- A complete guide to 3PL integration
- What is 3PL?
- Why do companies use 3PL?
- What type of companies use 3PL?
- What is 3PL integration?
- Common types of 3PL integrations – what products should be integrated?
- How does 3PL integration work?
- Real-world 3PL, EDI and logistics examples
- The benefits of 3PL integration
- How can BPA Platform help with 3PL integration?
- Frequently Asked Questions
A complete guide to 3PL integration
As supply chains grow more complex and customer expectations around speed, accuracy, and visibility increase, many organisations turn to third-party logistics (3PL) providers to manage fulfilment and distribution.
However, outsourcing logistics alone is no longer enough. To operate efficiently, scale reliably, and maintain full visibility, businesses must ensure their 3PL providers are fully integrated with core systems such as ERP, eCommerce, warehouse management, and finance platforms.
This guide explains what 3PL integration is, how it works, which systems should be connected, and the benefits of building a fully integrated logistics operation.
What is 3PL?
3PL, or third-party logistics, refers to the practice of outsourcing some or all logistics and supply chain activities to a specialist external provider. Rather than managing logistics operations internally, businesses partner with a 3PL company that has the resources, technology, and expertise to handle these functions on their behalf.
A 3PL provider can manage a wide range of logistics services, including warehousing and storage, inventory management, order picking and packing, transportation, shipping, and returns handling.
Many providers also offer value-added services such as labelling, packaging, customs management, and reverse logistics. The scope of a 3PL relationship can vary depending on business needs, from handling a single function like warehousing to managing end-to-end fulfilment across multiple regions.
Utilising a 3PL partner means businesses avoid the cost and operational complexity of owning and maintaining warehouses, transport fleets, and logistics teams. Instead, they gain access to established infrastructure, proven processes, and logistics expertise that would be difficult or expensive to develop in-house.
This approach allows organisations to respond more quickly to changes in demand, expand into new markets, and focus internal resources on core activities such as product development, sales, and customer experience.
Why do companies use 3PL?
Companies use 3PL providers primarily to improve operational efficiency while maintaining control over costs. Outsourcing logistics removes the need to invest in warehouse facilities, transport fleets, and specialist logistics personnel, all of which can require significant capital and ongoing management.
Instead, businesses benefit from the economies of scale that 3PL providers offer, often resulting in lower per-unit costs and more predictable logistics spending.
Beyond cost savings, 3PL providers bring specialist knowledge, proven processes, and advanced logistics technology that many organisations would struggle to develop internally.
This expertise helps reduce errors, improve delivery performance, and ensure compliance with shipping regulations and service-level agreements. For businesses operating across multiple regions or countries, 3PL can also simplify cross-border logistics and customs management.
Flexibility is another key reason companies choose 3PL. As order volumes rise or fall due to seasonality, promotions, or growth, logistics operations can be scaled up or down without major disruption.
This agility allows organisations to respond quickly to market changes and customer demand. Removing the day-to-day burden of logistics management means that businesses can focus more of their time and resources on strategic priorities such as product innovation, customer experience, and long-term growth.
What type of companies use 3PL?
3PL services are used by companies of all sizes, from start-ups and small businesses to global enterprises, and across a wide range of industries, including:
- eCommerce retailers managing high order volumes and fast delivery expectations
- Manufacturers distributing goods globally
- Wholesalers and distributors handling complex inventory flows
- Retail brands scaling operations during peak demand
- Start-ups and SMEs without the resources for in-house logistics
eCommerce retailers are among the most common users, as they need to manage high order volumes, fast delivery expectations, and frequent peaks in demand without compromising accuracy or customer experience. Using a 3PL provider means that eCommerce businesses can offer reliable fulfilment and delivery services without building their own warehousing and distribution networks.
Manufacturers and distributors also rely heavily on 3PL providers to manage large-scale storage, regional distribution, and international shipping. For these organisations, 3PL helps coordinate complex supply chains, ensure consistent inventory availability, and support both business-to-business and direct-to-consumer distribution models.
Retail brands, particularly those operating across multiple channels, often use 3PL services to handle seasonal fluctuations, promotional campaigns, and product launches that place sudden pressure on logistics operations.
Growing businesses frequently adopt 3PL as a way to scale efficiently. Rather than investing in warehouses, technology, and logistics staff upfront, they can leverage a 3PL’s existing infrastructure to expand into new markets or increase order volumes with minimal risk.
Whether a company sells directly to consumers, distributes through wholesale partners, or operates a hybrid model, 3PL has become a critical component of modern, flexible supply chains.
What is 3PL integration?
3PL integration is the process of connecting a business’s internal systems with the systems used by its 3PL provider. These systems might include ERP platforms, eCommerce websites, order management systems, or accounting software.
The purpose of integration is to ensure that data such as orders, inventory levels, shipment updates, and tracking information flows automatically and accurately between systems. Without integration, businesses often rely on manual data entry or disconnected processes, which can lead to delays, errors, and limited visibility.
Common types of 3PL integrations – what products should be integrated?
A successful 3PL integration connects core operational systems to ensure accurate, automated data flow across the supply chain.
Rather than relying on manual processes or disconnected platforms, integrated environments provide a single source of truth for orders, inventory, fulfilment, and shipping activity.
- ERP systems: Acumatica, Epicor, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, Sage 200, Sage Intacct, SAP Business One, SAP Business ByDesign, SYSPRO etc.
- eCommerce platforms: Magento, Shopify, WooCommerce, Amazon Seller Central etc.
- CRM systems: HubSpot, Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM, Infor CRM, SugarCRM, Creatio CRM, Zoho CRM etc.
- B2B Commerce: Sana Commerce, SparkLayer, Netalogue etc.
- Warehouse Management Systems (WMS): .WMS, Dexterity WMS, Indigo WMS etc.
- Electronic Data Interchange (EDI): OpenText EDI, TrueCommerce EDI, Transalis EDI etc.
- Shipping and carrier platforms: DPD, FedEx, MetaPack, MyHermes, ParcelBroker, Parcelforce, ShipStation, SmartFreight etc.
- Product Information Management (PIM) systems
- Order Management Systems (OMS)
- Accounting and finance systems
Key data shared through these integrations often includes:
- Sales orders
- Inventory levels
- Shipping confirmations
- Tracking details
- Returns and exceptions
“BPA Platform facilitates the integration between SYSPRO and TrueCommerce, depending on the site location, and converts files from the customer’s system. For example, when we receive an order from a major grocer through EDI, BPA Platform converts them into a file that SYSPRO can read, sends an order acknowledgement, dispatch note and credit adjustments where necessary. BPA Platform checks for new transactions continuously, ensuring we’re efficient in our processing timeframes to keep customers happy. This data transformation and automation element is used by us for at least fifteen of our customers, including all major UK grocers.”
Andrew Cooke, CFO/COO Bob Martin and CFO Pets Choice Limited
At the centre of this integration is often the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, which stores essential information such as sales orders, customer details, inventory levels, and product data. Integrating the ERP with a 3PL provider allows orders to be automatically released for fulfilment and ensures inventory is updated in real time across all systems.
eCommerce solutions, including both B2C and B2B eCommerce platforms, are critical for integration. B2B eCommerce, in particular, often involves bulk orders, negotiated pricing, and complex shipping requirements. Connecting eCommerce platforms to the 3PL enables businesses to automate order transmission, reduce errors, and provide faster, more reliable fulfilment for customers.
Product Information Management (PIM) systems can also be integrated to ensure product data, SKUs, descriptions, and images are consistent across eCommerce platforms, ERP, and the 3PL provider. This helps maintain accurate inventory and prevents fulfilment errors, especially when managing multiple warehouses or sales channels.
Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) remain a core part of 3PL integrations, handling stock movements, picking, packing, and storage operations.
Shipping systems, including carrier platforms and tracking solutions, provide real-time shipment updates, label generation, and cost calculations.
Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) is another key integration method, particularly for B2B transactions, allowing standardised documents such as purchase orders, invoices, and shipment notices to flow automatically between systems in a structured, reliable format.
Finance and accounting systems can also be integrated, enabling automated invoicing, reconciliation of shipping costs, and tracking of fulfilment expenses.
Connecting core operational systems with a 3PL provider enables businesses to maintain a single, accurate view of orders, inventory, and logistics operations. This end-to-end integration minimises manual intervention, reduces errors, improves operational efficiency, and provides the visibility needed to make informed supply chain decisions.
How does 3PL integration work?
3PL integration works by enabling structured, automated data exchange between a business’s internal systems and the logistics provider’s platforms. This connectivity ensures that information flows seamlessly across the entire supply chain, eliminating manual data entry and improving accuracy.
3PL integration usually works through one or more of the following methods:
- APIs – real-time data exchange between systems
- File-based transfers – such as CSV, XML, or EDI files
- Web services or middleware – managing data flow and transformation
When a customer places an order, whether through a B2C or B2B eCommerce platform, the order details are automatically transmitted to the ERP system. From there, the information is shared with the 3PL provider through integration methods such as APIs, EDI (Electronic Data Interchange), or secure file transfers, depending on the capabilities of the systems involved.
For B2B transactions, EDI plays a critical role in standardising documents such as purchase orders, invoices, and shipment notifications, ensuring reliable and efficient communication between trading partners.
The PIM system ensures that product information, SKUs, and descriptions remain consistent across all platforms, reducing errors during fulfilment. Meanwhile, a Warehouse Management System (WMS) manages inventory, picking, packing, and storage operations. Once the order is processed, the shipping system generates labels, calculates costs, and provides tracking information, which is sent back to the business’s systems and, in many cases, directly to the customer.
Throughout this process, inventory levels, order statuses, and shipment updates are synchronised in real time or near real time across ERP, eCommerce, PIM, WMS, and shipping platforms.
This automated workflow ensures that all systems reflect the same, up-to-date information, reducing delays, improving operational efficiency, and providing full visibility into the supply chain. Businesses can track orders from placement to delivery, respond quickly to exceptions, and make informed decisions based on accurate, timely data.
Real-world 3PL, EDI and logistics examples
Real-world logistics rarely works in theory alone. To understand how 3PL partnerships, EDI integrations, and operational workflows actually perform, it helps to look at practical, real-life examples. In this section, we showcase how businesses have used BPA Platform to connect systems, streamline fulfilment, and scale operations, highlighting lessons learned from real-world 3PL and supply chain scenarios.
Case Study 1: Multiple 3PLs, NetSuite, Shopify, Salesforce, eBay, DPD
How a global consumer brand unified multi-channel fulfilment across regions using BPA Platform.
- Company: Cloud Nine
- Industry: Manufacturer and supplier of innovative hair styling tools
- Challenge: Improve customer and order management and automate the processing of sales orders.
- Solution: Automated the transfer of orders, product synch, data updates, refunds, customer information, assets, and metadata
- Results: Investment made in BPA Platform paid back in first year. Enabled the business to upgrade all systems without issue.
“We import all data into NetSuite, such as deposit creations, order updates, dispatches, credit memos, returns, payments, etc., from the various sources so that we can manage everything from one location. That information can then be exported back to Shopify or into Salesforce. The Salesforce connector is automating the transfer of customer information (new and updated), assets, metadata, sales orders from the various sources, serial numbers etc.”
“With Shopify, we are automating the transfer of orders, product synchronisation, data updates, and refunds. We also synchronise customer details which includes metadata. We also utilise a number of 3PLs across several territories (UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand). Those are all integrated with NetSuite – utilising a combination of API calls and XML messages.”
Blaise Lester, Group Business Systems Development Manager, Cloud Nine
Case Study 2: 3PL, SYSPRO, Shopify, Descartes and HMRC
Automating international fulfilment and VAT handling across Europe.
- Company: Sealskinz
- Industry: Manufacturer and retailer of waterproof endurance accessories
- Challenge: Automate the transfer of data between various systems, separate different orders from Europe for VAT purposes
- Solution: Automated order downloads, order processing from website to 3PL, transfer of data between Descartes and HMRC
- Results: Streamlined order processing, reduced resource, memory and SQL processing
“We now send all of our dispatch data down to the 3PL and they distribute it for us. There’s a lot of code and task development in the BPA Platform console, using Codeless Platforms’ SYSPRO connector tool and web connector tool to pass strings and data from A to B. It is sending stock to the 3PL as well as receiving GRNs and ASINs back in.”
“Humans aren’t really involved anymore. All someone does is load an order onto the system to send stock down to the 3PL, and the rest is channelled from the website. No one touches anything. An order comes down from the website into SYSPRO, passes through the system, and then goes through BPA Platform to their system. When the order is dispatched, all of the data is returned and automatically posted into SYSPRO by BPA Platform and the SYSPRO connector. We’ve probably automated in the region of 80-90% of the system, from order entry through to the customer getting it. We actually achieved more than what we originally thought we could.”
Tim Petts, IT Manager, Sealskinz
Case Study 3: Amazon, SYSPRO and Shopify
Removing manual order processing across high-volume eCommerce channels.
- Company: ATTITUDE
- Industry: Manufacturer and retailer of personal care and household products
- Challenge: Remove the manual processing of orders from various sales channels
- Solution: Automated all EDI messages from Amazon to SYSPRO, as well as the download of sales orders and invoices from Shopify to SYSPRO
- Results: Transformed all business operations, minimised data transfer errors, and automated the transfer of advanced shipping notifications to Amazon
“Our IT partner used BPA Platform as the solution to automatically receive our EDI messages from Amazon and then purge them into SYSPRO. They also added a couple of rules specific to our business, to split the orders in the way we wanted. BPA Platform now automates all of the EDI messages from Amazon including the creation of new sales orders, shipments, advanced shipping notifications, and invoices.”
“We have around 50 customers, of which 25 are large, major customers that we want to convert with this automated EDI process. As the business grows, the orders increase and the invoices increase. We simply would not be able to keep up with that level of inputting if we had to do it manually. At some point, it just wouldn’t be possible to run our business like that without BPA Platform and EDI technology, especially with the level of orders coming in from Amazon.”
Nicolas Wendling, Director of Operations, ATTITUDE
Case Study 4: TrueCommerce EDI, Epicor and CALIDUS ePOD
Stabilising EDI and proof-of-delivery workflows at scale.
- Company: Grant Westfield
- Industry: Manufacturer of waterproof wall panelling
- Challenge: Resolve issues with existing solution, improve stability, maintenance automatic processing of EDI and POD data
- Solution: Automated the importation of order data and uploading of delivery data to proof of delivery systems
- Results: Delivered greater control over order processing, real-time monitoring and management of POD data, and automatic printing of SSRS reports & labels
“The orders we receive via EDI generates an XML file. BPA Platform processes and validates that file and loads it into Epicor. We also use it to upload our delivery runs to a proof of delivery system. Installing BPA Platform has enabled us to move the business forward without having to worry about the upgrades and data continuity. It’s quite visual and it’s easy to go back into it, pick up the thread and understand the processes.”
“I probably use the data connectors the most. For example, when BPA Platform is reading an XML file for an EDI order, if the EDI order doesn’t have all the information I need to load into Epicor, it’s searching for and retrieving that additional information.”
Mark Yates, ERP Specialist, Grant Westfield
The benefits of 3PL integration
Integrating a 3PL provider with internal systems delivers significant benefits across the entire supply chain. This includes:
- Improved visibility across inventory and shipments
- Faster order processing and fulfilment
- Reduced manual data entry and errors
- Better customer experience through accurate tracking and communication
- Scalable operations that grow with your business
- Stronger data consistency across all systems
One of the most immediate advantages is enhanced visibility. Connecting ERP, B2B eCommerce, PIM, WMS, shipping systems, and EDI, allows businesses to gain a real-time view of inventory levels, order statuses, and shipment progress.
This end-to-end visibility enables managers to make faster, more informed decisions and respond quickly to issues such as stock shortages, delayed shipments, or returns.
Automation is another major benefit. Orders from eCommerce platforms, whether B2C or B2B, are automatically transmitted to the 3PL without manual intervention, reducing the risk of human error.
Inventory updates, shipment confirmations, and tracking details flow back into the ERP and WMS, ensuring all systems are synchronised and accurate. Even complex B2B transactions benefit from EDI integration, streamlining document exchange and reducing administrative workload.
Operational efficiency is significantly improved. Integrating the PIM system ensures consistent product data across all channels, preventing errors during fulfilment. Shipping systems can calculate costs, generate labels, and provide real-time tracking automatically.
Staff can focus on strategic initiatives rather than manual order processing, stock reconciliation, or correcting errors, saving time and reducing operational costs.
Scalability and flexibility are also enhanced. As order volumes fluctuate during peak seasons or promotional events, integrated systems allow businesses to scale logistics operations up or down without disruption.
Companies can expand into new markets more quickly, launch new products efficiently, and maintain high service levels without investing heavily in additional infrastructure.
Finally, 3PL integration improves the customer experience. Accurate inventory visibility, faster order processing, and reliable shipment tracking lead to more predictable delivery times and higher customer satisfaction.
For B2B clients, automated EDI processes ensure smooth order management, faster invoicing, and more reliable communication. Overall, businesses that integrate with their 3PL providers achieve a more connected, efficient, and resilient supply chain that supports growth and competitiveness.
Ultimately, 3PL integration transforms logistics from a bottleneck into a competitive advantage.
How can BPA Platform help with 3PL integration?
BPA Platform provides a powerful and flexible solution for businesses looking to integrate 3PL providers with their internal systems without the complexity of custom coding.
Acting as a central automation and integration layer, BPA Platform connects ERP systems, B2B eCommerce platforms, PIM solutions, WMS, shipping systems, and EDI workflows, ensuring seamless data exchange across the entire supply chain.
With BPA Platform, businesses can automate the flow of orders, inventory updates, and shipment information between systems. When a customer places an order, whether through a B2C or B2B eCommerce platform, the order is automatically transmitted to the 3PL provider, reducing manual handling and the risk of errors.
Inventory adjustments are updated in real time in the ERP and WMS, and shipping labels, tracking numbers, and delivery confirmations are sent back to the business and even directly to customers.
The platform also handles complex B2B processes. EDI messages, including purchase orders, invoices, and shipment notifications, can be automatically processed and routed to the correct systems, ensuring compliance with trading partner requirements and speeding up transaction cycles.
Product information from the PIM system can be synchronised across sales channels and logistics platforms, ensuring accurate fulfilment and consistent customer experience.
In addition, BPA Platform allows businesses to monitor and manage exceptions efficiently. Delayed shipments, inventory discrepancies, or other issues can trigger automated workflows, alerts, or approvals, reducing disruption and maintaining operational continuity.
Its drag and drop design means organisations can set up, modify, or expand integrations quickly as their logistics requirements evolve, without heavy reliance on IT resources.
Using Codeless Platforms’ BPA Platform for 3PL integration enables businesses to achieve full visibility, operational efficiency, and scalability. It ensures that all systems, from ERP and eCommerce to WMS, shipping, PIM, and EDI, work together in a seamless, automated ecosystem, allowing companies to focus on growth, customer satisfaction, and competitive advantage rather than the complexities of logistics management.
For more information on how BPA Platform can help with your 3PL integration project, download the brochure below or call us on +44(0) 330 99 88 700.
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