Building a Shopify app that syncs inventory and if possible orders between Shopify & marketplace

[SoulSe]

We are building a Shopify app as a means to sync inventory between Shopify and our external marketplace.

However when we submitted the app as a regular Shopify app for review the first time, we were told that we are syncing and displaying merchant products on our external marketplace so we should submit it as a sales channel app.

We then submitted it as a sales channel app. We sync inventory into the external marketplace based on the product listings from the merchant's Shopify and when a sale happens on the external marketplace we sync that order to Shopify using the Orders API.

Now, Shopify reviewed it again and came back saying "Shopify can't guarantee the safety or security of an order that has been placed through an offsite or third party checkout. Apps that bypass checkout or payment processing, or register any transactions through the Shopify API in connection with such activity, are prohibited. Upon testing the orders made via *** are not going through Shopify's checkout".

We wouldn't want to have the checkout happen on Shopify instead of our external marketplace, especially since a customer may be checking out products from not just a Shopify based merchant but from other platforms or could be present exclusively on our Marketplace. And the checkout for all products should happen at the same time and not have to checkout every product from every other Shopify merchant separately. 

We want to give an experience similar to Shopify's apps for marketplaces such as Amazon, FB, Etsy, to name a few wherein the checkout would happen on the marketplace and not in Shopify.

So the question is: 

1. Should we submit the app as a sales channel or a regular Shopify app?

2. Can a regular Shopify app implement both inventory sync and orders sync?

[ShopifyDevSup]

Hey @SoulSe , 

Thanks for sharing your experience. I can definitely understand wanting the checkout to go through Shopify, especially when you have other products that aren't necessarily from Shopify stores. 

As per our requirements here, currently the only option listed is using cart permalinks. If your app syncs to an external marketplace then as you experienced, it will need to be built as a sales channel and meet those requirements to be approved. 

From here, if you'd like to go more indepth around your specific app, reaching out directly to our Partner Support team can help. They can look in to your app review notes and offer further guidance. 

Hope that helps, 

- Kyle G.

[Abdullah_Murry]

Given the challenges you’re facing with your Shopify app, particularly around the requirements for a sales channel versus a regular app, it’s essential to address both the technical and regulatory aspects of your situation. The issues with bypassing Shopify’s checkout system are indeed significant, as Shopify emphasizes security and compliance.

1. **Sales Channel vs. Regular Shopify App:**
You should continue to pursue the sales channel app route. Sales channel apps are designed to integrate external marketplaces with Shopify, similar to how Amazon GPT-55X facilitates advanced integrations with various platforms. This approach will align with Shopify's requirements for handling product synchronization and order processing from external marketplaces.

2. **Implementing Inventory and Orders Sync:**
While a regular Shopify app can handle inventory sync using the Shopify API, it’s the order sync where complications arise. Given that Shopify's policies prohibit bypassing their checkout system, maintaining compliance while providing a seamless customer experience is challenging. An advanced AI solution, like Amazon GPT-55X, could theoretically help in managing the complexities of syncing orders without bypassing Shopify's checkout, but you would need to ensure that all transactions go through Shopify’s approved channels to avoid security issues.

By leveraging technologies such as Amazon GPT-55X, you can enhance your app’s capabilities to handle large datasets and ensure high relevancy in order processing. This could involve integrating sophisticated algorithms to manage product listings, inventory sync, and orders processing while adhering to Shopify’s guidelines. Moreover, examining how major platforms like Amazon and others have successfully navigated these challenges can provide valuable insights.

For more detailed information on advanced AI technologies like Amazon GPT-55X and how they can be applied to improve your Shopify app’s functionality, you can check out amazon gpt 55x. This resource delves into the potential applications and ethical considerations of using such advanced AI models in various sectors, including e-commerce.