Have you ever heard the term API? Do you know what the API is and what it does?! We usually use APIs online every day without realizing it. Regardless of the amount of technical knowledge, every online business needs to know what APIs can implement in its business to provide a better shopping experience for its customers. For this we decided to set a set of practical APIs to start business. To introduce you.
Definition of API in simple language
The software programming interface, or API, is actually a common interface or language between the two software or apps that enables them to communicate.
In other words, API is a set of contracts that allow software systems to share different information.
Thanks to APIs, applications, and devices can safely communicate with each other, and in addition, programmers’ work to develop different applications is easier.
Use different APIs in online businesses
This section introduces 4 types of APIs that online businesses can implement on their website or program:
1. APIs related to product information display
Example of this type of SEMANTICS3: API
With this type of API, you can connect the website pages in which you introduce your products directly to a global database. The purpose of this database is to share extensive information about products. This API helps you display your audience through a global database, brand images, product descriptions, product details and complete product titles.
2. Search APIs
Example: Algolia site
The search section of the website must operate quickly so that the user can find the products they need very easily. Search APIs can easily implement this for you.
By providing an advanced search option on your e -commerce website, you can improve your customer shopping experience.
For example, the CherryBrook site uses this advantage so that site visitors can quickly lead the product category and easily find unique brands.
3. APIs in the role of the bidder search engine
Example: Pinterest Apis
A great way to add popular products to a website and offer customers to use the proposal APIs.
These types of APIs help online vendors create a list of products for purchasing.
For example, the Random House book sales website uses new Pinterest APIs to offer customers suggested. This will help them review a list of the most popular books for shopping.
Another great example of these types of APIs is usually found on websites like Amazon. The suggestion engine focuses on the goods you selected, interested, or purchased, and shows you related.
This not only increases the chance of buying, but also makes the visitor stay on your page for longer.
4. Website Personalization APIs
Example: Gravity site
The best advantage of using personalization APIs is their effectiveness to meet the needs of different customers. By implementing this specific API, you can classify the content of the website according to the needs of each customer.
This type of API is a little more advanced than the offer APIs and has two important uses that we have explained below:
- – You can advertise appropriate content on your website based on previous customer visits and their shopping experience. (You can also use personalization APIs to send targeted sales emails to customers, so the only products that are customer favorite are offered.)
- – You can find your customers’ interests by analyzing customer behavior on other websites and social networks. These APIs use complex algorithms to reset the content of the website. These content match what your visitors have searched on Facebook or Google.
5. APIs of payment gateway
E -commerce is used to transfer funds and online payments. You need to use a payment API on your website or program to create a payment gateway.
PayPal, Stripe, Skrill or DWOLLA are an example of payment ports, each of which can be integrated with existing paid infrastructure.
6. APIs related to shipping and delivery of goods
Example: Shipwire
Many online stores and retailers can consider shipping APIs in their business model to provide customers a more reliable shopping experience. These APIs help automate many processes from the moment of sale to delivery. For example, after selling the goods to the customer, the transport API is activated:
Shipping rates are automatically calculated for customers, transportation labels are created, tracking numbers are automatically produced, the product is exited from the supplier warehouse, and the ability to track and display the position of the goods is provided to you and your customers.
7. Dynamic pricing and price comparison APIs
Example: Indix
Dynamic pricing means determining flexible prices for products and services based on the current market demand and trend.
Proper pricing can create huge opportunities for businesses. E -commerce websites should always be aware of prices. Because even the slightest fluctuation in the price of competing goods can lead to the loss of the current business.
You can link your product catalog to a price comparison API. This API is capable of comparing your product pricing level with competitors and providing you with automated reports.
You can analyze this information to optimize prices (affordable sales) to increase your sales without losing profits and have similar sales prices to competitors at certain times of the year, such as holidays ahead.
Currently, many APIs are observing price fluctuations at the moment to make businesses to determine future prices. There are also a few APIs that can provide a good strategy for dynamic pricing.
8. APIs of Automation of Marketing Process
Example: Zapier
These APIs help you automate your business processes. For example, you can automatically add any website customer to your marketing email list and group them based on the purchased or paid goods.
9. Dependent marketing APIs
Example: Amazon Affiliates
People who have just launched their online business can use dependent marketing to make more money. What does marketing mean now?
An online business can act as an intermediary between the buyer and the seller and sell the services and products of another company and receive a percentage of sales as its commission.
To do this type of marketing, you can use dependent marketing APIs. For example, large online stores such as Amazon and Alibaba, by offering these types of APIs, help businesses increase their income.
10. Website analytics APIs
If your company has a website, you can use website analysis tools to properly analyze your website’s progress. These tools help measuring the amount of website traffic and user conversion rates.
Consider Google Analytics for example. This tool is part of the Google Cloud API Platform and offers multiple APIs to analyze the website.
The most common is Core Reporting API and Management API, which you can use to get website performance reports and manage your Google Analytics accounts.
11. Social network APIs
Today, many businesses use social APIs, and you probably have used these APIs over and over again.
Social network APIs have become a very powerful marketing tool. Their most common use is the distribution of content through different social networks. For example, consider a blog post. Below is the title of a blog post you may see icons of social networks. Clicking on each icon you can share the blog post on each of the different social networks. This sharing is the result of running the APIs.
In addition, many websites today allow users to log in to Google, Facebook or LinkedIn. This is a comfortable way to register and also helps to collect valuable data.
Conclusion
Market analysts believe that all businesses must use APIs to personalize customer experiences and provide a wide range of services.
The APIs have made significant changes in the structure of businesses by increasing market awareness and at the same time automating and minimizing the effort needed to enter and influence the market.