Seamless Shopify Integration with PrintPLANR MIS: A Case Study

A Seamless Solution for Print, Signage & Promotional Businesses

Shopify is a top e-commerce platform but lacks the MIS capabilities needed for backend tasks like order management, scheduling, inventory, procurement, artwork approvals and dispatch.

Print, signage, promotional and apparel businesses using Shopify struggled with these gaps. PrintPLANR bridged the two systems via API integration, ensuring seamless data flow and end-to-end efficiency. This case study covers the solution, its impact and the roadmap ahead.

About Our Clients

The clients were businesses operating in the printing, signage, promotional products and apparel sectors. They had a strong online presence built on Shopify, serving both retail and corporate customers. While Shopify met their e-commerce needs, they required a robust backend system to streamline and automate end-to-end business operations.

Challenges: Why Shopify Integration Was Needed

For industries like print, signage and promotional products, speed and efficiency are critical. Once an order is placed, businesses must:

Act quickly to process the order.
Procure raw materials on time.
Manage artwork approvals efficiently.
Keep customers updated in real time.

Shopify offered the perfect storefront for online sales but lacked the backend MIS features to manage these complex workflows. On the other hand, PrintPLANR had powerful capabilities such as:

Instead of offering its own B2C storefront, PrintPLANR decided to bridge the gap by integrating Shopify with its MIS, giving clients the best of both worlds.ses the best of both worlds.

Solution: PrintPLANR and Shopify Integration

To overcome operational bottlenecks, PrintPLANR built a custom connector between Shopify and its MIS. The Shopify integration ensured a seamless flow of data, automating backend processes while keeping Shopify as the storefront.

Phase 1: Order Import & Processing
- All products were configured and maintained in Shopify as the single point of entry.
- When a customer placed an order, it was automatically imported into PrintPLANR without any manual intervention.
- For new customers, the system instantly created a CRM record in PrintPLANR, capturing all relevant details based on pre-defined business rules.
- Imported orders were immediately converted into jobs and moved into PrintPLANR’s automation workflows, enabling faster scheduling and streamlined production.
Phase 2: Real-Time Updates Back to Shopify
- As jobs moved through production, status updates were automatically pushed to Shopify.
- These updates triggered customer email notifications, keeping buyers informed without staff intervention.
- Customers gained full transparency into order progress, reducing support queries and enhancing trust.
Phase 3: Artwork Approval Made Simple
- PrintPLANR’s online artwork approval module replaced the need for lengthy back-and-forth emails.
- Customers received a secure link to review, approve, or comment on artwork directly through the system.
- Every version of the artwork was tracked and version-controlled, while comments and approvals were logged for complete accountability.
- This transparency benefited not only clients but also designers, project managers and account managers, creating a smoother, more collaborative workflow.

Impact: Faster Fulfillment, Happier Customers

The integration delivered measurable results:

Businesses saved hours of manual work.
Errors and delays were significantly reduced.
Customers enjoyed a professional, transparent, and smooth experience.
Teams could focus more on fulfilling orders rather than managing repetitive admin tasks.

What’s Next: Two-Way Product Sync

Currently, Shopify serves as the primary product catalog, with orders flowing into PrintPLANR. The next planned enhancement is to enable two-way product synchronization.

Products created in PrintPLANR will automatically sync to Shopify in real time.
This will further reduce manual work and create a fully unified ecosystem for businesses.

Conclusion

PrintPLANR is more than just a Print MIS or Web2Print solution. It is a flexible, customizable platform capable of integrating seamlessly. By building tailored integrations, we ensure businesses benefit from a cohesive tech stack that adapts to their needs, rather than forcing a one-size-fits-all product.

Ready to explore integration?

If you are running your business on Shopify but need an MIS to handle the backend complexity of print or promotional operations, let’s talk. We will work with you to craft a solution that scales with your business.

3 months ago

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