Unified commerce is the future. Only when you have a centralized view of core business components—like sales, customer, and order data—can you turn datasets into insights that guide retail decisions.
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software makes this approach easier to implement. Vendors work with retailers to integrate their existing tool stack into the ERP system, which gives you a 360-view of every aspect of your business.
Yet there are multiple ERP vendors to choose from—each offering their own unique features, pricing plans, and integration capabilities. This guide shares how to find one and the things to consider during your search, with the five best ERP vendors that integrate with Shopify for easy shortlisting.
What is an ERP?
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software is a platform that syncs a business’ data from various tools. Retailers can work with an ERP vendor to pull inventory, sales, order, project management, supply chain, finance, and human resources data into a single dashboard.
This centralized view makes for easy reporting and data analysis, so that you can make strategic decisions based on facts, as opposed to gut instinct.
Shopify’s ERP approach, as an example, goes beyond simple data synchronization by unifying customer, order, and inventory data into one ecosystem. This strategy offers a streamlined, “single brain” view of your business, eliminating errors and delays that are common with disjointed systems.
Top ERP vendors in retail
NetSuite
Oracle NetSuite is one of the world’s largest ERP vendors. Used by over 2,400 companies globally, NetSuite’s cloud ERP system allows you to combine product, sales, fulfillment, inventory, and customer data into a single platform.
NetSuite’s data synchronization functionality means you can have a single source of truth for all stages of your business—from manufacturing to wholesale to your retail locations. NetSuite integrates seamlessly with Shopify.
Best features include:
- Accounting integration to view cash flow and financial performance
- Support for multiple territories, currencies, and tax rules
- Warehouse optimization with shipping integrations
- Supply planning with replenishment rules
- User-friendly interface
G2 rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Integrates with Shopify: ✅
Brightpearl
Designed to be a complete operating system specifically for retailers, Brightpearl is a reputable ERP vendor that also integrates with Shopify. It’s used by retailers like Snow, Wild, and Holland Cooper.
Brightpearl’s standout feature is its automation engine. Combine data from your warehouse management, order fulfillment, shipping, and accounting systems in Brightpearl’s ERP, then use the automation engine to turn data into meaningful insights that you can rely on to make strategic decisions.
Best features include:
- ERP specifically designed for retail
- Built-in automation for inventory planning and sales forecasting
- Integrates with sales channels like Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Meta, and TikTok
- Real-time reporting beside industry benchmarks
G2 rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Integrates with Shopify: ✅
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
Looking for a retail ERP vendor that’s designed for small to mid-sized businesses? Add Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central to your shortlist.
Much like other ERP vendors, Microsoft is incorporating artificial intelligence into its comprehensive ERP system. It’s doing this through Copilot—an AI-powered assistant that can simplify data analysis, suggest personalized recommendations, and write product descriptions that automatically update across integrated sales channels.
Best features include:
- Bi-directional data synchronization
- Native integrations with other tools in the Microsoft app ecosystem
- Supplier relationship management
- AI-powered demand planning with Copilot
- Intuitive user interface
G2 rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Integrates with Shopify: ✅
Acumatica
Acumatica is an ERP vendor that specializes in financial planning. Its cloud-based ERP solution pulls data from various systems that power core business processes to give a 360-view of your financial management, purchase orders, inventory, and fulfillment systems.
What’s unique about Acumatica is that it charges by application. This differs from other retail ERP vendors that bill retailers based on how many seats they require.
Best features include:
- Support for multiple inventory locations, including retail stores and warehouses
- Manufacturing support, including requirement planning and change control
- Sales order management
- Native CRM functionality
- Integrated payment solution
G2 rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Integrates with Shopify: ✅
Infor M3
Infor isn’t just an ERP vendor—it offers a variety of cloud-based software solutions for enterprise businesses. M3 is its ERP that’s purpose-built for global manufacturers and distributors. This option integrates with Shopify using the Infor eCommerce Connector app.
In both ERP systems, it promises advanced analytics and an intuitive user face. M3 also offers complete visibility over your business’ finances with support for multiple countries, currencies, and languages.
Best features include:
- Purpose-built for enterprise distributors and manufacturers
- Support for over 25 languages and 50 countries
- ERP inventory and returns management using Shopify data
- Sales order functionality
- Detailed reporting
G2 rating: 3.8 out of 5 stars
Integrates with Shopify: ✅
How to choose a retail ERP vendor
Integrations
An ERP is only effective when it works with your existing infrastructure. So, take stock of the tools you’re currently using. Any new ERP vendor you’re considering needs to offer integrations with this software to prevent you from overhauling your entire business, such as:
- HR and payroll tools
- Customer relationship management (CRM)
- Supply chain management
- Warehouse management systems
- Business intelligence tools
- Sales and marketing platforms
📌 Pro tip: Shopify makes this easy by acting as a commerce platform to unify your sales, product, customer, and order data. Having just one app (Shopify) can dramatically cut down how much you spend on ERP integrations and the setup time required for each.
Scalability
It’s expensive and time-consuming to implement a new cloud-based ERP system. The last thing you want is to do it twice, so evaluate how scalable each ERP vendor is before committing to it.
Shopify’s modular platform design allows businesses to start small and scale without complex integrations. Its flexibility supports growth into new channels and markets, while keeping POS and ecommerce data unified, which reduces maintenance costs and enables seamless scaling into new regions.
Think about the systems you don’t currently need, but might in the future. If you’re a small business with two stores but are thinking of opening a retail warehouse, for example, does your shortlisted ERP vendor offer integrations with warehouse management systems that you’ll use when you open a separate inventory storage location or fulfillment center?
Pricing
Most ERP vendors don’t have straightforward pricing tiers. Because their systems are completely customizable and depend on the integrations required, it’s almost impossible to build a one-size-fits-all subscription.
Know what you’re committing to by asking for hidden costs associated with the ERP system, such as:
- Subscription fees
- Integration costs
- Maintenance fees
- Technical support costs
- Upfront ERP implementation fees
Ease of use
Most ERP vendors offer free demos for retailers that are interested in their system. Use this as an opportunity to play around with the software and evaluate how easy the interface is to navigate.
With Shopify, retailers can save significant time on manual processes. For example, Shopify POS users report saving over 10 hours per month on inventory management and 5 hours on data reconciliation. The intuitive interface and strong support network minimize onboarding time and enable retailers to fully utilize unified data features, like customer profiles, to increase sales.
The simpler the dashboard is, the lower the total cost of ownership. Staff won’t be afraid to use it if they know how it works.
Reviews
A free demo gives you a limited amount of time to test the ERP vendor. Instead of relying on their own case studies or a 30-minute product demo, read unbiased reviews on sites like G2 or Capterra.
Pay attention not just to the positives, but the negatives too. Why do people complain about the ERP vendor? Does the risk of experiencing that same issue outweigh the benefits?
Customer support
Modern ERP systems are complicated—not just because you’re learning a new interface, but because ERP integrations often require technical knowledge.
Before implementing a new system, check that your ERP vendor can be relied upon when you need support. This doesn’t mean only one-to-one support: Do they offer self-service options, such as product documentation or tutorial videos, to get the answer you need immediately (as opposed to waiting for a response from their support team)?
Vendor viability and roadmap
The ERP industry has undergone rapid development over the past few years, and it’s not set to change anytime soon. Statista estimates that by 2029, the ERP industry will have a $65.29 billion valuation.
With so much advancement and investment in the space, it’s inevitable that some ERP vendors will fall behind. So, during the exploration phase, ask your vendors for their roadmap. A rough idea on how they expect their software to change over the coming years, alongside a list of new features on their roadmap and any potential investments, can help you determine ERP vendor viability.
Integrate your new system with Shopify’s global ERP program
Integrating a new ERP system is no small feat. Choosing a vendor is the first and most time-consuming stage of the process—one that you’ll only have to do once if you make the right choice the first time.
Use this guidance to evaluate retail ERP vendors: Take a free demo of their system, confirm seamless integration capabilities, and check their support options for if you need help along the way.
Settled on one from this shortlist? Use Shopify’s global ERP program to integrate it with the commerce platform that powers every sales channel—online store, point-of-sale systems, and marketplaces.
ERP vendors FAQ
What is an ERP vendor?
An ERP vendor is a business that sells enterprise resource planning software. These systems pull data from multiple sources—including inventory management, warehousing, finance, and ecommerce systems—to give companies a unified view of their data.
Who is the major player of ERP?
Oracle NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics 365, and Brightpearl are major players in the ERP industry. All vendors offer integrations with popular software to give businesses a centralized dashboard for business planning.
Is SAP an ERP vendor?
SAP is an ERP vendor that targets mid-market and enterprise brands. It’s known for giving retailers visibility into supply chain management, and combining this data with information from other tools such as ecommerce, inventory, and CRM.
