Shopify PunchOut integration: connect your existing shop to customer ERPs
Connecting Shopify to enterprise procurement systems such as SAP, Coupa and Ariba – via OCI or cXML, without a separate PunchOut catalogue.
- Shop system
- Shopify
- Protocols
- OCI, cXML
- Target systems
- SAP, Coupa, Ariba
- PunchOut catalogue
- Not needed, the shop is the front end
Your Shopify shop becomes the purchasing front end in the customer ERP
In a PunchOut session the buyer starts in their own e-procurement system, such as SAP, Coupa or Jaggaer, and lands straight in your Shopify shop. They pick products as usual but do not buy in the Shopify checkout: the cart goes back into their system as a data set.
Pro3Con supplies the middleware in between. No new shop and no second catalogue is created, your store stays as it is.
- Duplicate data maintenance
- 0%Duplicate data maintenanceNo copy and no second shop image
- ERP compatibility
- 100%ERP compatibilityOCI 4.0, OCI 5.0 and cXML
- Automated cart return
- 100%Automated cart returnWithout manual entry or transfer errors
- E-procurement platforms
- 100+E-procurement platformsSAP, SAP Ariba, Coupa, Oracle, Jaggaer and more
The PunchOut process in Shopify: from the ERP to the checkout bypass
Nine steps across three systems. All your buyer notices is that they start in their ERP and end up back there.
Customer ERP
Starting the PunchOut session
- 1The buyer opens their e-procurement system, such as SAP, Coupa or Oracle, and selects you as the supplier.
- 2The system triggers the PunchOut call.
- 3Primus Connect forwards them straight into your Shopify environment.
Your Shopify shop
Customer-specific product selection
- 4In the Shopify area for B2B customers their prices and ranges apply.
- 5They use the familiar Shopify filters and add items to the cart.
- 6Instead of checking out, one click takes them back to the ERP.
Should the customer only see part of the range? That is what Primus Exclusion is for.
Primus Connect → ERP
Cart return and completion
- 7Primus Connect converts the cart and sends it to the customer system via OCI or cXML.
- 8The line items land directly in the customer ERP, there is no payment in the shop.
- 9The order stays in the customer system, so budget checks and account assignment work as usual.
Where Primus Connect sits in the module structure
Primus Connect is the extension of Primus PunchOut for suppliers with their own webshop. Without a shop, Primus PunchOut provides the complete PunchOut catalogue.
- Primus Catalog
Foundation
Your item list becomes a validated catalogue, as BMEcat, CIF, Excel or CSV.
- Primus PunchOut
Builds on Primus Catalog
Your catalogue as a PunchOut shop for SAP, Coupa and Ariba, without a webshop of your own.
- Primus Connect
Extension of Primus PunchOut
PunchOut with your existing shop as the front end, for any number of customer ERPs.
- Shopify(this page)
- Shopware
- Magento
- SAP Hybris
- Primus Exclusion
Add-on to every module
Your customer picks the items they want to see via a link. You approve.
Who is Primus Connect for Shopify designed for?
Manufacturers & corporate suppliers
For enterprise buyers who must satisfy SAP, Ariba or Coupa connections without giving up their existing shop.
B2B distributors
With large ranges, many product variants and customer-specific prices that change regularly.
Shopify agencies
Who want to offer their clients an OCI or cXML PunchOut connection without developing the technology themselves.
What your Shopify shop needs for B2B PunchOut
Primus Connect uses the shop’s data foundation. A well-maintained product range is the prerequisite for error-free data exchange.
Primus Connect is not a plugin or an app from the Shopify App Store, there is nothing to install. Design and product data stay 100% with you or your supporting agency.
- Item identification: clean article numbers (SKUs)
- Product details: unambiguous product descriptions and line items
- B2B pricing: stored customer-specific prices and units of measure
- User management: maintained Shopify customer profiles
Six steps to go-live
Shopify environments differ in themes, apps and cart logic. That is why we review the field mapping for each architecture before the connection goes live.
1Gather requirements
Your customer’s target system and required PunchOut standard.
2Review the shop
Technical review of your current Shopify environment.
3Design the handover
Which fields go to the customer ERP, and how.
4Set up
Technical setup and configuration by our specialists.
5Test
System test in the sandbox, together with your customer.
6Go live
Go-live, after which your customer orders from their ERP.
They work with Primus
Manufacturers and distributors delivering their product data to their customers’ procurement systems with Primus.
An individual quote instead of a package price
Different technical prerequisites rule out flat package prices or trial phases. The regular Shopify fees stay with Shopify.
For the interface connection, Pro3Con calculates an individual quote consisting of an ongoing subscription per PunchOut connection and one-off, effort-based setup costs. You will find an overview of our pricing model on the pricing page.
Frequently asked questions about B2B PunchOut for Shopify
Nothing here that matches? Write to us – you will get a technical answer, not a template.
What is a PunchOut for Shopify?
A PunchOut for Shopify is middleware. It lets B2B buyers reach your existing Shopify shop straight from their e-procurement system. Product selection happens in the Shopify interface, but the cart information is returned to the customer system as a structured data set (OCI or cXML).
Does Pro3Con create a separate PunchOut catalogue for us?
No. Pro3Con is the technical provider in the background and uses only the supplier’s existing Shopify shop. There is no duplicate shop or product data maintenance.
Is the buying experience in Shopify fully preserved?
Yes. The B2B buyer navigates your real shop environment. All logic stored in Shopify for customer-specific pricing and discount tiers therefore applies in real time.
How does the solution support internal approval processes?
The cart is assembled in the shop but not paid for there. The final order and the budget approval happen in the customer’s ERP system. That improves accuracy and speed because manual entry disappears.
Is a Shopify Plus account required?
No. The PunchOut integration only requires a working Shopify store with well-maintained product data.
Does Primus Connect synchronise two different shops?
No. No separate image is created. From a single shop environment the middleware supports an unlimited number of B2B customer connections – one existing Shopify shop serves different ERP systems in parallel.
Does Pro3Con maintain the Shopify shop?
No. Maintaining products, prices and images stays entirely with the manufacturer, distributor or Shopify agency. Primus Connect only handles the technical connectivity to the customer ERPs.
Does the B2B customer ultimately order through the Shopify checkout?
No. The cart is assembled in the Shopify shop and returned to the customer ERP as a data set. The final order happens in the ERP system.
Which procurement systems does this make Shopify compatible with?
More than 100 e-procurement platforms worldwide support standardised PunchOut integrations. Primus Connect integrates the Shopify shop into these systems, including SAP, SAP Ariba, Coupa, Oracle, Onventis, Jaggaer, Unite Mercateo and Simple System.
Is the Shopify shop still publicly reachable after the integration?
Yes. The webshop keeps its regular function for other users. PunchOut customers simply access the shop through a dedicated authentication from their own procurement system.
How many errors does your catalogue have?
Upload a BMEcat file. The validator checks it against the DTD and our quality rules and shows every error with its location. Free, no sign-up.