3PL Integration Services
Your store ships faster when your 3PL and ecommerce platform talk in real time
Redefine builds bidirectional 3PL connectors that sync inventory, route orders, and pass back tracking automatically. No more oversells, no more manual imports, no more customers emailing asking where their order is.
68 integration projects completed50+ brands connected
Submit brief → call within 48 hours → scoped proposal in 3 days → Sprint 1 within 1 week of sign-off
Hero · Warehouse ops manager at terminal
The real cost of a broken 3PL connection
Your warehouse is moving. Your data is not.
Without integration
Manual CSV exports from your 3PL, twice a day
Inventory is always stale. Oversells happen every peak period.
Orders emailed or FTPd to your warehouse team
Delays in fulfillment. Orders lost in inboxes during volume spikes.
Tracking numbers copy-pasted back into the store
Customers get no shipping confirmation. Support tickets pile up.
Return receipts handled manually on both ends
Refunds issued before inventory is verified. Shrinkage is invisible.
With Redefine 3PL integration
Live inventory sync every time your 3PL picks, packs, or receives
Your storefront reflects warehouse reality in seconds, not hours.
Orders push to your warehouse instantly on placement
No manual steps. Same-day fulfillment windows become achievable.
Tracking confirmation writes back to the order automatically
Shipping email triggers the moment your 3PL scans the label.
Returns received at the 3PL trigger refund logic in your store
Inventory restocks automatically. Refunds process on receipt confirmation.
Pain · Warehouse team, orders piling up
How data moves
Every order event. Every inventory change. Automatic.
Click any node to see what data moves, when, and why it matters to your operation.
01
Order placed in your store
Shopify, BigCommerce, or headless checkout
02
Order pushed to 3PL
API call fires within seconds of placement
03
3PL picks and ships
Warehouse fulfills; scan triggers callback
04
Tracking written back to order
Fulfillment status + carrier + number synced
05
Inventory recalculated live
On-hand decremented; reorder rules evaluated
Incoming eventorders/create
order_id: #10847
customer: Sarah Chen
items: SKU-4821 × 2, SKU-0093 × 1
shipping: Expedited 2-day
warehouse: US-EAST-01 (auto-routed)
Webhook received · queued for 3PL push in 0.8s
POST /api/v2/orders200 OK
Order #10847Received
SKU-4821 × 2Locating
SKU-0093 × 1Locating
Response time1.2s avg
Pick initiated
Bin A-14-R: 2 units SKU-4821
Pack confirmed
Box B · weight: 1.4kg
Label scanned → callback triggered
Tracking event fires to integration layer
Status update written backFulfilled
carrier: UPS
tracking: 1Z999AA1012345678
shipped_at: 2024-01-15T11:22:08Z
eta: 2024-01-17 (2 day)
Customer shipping confirmation email triggered automatically.
| SKU | Before | After | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| SKU-4821 | 48 | 46 | In stock |
| SKU-0093 | 12 | 11 | Reorder soon |
| SKU-2201 | 3 | 3 | Low stock |
Storefront updated. Reorder alert queued for SKU-0093.
What the integration covers
Built for the complexity of how warehouses actually work
Bidirectional inventory sync
On-hand counts update in your storefront every time your 3PL receives, ships, adjusts, or returns stock. No polling delays. No batch jobs.
Real-time order routing
Orders route to the correct warehouse based on stock availability, shipping zone, or custom rules you define. Multi-warehouse split-shipment logic included.
API-first architecture
We build directly to your 3PL's API, not a third-party middleware layer. Your integration does not break when a SaaS tool changes its pricing or deprecates a connector.
endpoint: POST /v2/orders/fulfill
auth: OAuth 2.0 / HMAC
retry: exponential backoff
fallback: queue + alert
Tracking passback automation
Carrier tracking numbers write back to the order the moment the label is scanned. Shopify or BigCommerce marks the order fulfilled and fires the shipping email automatically.
Multi-warehouse + multi-carrier
Route by region, by SKU category, or by carrier SLA. US East, US West, UK, EU, all mapped to the same integration layer with location-aware inventory.
Platform compatibility
ShopifyBigCommerceHeadless / Custom storefrontShipBob APIShipMonkWhiplashFulfilled by Amazon (MCF)Custom WMS
Real result
A multi-channel operation unified across 3PL, Shopify, and ERP
Client
JWE Inc
Multi-channel distributionMulti-channel distributor operating Shopify, Uniform Market, and a third-party logistics warehouse, all with separate, fragmented systems and no automated data flow between them.
The problem
Inventory, orders, and customer data were spread across platforms with no integration. Manual reconciliation took hours per day and errors were constant. The 3PL warehouse had no direct connection to their storefront or ERP.
What was built
Dynamics 365 Business Central implementation with Shopify two-way sync
3PL warehouse integration for logistics and fulfillment operations
Uniform Market integration with automated inventory and order sync
Microsoft integration automation tools to remove manual workflow steps
Result
0%
of manual reconciliation eliminated across 3PL, Shopify, and ERP
Inventory management, order processing, and cross-platform data synchronization all now automated. The 3PL warehouse receives orders in real time and pushes fulfillment status back without any human steps in between.
Integration type: 3PL + ERP + Ecommerce · Platform: Dynamics 365 BC + Shopify
Under the hood
Integration architecture built to not break
Every connection we build handles error recovery, retry logic, and data consistency out of the box. Your warehouse does not stop because an API timed out once.
Event-driven triggers
- Webhook on order create
- Webhook on inventory adjust
- Callback on label scan
- Polling fallback (5 min)
Error recovery
- Exponential backoff retry (5x)
- Dead-letter queue for failed events
- Slack / email alert on failure
- Manual replay dashboard
Data consistency
- Idempotency keys prevent duplicates
- Reconciliation audit log
- Nightly full-sync verification
- Drift detection + auto-correct
Why Redefine over off-the-shelf connectors
App-store plugins solve the simple case. Your operation is not the simple case.
| Capability | Typical connector | Redefine custom build |
|---|---|---|
| Inventory sync frequency | Every 15 min (polling) | Real-time on every warehouse event |
| Multi-warehouse routing | Manual location mapping only | Rule-based auto-routing with split shipment |
| Error recovery | Retries once; fails silently | Exponential backoff + alert + replay queue |
| Custom return logic | Not supported | Receipt confirmation triggers refund + restock |
| Maintenance dependency | Breaks when the SaaS tool changes | You own the code; no third-party dependency |
| ERP / WMS co-integration | 3PL only; ERP is separate | Single layer across 3PL, ERP, and storefront |
Common questions
Closing objections before you close the tab
Our 3PL does not have a documented API. Can you still integrate?
Yes. We assess what your 3PL supports during discovery: REST API, EDI, SFTP file exchange, or webhook callbacks. Most warehouses support at least one mechanism. Where no API exists, we build a secure file-based sync with the same reliability guarantees as a native integration.
We already have a Shopify app for this. Why rebuild it?
App-store connectors work well until they do not: a 3PL API update, a Shopify version change, a pricing model shift, or a volume spike that exceeds the app's rate limits. A custom build gives you ownership of the code, visibility into every event, and the ability to add business logic the app never supported. If your current app is working, we will tell you to keep it.
How long does a 3PL integration project take?
A focused bidirectional sync covering inventory, order push, and tracking passback typically takes 3 to 5 weeks from kickoff to production. More complex scopes (multi-warehouse routing, ERP co-integration, returns logic) run 6 to 10 weeks. We scope it precisely before you commit to anything.
What does this cost?
Scoped before work starts. Line-by-line pricing. No commitment to receive a proposal. A focused 3PL integration starts from $8,500 for a standard bidirectional sync. ERP co-integration and multi-warehouse logic are scoped separately. We send the number before you say yes.
What does my team actually need to do during the build?
Your team's time investment is typically 2 to 3 hours per week. One discovery call, one sprint review per week, and a final quality assurance sign-off. You introduce us to your 3PL contact. We handle API documentation review, development, testing, and go-live monitoring. You do not write a single line of code.
Before you submit a brief
Is this right for you?
We would rather tell you not to build something than scope a project you do not need. Here is how to know.
Good fit
You will see fast ROI from a custom build
Your team manually imports inventory or order files more than once a week
Every manual import is a window for error and a 15-minute task that should not exist.
You operate more than one warehouse or use more than one carrier
Multi-location routing and split shipments require logic that no Shopify app supports out of the box.
Customers regularly contact support asking where their order is
Tracking passback is broken or delayed. That is an integration problem, not a customer service problem.
You are switching 3PLs and need the new connection built before go-live
Migrations with no integration gap are tight. We can scope and build in parallel with your move.
Probably not the right fit
Save your budget for when volume justifies it
You process fewer than 50 orders per day and a Shopify app is already working
If the app is not breaking and volume is low, a custom build would take longer to pay back than you think.
You self-fulfill from a single location with no external warehouse partner
3PL integration connects your store to a third-party warehouse. If you pack your own orders, this is not the right service.
Your 3PL has no API, no SFTP, and no file exchange mechanism of any kind
We need at least one data channel to build on. If there is none, we will tell you before any work starts.
Not sure which side you are on? Tell us your situation and we will be straight with you.
Get your integration scoped
Tell us what your team is doing manually that a system should handle
Submit your brief and receive a scoped proposal within 3 business days. No commitment. No pitch.
Related services
Integration Services overviewAll integration use casesERP integrationMarketplace integrationYour team's time investment across a full build is typically 2 to 3 hours per week: one discovery call, one sprint review, and a final quality assurance sign-off. We handle API documentation, development, testing, and go-live monitoring.
Call within 48 hours · proposal in 3 days · Sprint 1 within 1 week of sign-off
Brief received.
We will review your situation and send a scoped proposal within 3 business days.
Reply within 48 hours
Proposal in 3 days
68 projects completed
You own the code
Ready when you are
Stop running your warehouse on spreadsheets and hope.
Get your 3PL integration scoped, priced, and started. Your operation ships the same volume with a fraction of the manual effort.
No commitment. No pitch. Submit your brief and see the scoped cost before you decide.