authentication

25

28

30

Improve your UX design

5. About API2Cart

4

CONtENts

13

8

2

Connection without FTP credentials

4. Tips and Usability Hygiene

Open-Source cars without plugin

3. Blank Plugins

7

6

Connection with FTP credentials

Hosted carts without plugin

27

29

Basic Authentication

Best authentication practices

2. Connection Flows

Authentication

1. API Integration Strategy

13

3

CONtENts

1. API INtEgRatiON StRatE gY

Make integration simple

3

Introduction

CONtENts

Before you start, let’s use the mock up below as an example of an order and shipping management application. The admin panel

of this application includes common tabs such as Dashboard, Settings, Billing, etc. We will use this example within the pdf to show

how a UI/UX may differentiate depending on a shopping cart and a way you want to integrate with them.

MEASUREMENT

While this paper can showcase the setup of new integrations, it can also be used for optimizing existing integrations.

4

We suggest that you consider these steps below w C hen O plann N ing t on E inte N grat t ing s with shopping carts:

Determine the best UI options within your application.

Determine the types of authentication that your app will use.

Check the possibility of creating plugins for connecting web stores with your application.

Here we added a new tab, “Integration”. It is

meant to tell the user your application can

integrate with other 3rd party systems.

Note: When they click “Integration” tab, they

can see the list of all supported platforms.

5

Authentication

CONtENts

After you have designed the best place for integrations within your application, you should decide what shopping carts you are

planning to integrate with. Since shopping carts use different authentication mechanisms, they require different connection

workflows between your app and shopping carts.

There are 2 authentication mechanisms you can use to connect an online store to your application:

authentication mechanisms

Basic access authentication — A widely used protocol for simple username/password authentication. This type of mechanism provides no confidentiality protection for the transmitted credentials

OAuth — An open standard for authorization, commonly used as a way for users to authorize websites or applications to access their information on other websites but without giving them the passwords.

6

CONtENts

2. CONNEctiON lOws

Adopt your integrations

7

Connection Flows

CONtENts

How you connect a store to API2Cart depends on the type of shopping cart it is based on, hosted (e.g. Shopify, Bigcommerce)

or open-source (e.g. WooCommerce, Magento). You can see what you need to add storeshere.

You can connect a shopping cart to your application using these 3 ways, each working for different types of platforms:

 Hosted (e.g. Bigcommerce) and Open-source (e.g. Magento) via plugins.

 Hosted (e.g. Bigcommerce) without plugin (oAuth or Basic authorization).

 Open-source (e.g. Magento) without plugin.

HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT WAY?

The best means to choose one of these 3 connection flows for your integration is to answer the following questions: #1. What shopping cart am I planning to integrate with? #2. Will I use a plugin for this shopping cart?

Next you’ll find three sections dedicated to the types of connection flows. We’re going to follow this structure:

 The steps your client will have to take to connect their store to your application.

 How we suggest this should look like in terms of UI/UX.

 The scheme of communication between your system and API2Cart: how adding a store and sending API requests work.

8

CONtENts Hosted and OpenSource Carts with Plugin

Plugins are applications that can be easily installed and used as part of a webstore. You can leverage them to extend the

functionality of a web store or use for API integration and establishing the connection between the web store and your application.

Here’s how a plugin-based connection between a shopping cart and your application will work from the perspective of your end-

clients (web store owners):

1. Your customer logs in to the backoffice of their store.

2. They install your plugin from a marketplace or as a zip-file you provide them.

3. During the installation process, theyenterthe credentials they use to log in to your application. (That is how you link web

stores with your application.)

4. They click theConnectbutton.

5. The connection between the web store and your system is established.

9

When web store owners press Install plugin,

it redirects them to the shopping cart

marketplace page.

CONtENts

In case you provide the possibility to download

a plugin as a zip-file, they can install the plugin

in their shopping cart admin panel themselves.

10

generate API keys that store

TIP

of your application, you can

owners could copy-paste.

CONtENts

They enter the credentials they use to log in

Instead of using basic credentials

to your application.

shopping cart.

11

The plugin is installed. You can interact with a