Choosing an ERP for eCommerce is not the same as choosing an online store.
Shopify or Adobe Commerce should manage the customer-facing shopping experience, while the ERP handles the operational work behind it: inventory, customer records, pricing, purchasing, warehousing, order fulfilment and financial reporting.
Pronto Xi and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central can both serve as that operational backbone. The main difference is how each system fits your organisation, integrates with your selected commerce platform and supports future growth.
Pronto Xi and Business Central at a glance
Pronto Xi is an Australian-developed ERP platform aimed primarily at mid-sized and larger organisations. It combines financial management with inventory, distribution, warehousing, manufacturing, retail and business intelligence.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is a cloud-based ERP designed for small and mid-sized businesses. It covers finance, sales, purchasing, inventory, supply-chain operations, projects and service management. It also connects closely with Microsoft 365, Power BI, Power Platform and the wider Microsoft ecosystem.
| Area | Pronto Xi | Dynamics 365 Business Central |
|---|---|---|
| Typical organisation | Mid-sized or operationally complex business | Small to mid-sized business |
| Geographic strength | Particularly strong in Australia and New Zealand | International Microsoft ecosystem |
| Shopify integration | Available through Pronto Xi Sync and implementation services | Microsoft-supported Shopify Connector |
| Adobe Commerce integration | Requires a designed API or middleware integration | Requires a designed API or middleware integration |
| Inventory and distribution | Strong functionality for product-based businesses | Capable inventory, purchasing and warehouse management |
| Analytics | IBM Cognos Analytics embedded in the platform | Power BI and Microsoft data tools |
| Productivity ecosystem | Focused ERP and partner ecosystem | Microsoft 365, Teams, Outlook and Power Platform |
| Deployment approach | Cloud or managed deployment options | Primarily cloud-based SaaS |
| Customisation | Configurable within the Pronto Xi environment | Extensions, APIs and partner applications |
The role of the ERP in eCommerce
Shopify or Adobe Commerce should remain the customer-facing commerce platform. The ERP becomes the central operational system behind the store.
A properly designed integration should determine which system owns each type of information. A common arrangement is:
- The ERP owns inventory, fulfilment, purchasing and financial records.
- Shopify or Adobe Commerce owns storefront content and the customer shopping experience.
- Product, price and availability data flows from the ERP to the store.
- Customers and completed orders flow back to the ERP.
- Shipment status and tracking information return to the commerce platform.
- Refunds, cancellations and returns are reconciled across both systems.
This division reduces duplicate data entry and helps prevent the website, warehouse and finance team from working with conflicting information.
Pronto Xi for eCommerce operations
Pronto Xi is particularly relevant to wholesalers, distributors, manufacturers and retailers with substantial inventory or fulfilment requirements.
Its applications cover areas such as financials, inventory, sales orders, purchasing, warehouse management and distribution. Pronto positions the platform as a central source of operational information, with built-in analytics powered by IBM Cognos Analytics. Pronto’s product overview explains this integrated approach.
For eCommerce, Pronto Xi can sit behind either Shopify or Adobe Commerce.
Pronto Xi with Shopify
Pronto Xi Sync is Pronto Software’s integration framework for connecting the ERP with other business applications. Pronto identifies Shopify as one of the eCommerce platforms supported by its integration capabilities and says the framework includes prebuilt connections for commonly used systems. Pronto Xi Sync provides further details.
A Pronto Xi and Shopify integration could synchronise:
- Products and SKUs
- Inventory availability
- Customer or account information
- Prices and promotions
- Online orders
- Fulfilment status
- Shipment tracking
- Returns and financial transactions
The precise data flow will depend on the implementation. Businesses should establish early whether Shopify or Pronto Xi will control product descriptions, images, customer-specific pricing and promotional rules.
Pronto Xi with Adobe Commerce
Adobe Commerce can also be integrated with Pronto Xi, but this should be treated as a designed integration project rather than assumed to be an out-of-the-box connection.
Adobe Commerce supports third-party integrations through authenticated APIs and configurable resource permissions. Adobe’s integration documentation describes the platform’s integration framework.
An implementation may use APIs, middleware or Pronto Xi Sync to exchange information between the systems. The project should account for Adobe Commerce features such as configurable products, multiple websites, customer groups, B2B accounts, tiered prices and multi-source inventory.
Pronto Xi may be a good operational fit behind Adobe Commerce when the business has complex warehousing, distribution or account-based sales requirements. However, the integration scope and ownership of business rules must be carefully defined.
Business Central for eCommerce operations
Business Central combines financial management with sales, purchasing, inventory, warehousing and order fulfilment. Microsoft positions it as a unified business-management solution for small and mid-sized organisations.
Its major advantage is its relationship with the broader Microsoft environment. Organisations already using Microsoft 365, Teams, Outlook, Power BI or Power Platform may find that Business Central fits naturally into their technology strategy.
Below are some insights into what it’s like to use Business Central with both Shopify and Adobe Commerce. For more comprehensive guide, see our article “How to Choose an eCommerce Platform for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central“.
Business Central with Shopify
Shopify is the more direct eCommerce option for Business Central because Microsoft provides a dedicated Shopify Connector.
The connector can support multiple Shopify stores and synchronise products, variants, images, barcodes, inventory, customers, companies and orders. It also supports price lists, discounts, B2B company data, Shopify Payments transactions, fulfilment information, returns, refunds and cancellations. Synchronisation can be automated using Business Central’s job queue. Microsoft’s Shopify Connector overview documents the supported functionality.
This provides Business Central with a significant advantage for organisations committed to Shopify. The Microsoft-supported connector can reduce the amount of custom integration required, although implementation work is still needed.
Businesses must configure:
- Product and variant mapping
- Inventory locations
- Price and discount rules
- Customer matching
- Tax treatment
- Order-import behaviour
- Shipping and payment methods
- Fulfilment updates
- Returns and refunds
- Synchronisation schedules
The connector should therefore be considered an integration foundation rather than a completely configuration-free solution.
Microsoft also updates the connector as Shopify’s APIs evolve. Keeping Business Central and the connector current is important because Shopify releases new API versions regularly and retires older versions. Microsoft’s connector update guidance explains this requirement.
Business Central with Adobe Commerce
Business Central does not provide the same first-party integration path for Adobe Commerce that it provides for Shopify. Connecting the two normally requires a partner solution, middleware or a custom API integration.
The integration may need to exchange:
- Products, variants and categories
- Inventory by location
- Customer and company accounts
- Contract or customer-group pricing
- Orders and payment information
- Tax and shipping charges
- Fulfilment updates
- Returns, refunds and credit memos
Business Central supports APIs and extensions, while Adobe Commerce exposes resources for third-party integrations. This makes the architecture technically viable, but the implementation is likely to be more involved than the Business Central–Shopify combination.
Adobe Commerce should generally be considered where its advanced B2B, multisite, catalogue or custom-experience capabilities justify that additional integration effort.
Inventory and fulfilment
Pronto Xi is often strongest in organisations where inventory and distribution are central to the business. Its operational scope can suit companies managing substantial product catalogues, warehouse processes, purchasing requirements or complex supply chains.
Business Central provides inventory, purchasing, sales-order and warehouse capabilities appropriate for many small and mid-sized businesses. Microsoft highlights its ability to connect purchasing, inventory, warehousing, fulfilment and financial management. Its suitability will depend on the complexity of the warehouse and distribution model.
When comparing the two systems, evaluate real operational scenarios rather than feature names alone:
- Can the ERP calculate reliable available-to-sell inventory?
- How are multiple warehouses represented in Shopify or Adobe Commerce?
- What happens when an order contains stock from several locations?
- Can the ERP manage back orders and partial shipments?
- Which system selects the fulfilment location?
- How quickly is inventory updated after an online purchase?
- How are cancellations, refunds and returns reconciled?
- Can tracking information be returned to the customer automatically?
A demonstration using the business’s own order and fulfilment scenarios will reveal more than a generic product presentation.
B2B eCommerce
Both ERPs support B2B operations, but the complete experience also depends on the selected commerce platform.
Shopify Plus provides B2B commerce capabilities, while Adobe Commerce offers features for company accounts, shared catalogues, purchase orders, requisition lists and other account-based buying requirements. Adobe documents dedicated B2B storefront components covering company accounts and purchasing workflows. Adobe Commerce’s storefront reference outlines these capabilities.
The ERP integration may need to support:
- Account-specific product catalogues
- Contract pricing and discounts
- Credit limits and payment terms
- Multiple buyers under one company
- Purchase-order numbers
- Tax exemptions
- Quote-to-order workflows
- Customer-specific inventory rules
- Invoice and order-history access
Pronto Xi may appeal to established wholesalers or distributors with detailed account and pricing structures. Business Central may suit organisations with more standardised processes or those wanting a close Shopify and Microsoft relationship.
In either case, confirm that the integration can reproduce the required B2B rules in Shopify or Adobe Commerce. Do not assume that rules configured in the ERP will automatically appear online.
Reporting and analytics
Pronto Xi includes reporting and analytics powered by IBM Cognos Analytics. This supports operational reporting across information held within the ERP.
Business Central integrates with Power BI and other Microsoft tools. It may be the stronger option for organisations already building reports and workflows across the Microsoft ecosystem.
For eCommerce reporting, determine how data from the store and ERP will be combined. Revenue, inventory, fulfilment cost, returns, customer acquisition and website behaviour may originate in different systems.
The business should establish a consistent definition for important measures such as:
- Gross and net sales
- Available inventory
- Gross margin
- Fulfilment time
- Return rate
- Customer lifetime value
- Cost per order
The number of reporting tools matters less than having trusted, consistently governed data.
Implementation and total cost
Licence pricing is only one component of the decision when selecting an eCommerce platform for an ERP. The total cost ownership should also consider:
- ERP subscriptions or licences
- Shopify or Adobe Commerce costs
- Integration software or middleware
- Data migration
- Configuration and extensions
- Implementation-partner services
- Testing
- Staff training
- Support and upgrades
- Ongoing integration monitoring
Business Central with Shopify may offer the most direct implementation path because of Microsoft’s dedicated connector.
Pronto Xi with Shopify can also benefit from Pronto Xi Sync and Pronto’s integration experience, but the exact scope should be confirmed with the implementation provider.
Adobe Commerce will usually require a more deliberately designed integration with either ERP. Its additional implementation cost may be justified for organisations that genuinely need Adobe Commerce’s flexibility, B2B depth or multisite capabilities.
Which ERP is better for your eCommerce business?
Pronto Xi may be the better fit if your organisation:
- Is an established Australian or New Zealand business
- Has complex inventory, distribution or warehouse processes
- Operates in wholesale, manufacturing or product distribution
- Values local ERP expertise and support
- Needs an operationally focused system with embedded analytics
- Is prepared to design the Shopify or Adobe Commerce integration around existing processes
Business Central may be the better fit if your organisation:
- Is a small or mid-sized business
- Already uses Microsoft 365, Teams, Outlook or Power BI
- Has selected Shopify and wants a Microsoft-supported connector
- Prefers a cloud-first ERP subscription model
- Wants access to Microsoft’s global partner ecosystem
- Has operational requirements that fit Business Central without extensive customisation
Final verdict
Pronto Xi is likely to be the stronger ERP for an established product-based business with more demanding inventory, distribution or operational requirements—particularly in Australia or New Zealand.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is likely to be the stronger choice for a small or mid-sized organisation that values cloud deployment, Microsoft integration and a direct connection with Shopify.
The storefront decision also changes the comparison. Business Central has a clear integration advantage with Shopify because Microsoft supplies and maintains a dedicated connector. With Adobe Commerce, neither ERP should be selected on the assumption of a simple native connection; both require careful integration planning.
The final decision should therefore consider the entire architecture:
Shopify or Adobe Commerce as the storefront, plus Pronto Xi or Business Central as the operational backbone.
Choose the combination that best supports your actual product, pricing, inventory, ordering and fulfilment processes with the least unnecessary customisation.
