Connecting to a Volusion Webstore

Josh Smith

May 10, 2022 19:55

This article will show you how to connect your Volusion store to your Solid Commerce account.

What we'll cover in this article:

Volusion Plans With API Access
Before You Connect to Volusion
Creating a New User in Volusion
Copying the Volusion API Key
Connecting Solid Commerce to Volusion
Importing Your Images Into Solid Commerce
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Volusion Plans With API Access

In order to connect your Volusion store, you need to have the Pro plan or higher.

Before You Connect to Volusion

Before you connect to your webstore, you need a Warehouse (or Vendor Inventory List), a My Store Market List, and a My Store Pricing Rule.

Please see the Related Articles section if you need assistance creating a Warehouse, Market List, or rule.

We also recommend having a discussion with your Solid Commerce Implementation Manager about importing listings and orders before connecting.

Creating a New User in Volusion

1) Create a new user in your webstore by logging into http://<volusion-web-address>/net/WebService.aspx (substitute your actual web address for <volusion-web-address>). On occasion, we have also had clients who needed to add an "s" to the end of "WebService," making the URL, http://<volusion-web-address>/net/WebServices.aspx. You can try this alternative URL if no page loads when you paste the version of the URL without the "s" into a web browser.

Example: http://www.guitarstore.com/net/WebService.aspx.
Don't create the user in your "My Volusion" account.
You will use this user to provide a dedicated connection to Solid Commerce.
If you have any trouble creating a new user, please consult Volusion's support.

2) In your Volusion Admin portal -> Go to the Customers menu -> Accounts.

3) Click the Add button.

4) On the Account Add New page:

First Name: Solid
Last Name: Commerce
Access Key: Select Administrator from the drop-down menu (Solid Commerce needs full access to your account)
E-mail Address: knowledge@solidcommerce.com
Password: Enter a valid password
Click on the Save button.

5) After the page refreshes, click on the Edit Cust#XXXX Access Rules button that appears under the Access Key drop-down menu.

6) Check the Check All box. Click the Save button.

You are ready to copy your API key and connect Solid Commerce to your new user.

Copying the Volusion API Key

1) Log out of your Volusion Admin panel. Log back in with your new Solid Commerce user's credentials.

2) Go to the Inventory menu -> Import/Export.

3) On the Data Import page, click on the Volusion API button.

4) If Generic isn't enabled, click the Run button to the left of Generic.

5) Ensure the top two Enable public XML checkboxes are unchecked.

6) Click the Run button to the left of Generic\Orders.

7) On the Volusion API: Run Generic\Orders page, check the box in the top row, with the * (asterisk) in the Column Name. Click the Run button.

8) In the use this URL field at the top of the page, copy the portion of the long URL between Password= and the & (ampersand).

The URL is long. You may want to copy it from Volusion and paste it into Notepad in order to select the API key.
EXAMPLE API KEY: BEB874666BBC65D5BE9A9203A772A0CF227A6F33ED22432BB7BB35F186B82E96
Make sure the length of your key matches the example.

Connecting Solid Commerce to Volusion

1) In Solid Commerce, go to the Marketplaces menu -> Marketplaces Setup.

2) Click on the My Store tab.

Select Volusion from the Please select your 3rd party store drop-down menu.
Click the Configure 3rd Party Store button.

volusion_integration_marketplaces_setup_select_3rd_party_store.png

3) In the Update Volusion Credentials section enter:

Base URL: Use http://<volusion-web-address>/net/WebService.aspx (substitute your actual web address for <volusion-web-address>).
- Example: http://www.guitarstore.com/net/WebService.aspx.
User ID: The email address of the Solid Commerce user your created.
Volusion API Key: Paste the API Key from Volusion.

4) Use the calendar and clock icons to enter a Start Sync Orders From DT. Use Pacific Time.

volusion_integration_marketplaces_setup_settings_volusion.png

5) Skip or fill in the Auto Import Setup section:

If you're not ready to import yet, click the Save 3rd Party Store Changes button. You're done for now.

If you're ready to import, follow the steps below.

Check the Automatically insert new products from your Volusion account check box.
Select the correct:

Warehouse name
Market list name
Import pricing rule

If you are new to Solid Commerce, we recommend importing your listings with the Default automation status set to: Start NOT Automated.
- Go to your Volusion Market List in the Inventory Manager. Select all of your imported listings and click the Start Automation button.

With the automation off, Solid Commerce will not communicate with Volusion. We will import orders, and track quantities, but we will not send quantity or price updates to Volusion.
Once you are certain the quantities in Solid Commerce are correct, and are comfortable managing your inventory, prices, and listings, you are ready to turn the automation on.
If you need to import listings on an ongoing basis, come back to this Marketplaces Setup page. Change the Default automation status to: Start Automated.

6) Select a Get Unpaid Orders option:

By default, Solid Commerce will not import orders until after payment has been verified.
If you want us to bring in orders before payment has been confirmed, check the Get Unpaid Orders box.

volusion_integration_marketplaces_setup_settings_import.png

7) Click the Save 3rd Party Store Changes button.

The connection is complete.

Importing Your Images Into Your Solid Commerce Account

IMPORTANT!
The PhotoURL field is a Virtual Column in Volusion. We cannot access it when we import your listings. In order to load your Volusion images into Solid Commerce, you must export them from your Volusion Manage Store panel.

Exporting Your Images From Volusion

1) Go to the Inventory menu -> Import/Export.

2) Click the Standard Export button.

3) Select Products in the Export From drop-down.

4) Scroll to the bottom of the page. Check the PhotoURL box in the Virtual Columns box.

5) Select a File Format from the drop-down.

6) Click the Export button.

Importing Your Full-Size Images

In the export, Volusion provides the URLs for the small images. If you would like to import your full-size images into Solid Commerce:

1) Open your export file into Excel.

2) Perform a Find and Replace on the photourl column.

Find: -1.jpg, and Replace with: -2.jpg. Click the Replace All button.

Uploading Your File Into Solid Commerce

1) Change the productcode column header to: product custom sku. Change the photourl column header to: image file.

2) In Cell C1, add the column header: results.

volusion_integration_image_file_upload_column_headers.png

3) Upload the file with only Update Product selected.