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How to connect Centra + Zalando

  • Updated

In this guide, we will show you how to set up connections to Shopify -> Sello and Sello -> Zalando.

Connecting Centra to Sello

The first step is to connect Shopify to Sello, this will import your whole Shopify inventory to Sello.

Instructions

Sello uses a couple of features in Centra to get you hooked up. The features we need to overview in Centra is the following.

  • Create a Market for Sello to use in your Retail store
  • Activate the products you want Sello to get in the Market you created
  • Create a API token (GraphQL)
  • Create a plugin for Order API
  • Create a plugin for Centra Webhooks

There are a lot of credentials that need to be stored in Sello, therefore, we recommend saving these in a separate document for easy access when it is time to input these in Sello to finalize the connection.

Create a Market

  1. Log into Centra
  2. Navigate to: Direct to consumer -> More -> Markets
  3. Click: "+ Create market"
  4. Add a Market name (we suggest using the channel's name, eg. Zalando)
  5. Select store (Retail)
  6. Click: "Save"
  7. Copy the name you gave the market
  8. Copy the Market ID found in the left-most column

Activate products you want to be synchronized to the market you created

All products that you wish to sell need to be activated in the market you have now created, you activate them in Centra by finding the market and then adding the products. If you are unsure how to do this, contact Centra and they will help you.

Create a API token (GraphQL):

  1. Log into Centra
  2. Navigate to: System -> API tokens
  3. Click: "+ Create integration API token"
  4. In the Description field add "Sello"
  5. In Expires at choose a date far into the future like "2050-01-01"
  6. In Store types choose "Direct to consumer"
  7. In Stores choose "Retail"
  8. In Read permissions choose "ALL"
  9. In Update permissions choose "ALL"
  10. Click: "Save"
  11. Copy the Token
  12. Copy the Endpoint

Create the Order API plugin

  1. Log into Centra
  2. Navigate to System -> Stores
  3. Choose: Retail
  4. Click "+ Add plugin method"
  5. Choose Active on Status.
  6. Add "Sello Order" to Plugin name
  7. Choose "Order API" on Plugin
  8. Add a random code to Secret API key (eg. Ao8ry"Kcgy|]q2v5x167Le2e!)
  9. In Markets choose the market / markets you created
  10. Choose your Primary warehouse
  11. In Get Orders with Status choose "ALL"
  12. In Allow access to the following endpoints choose "ALL"
  13. Click: "Save"
  14. Open the plugin you created "Sello Order"
  15. Copy the "Base URL"
  16. Copy the "Secret API key"

Add Centra to your Sello account

  1. Login to Sello
  2. Navigate to: Settings -> Webshops -> Centra
  3. Click: "Connect Now!"
  4. Add your Centra credentials you created earlier
  5. Click: "Create connection"

Copy your Sello webhook URL

  1. Login to Sello
  2. Navigate to: Settings -> Webshops -> Centra
  3. Click: "Settings"
  4. Copy: "Your webhook URL"

Create the Centra Webhook plugin

  1. Log into Centra
  2. Navigate to System -> Stores
  3. Choose: Retail
  4. Click "+ Add plugin method"
  5. Choose Active on Status
  6. Add "Sello Webhook" to Plugin name
  7. Choose "Centra Webhook" on Plugin
  8. Add your Sello webhook URL to the Webhook URL
  9. Remove any Endpoint secret and leave the field blank
  10. In Version choose "Checkout API"
  11. In Event triggers choose only Products as "Yes"
  12. On all other Event triggers then Products choose "No"
  13. Click: "Save"

Done! Your Centra connection has now been fully added to Sello.

Good to know:

  • Your products will automatically be imported to Sello along with most of their information (see FAQ -section below for a complete list) and you can now start looking at configuring the Centra connection and creating test orders.

Configuring and testing the Centra connection

Next, you need to ensure that the orders Sello will send to Centra are created according to your specifications. This is done by giving the settings for Centra found in Sello a look, and then creating a test order.

Configuring settings

Instructions

Several settings can be set in Sello that directly affect how orders are sent to Centra and what they contain, such as what market the order is sent to. They can be found by going to Settings -> Webshops, finding Centra, and clicking Settings

Creating a test order

When you are satisfied with the settings, you can create a test order that will be sent to Centra. Doing so will create an order filled with mostly fake data in which you can add your own products, and you can even simulate a real marketplace order by selecting a sales channel.

Instructions

  1. Go to: Orders
  2. Click: Actions
  3. Select: Create order
  4. Fill in: Customer information
  5. Fill in: Contact information
  6. Select order status
  7. Choose currency
  8. Select desired channel under Test Order
  9. Click: Add order row
  10. Search for a product to add (select the field to search by)
  11. Set the sale price under Price/each
  12. Click: Create

Good to know:

  • Sello will not send unpaid orders to Centra - So you will need to set the status to Paid, either when creating the test order or afterward by clicking the ellipsis menu to the right or by selecting it and clicking Change status in the Actions -menu.
  • You can create as many test orders as you want, in fact, it is encouraged as you need to be certain that the orders are created to your liking.

Fulfilling the test order

When the order has been created in Centra, you need to add both a regular tracking number AND a return tracking number. This is important as Zalando actively uses tracking coverage as a performance indicator and you risk lowering product visibility if orders aren't tracked properly.

Sello will automatically receive regular tracking added to Centra, and then deliver the order once it is completed in Centra. However Sello does not automatically receive any return tracking from Centra, and this will need to be set up by one of our agents.

Just let our support know when you are ready to test the return tracking, and what method you use to add it to Centra currently.

Connecting Sello to Zalando

Next up is connecting Zalando to Sello - This is done by using the login details provided by Zalando to access the zDirect portal where you will have to grant Sello access to your account as a Technical Partner.

Instructions

  1. Log into Zalando zDirect here
  2. Click the Apps -icon in the top-right corner
  3. Click: Technical Integration
  4. Click: Add Technical Partner
  5. Select: Zalando-approved Integrator
  6. Select: Sello as your Technical Integrator

Up next is selecting a merchant and specifying permissions.

Here's how:

  1. Click: Choose Merchants
  2. Select the merchant whose account Sello will be able to access
  3. Tick the box below to confirm that you agree
  4. Click the arrow to the right of: Specify Permissions

By default, these should all be checked, but please make sure all permissions have been selected. When you are done, click: Summary

You can verify that the invitation was successful by checking your partner invitations.

Here's how:

  1. Log into Zalando zDirect here
  2. Click the Apps -icon in the top-right corner
  3. Click: Technical Integration
  4. Click the Partner Invitations -tab.

The last step is to contact us at support@sello.io to let us know that you've sent us a partner invitation. We will then accept the invitation and generate credentials that are used to create the connection in Sello.

Done!

Configuring the Zalando connection

Up next is configuring the Zalando connection. Zalando has different settings you need to configure before you start receiving orders, these are the settings you need to look at:

  • Logo
  • Company information (shown on documents)
  • Status on fulfillment orders (only if you use ZFS, ZRS or ZSS)

Logo

The Logo is an image you can upload of your company logo, which will be visible on delivery documents.

Company information

The Company information should include this information:

  • Company name
  • ORG: 123456-1234
  • VAT: SE123456789100
  • Address
  • Zipcode
  • City

Status on fulfillment orders

The Status on fulfillment orders is only necessary if you are not doing own logistics and Zalando is sending your products, such as with a ZSS setup. If you are doing only own logistics, ignore this setting.

Since these orders should not be delivered by you, it is good to keep them in a separate status that already marks them as delivered but not paid in Sello, so that they are not mixed in with the orders you should deliver.

You can create a status for fulfillment orders by following these steps:

Go to your Settings - Orders - Order statuses

  1. Click on Create new
  2. Name the status ZFS Orders, or anything else you would like to differentiate it
  3. Choose the properties Order is delivered
  4. Select a fitting color for the status
  5. Done! You have now created your new ZFS status

FAQ

Will Sello keep all my product data up-to-date?

Fetched only once

  • Images - Fetched from Media in Centra
  • Manufacturer name - 
  • Automatic pricing: Activated in Sello
  • Recommended price - Fetched from the Recommended Retail Price field from the SEK pricelist in Centra
  • Regular price - Fetched from the Price field from the SEK pricelist in Centra
  • Internal name - Fetched from your product name or SKU in Centra
  • SKU - Fetched from your SKU in Centra
  • Collection - Fetched from your collection in Centra
  • Color attribute - Fetched from your variant name in Centra
  • Model attribute - Fetched from your variant name in Centra
  • Centra category - Fetched from your Google merchant category in Centra
  • Barcode - Fetched from your GTIN field on the size
  • Stock - Fetched from the available quantity from your Default warehouse
  • Texts (description and title) - Fetched from product name and variant description in Centra
  • Weight - Fetched from Weight in Shopify (unless unit is "kg", then value *1000)

Fetched continuously

  • Images - Fetched from Media in Centra
  • Automatic pricing: Activated in Sello
  • Recommended price - Fetched from the Recommended Retail Price from the SEK pricelist in Centra
  • Regular price - Fetched from the Price field from the SEK pricelist in Centra
  • Internal name - Fetched from your product name or SKU in Centra
  • SKU - Fetched from your SKU in Centra
  • Collection - Fetched from your collection in Centra
  • Color attribute - Fetched from your variant name in Centra
  • Model attribute - Fetched from your variant name in Centra
  • Centra category - Fetched from your Google merchant category in Centra
  • Barcode - Fetched from your GTIN field on the size
  • Stock - Fetched from the available quantity from your Default warehouse
  • Texts (description and title) - Fetched from product name and variant description in Centra
  • Weight - Fetched from Weight in Shopify (unless unit is "kg", then value *1000)

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