The Brightpearl app for BigCommerce enables Brightpearl to manage inventory, prices, orders and shipments across multiple BigCommerce stores.
Installation and configuration
The Brightpearl app for BigCommerce can be found in the BigCommerce app store. Once installed, all configuration is done within the BigCommerce account.
Inventory synchronization
Brightpearl and BigCommerce products are automatically linked by SKU. The availability of items in BigCommerce will be updated as the on hand inventory levels change in Brightpearl in any enabled warehouses. This process ensures inventory is accurate between BigCommerce, Brightpearl and other connected channels.
When on hand inventory levels change at the selected warehouse(s) in Brightpearl, a webhook triggers an update to the quantities in BigCommerce. Brightpearl also triggers a nightly bulk synchronization to update all inventory in the event of a webhook failure.
Inventory synchronization works with both bundled products and multi-location inventory.
Price synchronization
As long as there's a matching product in Brightpearl, the price of items in BigCommerce will be updated to match the chosen Brightpearl price list. Prices are updated overnight.
Orders
When an order is placed through BigCommerce, a webhook is sent to Brightpearl to inform it. When Brightpearl is made aware of a new order, it will:
- Create new orders
The new order will be created on the chosen status. Any products with a matching SKU will be added to the order. If an item is not found in Brightpearl, it will be added as a non-stock tracked line item.
- Add tax
Tax amounts are always taken from BigCommerce. Brightpearl will apply the tax code based on the system tax rules.
- Allocate inventory to the order
Stock tracked products on the order will have inventory allocated where available at the chosen warehouse.
Customers
If the order is from a new customer, a new contact record will be created for them in Brightpearl. The record will be assigned to the order.
If a customer record with the same email address is found in Brightpearl, that customer record will be assigned to the order. If the new order contains different delivery or billing address details, those will be added as new addresses on the existing customer. The "receive marketing information" option will also be amended, unless the “block contact update” feature is switched on.
Payments
Payments are downloaded from BigCommerce using the BigCommerce Transactions API. This means that the order download can happen independently from payment. If an order still requires payment, it can be downloaded as a pending order from BigCommerce. The connector also allows for partial and multiple payments.
Multiple payment methods in BigCommerce can be mapped to multiple payment methods in Brightpearl to make reconciliation easier.
Order status synchronization
Order statuses can be updated between BigCommerce and Brightpearl using a simple mapping interface. When a status changes in one application, the other can be updated automatically.
Shipments
When a shipment is made in Brightpearl, either via a goods out note or a drop-ship purchase order, it will update the order in BigCommerce with:
- The items in the shipment
- Shipping method
- Tracking reference
BigCommerce can be used to send a confirmation email to the customer each time a shipment is made on their order. Partial shipments are fully supported. The shipping method will reflect what is on the goods out note even if it differs from the original order.
Using a third party shipping system
Any third party shipping system, such as ShipStation, ShipTheory or your own 3PL, will need to be connected to Brightpearl rather than BigCommerce. Shipping integrations for determining shipping quotes in BigCommerce may continue to be used.
When the order is fulfilled in Brightpearl, the goods out note (shipment) is sent to the shipping system where it is processed. Details of the shipping method and tracking reference applied in the shipping system are then sent back to Brightpearl and then on to BigCommerce.
Products
Product details such as descriptions, attributes and images can be updated directly within BigCommerce and downloaded into Brightpearl using the product import feature. This feature can only be used for new products - it will not download updated information for existing products.
Brightpearl does not publish product information to BigCommerce.
Multi-store
Multiple BigCommerce accounts can be connected to a single Brightpearl account. Each account becomes its own channel in Brightpearl. Having separate channels means:
- Each channel can use different warehouses
- Branding applied to goods out notes can differ depending on the BigCommerce account the order came from
- Sales analysis reporting can be done per individual BigCommerce account or for all of them together
Multi-currency
BigCommerce supports storefront pricing and checkout in multiple currencies, but only a single default currency in the admin panel. This means that, although customers can shop in their local currency, all orders in BigCommerce will be created in the system default currency. Orders and payments will be created in Brightpearl using the default currency of the BigCommerce account as this is how the information is provided.
Where Brightpearl has a different base currency than BigCommerce the orders and payments will be considered foreign currency and all the necessary conversions will be carried out for accounting purposes.
If full multi-currency accounting is desired, Brightpearl can solve this issue by connecting into multiple BigCommerce stores, one per currency.