Best Magento and Salesforce Integration: A Quick and Dirty Review

The options you’re most likely considering are the top-ranked SERPs (search) options. We split the top 10 contenders into three “buckets” of functionality:

• native integrations within each respective system
• one-off action/event-related syncs (e.g. Zapier)
• an external user interface that fetches data from each system

Our Standards for Engineering the Best Magento and Salesforce Integration

• Integration is a complete suite of functionality, not a one-off
• Coded to best practices (essential for any scalable implementation)
• Functions within the existing baseline infrastructure (native to Salesforce & Magento)

Anything less is ultimately just welding disparate pieces together, creating points of failure, and waiting for something to glitch out. We affectionately call these “Frankenstein” solutions. Look for more on that around October.

That clipped all contenders in the bottom two categories. Then we made a goal to compare the three remaining options based on features (synchronization, field mapping, etc.), customer experience, and support.

Because we didn’t technically “review” our own extension, I’ll go ahead and highlight features that none of our competitors offer, which may be relevant to you:

• Flexible, Value-based pricing (Sliding Scale starting at $3,441.90/year)
• White-glove onboarding and configuration assistance
• Bi-directional “System of Record” synchronization at the Field-Level
• Abandoned Cart sync (most stores have some version of this but it’s not integrated)
• B2B quote synchronization between Magento and Salesforce
• Product-Level Detail for synced orders from Magento in Salesforce
• Data Deduplication Logic (why doesn’t anyone else offer this?)
• Magento User (Person) to Salesforce Account Synchronization

Now, here’s what our integration can’t do that other solutions can:

• Catalog price rules campaigns sync to Salesforce. (Magenest or Mageplaza)
• Synchronize Product “Categories” (Magenest)
• Link Magento Subscribers and Campaigns into Salesforce (Magenest)
• Product image catalog storage files on Salesforce (Webkul)
• Multilingual config (Webkul)
• Default “Contact Us” Form integration (Webkul)

That’s it! Our Magento Salesforce connector dominates at basically anything else you could want to do. Our sliding scale for pricing allows our team to scale with and personalize your installation according to your business needs.

I wish that the feedback following this was merely a matter of bias. Our (marketing) team was legitimately surprised by how defective and/or worthless many of these solutions are in real life. (Our development team was not surprised).

So, let’s get onto the elimination round.

Data synchronization and system integration is not just about having reliable information; it’s also important how you are empowered to use it. The friction we found with Mageplaza’s integration for Magento Salesforce is twofold, concerning the quality and organization of data as it is synchronized. We’ll unpack that in context below.

Custom conditional synchronization rules limit data transfer based on configured exclusions. For example, with conditional sync a user can limit order synchronization to orders greater than $500. This presents a unique data integrity issue. That’s because when data is mirrored between systems, it is always a best practice to have the data flow through first and then configure it for your specific business needs. Filtering prior to synchronization compromises data integrity, by design.

Definitely a “don’t.”

As we got into it, our dev team offered a technical perspective by reviewing the demo experience. Soon, you’ll be able to find the companion article on our blog about this, but to keep it high level, here’s the TL;DR Quick and Dirty rundown of the defects that they found.

Uses app API to sync, no Bulk API

This means that you’ll hit limits resulting in slow sync time and potentially timeout errors. Also, if Salesforce goes down (like it did last week), there is no queue to “retry” the sync. Instead you’ll need to manually configure and queue.

Many of the field mappings leave critical decisions (that should be based on best practices) to the end-user — a precarious endeavor for any technician that is supporting an eCommerce client. We solve for this systematically with built-in logic.

Reporting sync errors

The plugin says records failed to sync but not why, so you have to find the record, then try to troubleshoot what the problem could be.

No deduplication logic (pertains to the item above) for data integrity

The user can add multiple Magento fields to one Salesforce field, but there aren’t separators to parse data.

Since Magento fields can be sent to Salesforce with “many-to-one” relationships (multiple fields synced into one field; e.g. City, State), bidirectional sync will never be possible. Therefore, know that you’re going in with an unnecessary constraint.

Missing logic adequately linking “Opportunities” to “Accounts/Contacts.”

(e.g customer returns to retrieve an “abandoned cart.”)

When the order is placed, the order is mapped over. There is no logic to connect this order to the existing Salesforce Opportunity instead of creating a new record. This issue must be manually reconciled.

Our final word is one of caution when it comes to set-up. As we were looking through the reviews on Mageplaza’s sales page, one user noted the barrage of set-up instructions that was completely overwhelming. If you aren’t a developer, this may be darn near impossible to implement, especially without clear support options.

Next up…

Red flag #1: Demo is critically unstable

First of all, despite the fact that they have a demo environment to tinker around with, we had to look at screenshots to do this review. The demo experience is critically unstable and continually times out. That’s important because it’s the most simple and straightforward use case possible. This broken demo experience offers a preview to the service experience you can expect. That being said, on this one we tried to keep it above the belt, but it got really dirty because we kept stumbling onto things like this.

Red flag #2: Not Salesforce oriented

We can walk you through all of the Salesforce best practice violations (that you would be correcting on an ongoing basis) but it wouldn’t be quick. We’re organizing that overview now, but we’ll probably just need to make a video because no one’s going to read that much.

Looking at their front end, it’s clear that these technicians are not Salesforce “people.” This interface is clearly built based on what they were able to do, not necessarily on what a business would want for competitive scalability.

Furthermore, their integration calls for “Sync All Accounts” on the Magento side. The problem is that, “Accounts” isn’t a semantic congruency between the two systems. Account is a Salesforce term. From there, we couldn’t find any logic to decide what we’re actually syncing (Leads? Accounts? Contacts? Opportunities?).

This is actually one of the main indicators that the Magenest integration does not support business use cases. So, from a business perspective, we were left with a ton of questions:

• How do Magento “Customers” sync with Salesforce “Accounts”? or “Opportunities”?
• How is that configured against “Contacts”?
• How are the “Customer” properties linked to respective Salesforce fields?
• When do you sync “Lead” versus “Contact” versus “Opportunity”?
• How do those link into Orders, Opportunities, Abandoned Carts, etc.

Red Flag #3: Basic quantity over quality “support” model.

As is common practice in these sorts of dev shops, they’re focused on building a high-level (not to be confused with “high end”) integration, cheaper than their competitors, and offering it for less.

• They don’t care about features
• They don’t care about business use cases.
• They just want to get the tech to market and get you to pay for it. Period.

Red Flag #4: Expect defects that are totally preventable.

On the Magento side, their synchronization queue does report errors (a step up from Mageplaza), but we had a little LOL moment when reviewing the screenshots. That’s because PowerSync has built-in logic to automatically correct the exact sync failure examples in their demo. So, their own marketing material demonstrates PowerSync’s technical superiority. (Just sayin’)

When it comes to field mapping, setup is inherently complicated. As with Magenest, important data decisions are not coded to best practices but left up to the technician to loop in the business user. The design isn’t intuitive, and the logic to decide what needs to sync is completely absent.

Depending on your business use case, it’s likely that at least one of these defects would affect your business; exacerbating the data headache you’re already dealing with.

Red Flag #5+

Here’s the quickie bulleted run-down of other significant variables that may matter to your business use case, so you can get on with your day:

Mageplaza does not support B2B cases.
They constantly violate or disregard Salesforce (and Magento) best practices.
They are lacking a litany of business logic for deduplication, order synchronization, and account management, and of course, business use cases.
Accounts that should be named something like “PowerSync” or “Igor Krasnykh” are called “igor@powersync.biz” — an obvious oversight and data error, right out of the gate.

Next up…

Webkul ($399) probably offers the most features that we don’t (details above). They are also likely the fiercest competitor for us, because like us — they want you as a partner, not just a recurring SaaS subscription. The major differences are (1) the user interface (2) synchronization and (3) general across the board suitability for business use.

The User Interface

Admittedly, their interface on Salesforce experience is pretty cool. The panel sits outside of the regular Salesforce design, making it kind of an edge case in the “native” integration sense. At least it makes sense, and it’s user-friendly.

The Magento admin side of the Webkul integration reveals the friction. Webkul was by far the most complex and difficult to navigate. Looking at this interface, I suspect it’s a sneaky move to get you to reach out for tech support (so they can upsell you, etc.). Either that or they don’t understand how Magento works. Either way, it’s b.a.d.

The Synchronization Queue

Webkul’s Bulk API synchronization via CRON aligns with the standard practice. CRON supports three sync options: real-time, manual and scheduled.

Here’s a spot where we clearly stand apart.

In our last update, we switched to RabbitMQ to support enterprise clients that need to sync hundreds of thousands or millions of records. This allows us to sync changes in real-time. An added benefit is that this dramatically cuts processing time and reconciliation efforts. (Our competitors can’t touch that speed with a 10-foot-pole … but I digress. Let’s get back to talking about Webkul).

General Business Use Cases

On the topic of data load and processing, one of the other features of Webkul is the ability to sync and store Magento product catalog images in Salesforce.

In the event that you manage your catalog from Salesforce and not Magento, this could matter. I have not met a single vendor in the B2B or D2C space who attempts to use Salesforce this way. Please, send me a message to let me know if there is some other utility for hosting your product catalog images on Salesforce. I’m genuinely interested.

Otherwise, storing extraneous images on Salesforce — outside of the usual Marketing or Sales Cloud — just takes up unnecessary space on the server, which could affect performance and your monthly bill.

Instead of copying the entire files, we find that mapping over image URL addresses (which can be accessed and retrieved in any browser) is a more efficient practice. That’s how we handle product image synchronization from Magento to Salesforce. This saves disk space and offers generally higher performance.

Lastly, Webkul offers a multilingual configuration. I considered breezing over this entirely because world-class softwares like Magento and Salesforce are already configured for use in multiple countries and their respective languages. Unfortunately, this feature is somewhat moot.

What they don’t mention is multiple and/or alternate currency integrations. Perhaps this is a matter of editorial oversight. More likely it’s just another option that you can only get with the Powersync Salesforce and Magento Integration. (*wink*) This can be problematic for stores that operate in multiple countries, or who have multiple online stores syncing orders. If Salesforce isn’t coded to understand currency variables instead, your sync will render an ongoing series of discrepancies … another segue into custom development.

I’m hoping you identified some really important takeaways from this analysis. Our Magento Salesforce integration is designed to operate as usefully as a bespoke solution that any other provider could offer. We’ve built in all of the options that you might want to toggle on or off. With our white glove installation assistance and our value-based pricing, we serve a variety of different-sized businesses. And you also can read about how Salesforce eCommerce integration in sales cloud helps online businesses move to a new level of customer interaction and increase revenue.

Aside from a couple of low blows (lookin’ at you MageNest #sorrynotsorry), I think that was pretty clean. I never said this would be nice. If all of this is overwhelming for you, why don’t you go ahead and get started with the best Free option for Salesforce and Magento Integration by PowerSync?

This basic Magento to Salesforce functionality (Magento data into Salesforce, one-direction), is the baseline of virtually any option that you choose. The difference is that most stores charge $299+ for this, and we give it away for free in our PowerSync Starter Pack.

Since 2011, we’ve improved and enhanced our integration to offer the most actionable business data with the smallest code footprint possible. Our goal is to be the best option for virtually anyone and to make it a no-brainer.

Our Starter Pack puts our money where our mouth is so you can preview the level of quality we offer. Also expect unlimited updates and flexible, volume-based options for long-term support. So, if one directional sync is all you need, start your download of Salesforce Integration for Magento now.

If you’re looking for a long-term, bidirectional, scalable solution, our OG Salesforce and Magento Integration is the #1 pick for global brands. Here’s what we offer that other integrations just don’t:

Bi-directional “System of Record” synchronization at the Field-Level: Critical for keeping Customer Relations and eCommerce in sync, at all times

Abandoned Cart Automation Tracking: (Even if you have this installed in Salesforce) Critical functionality for sales teams that links customers in real-time to overcome objections and reactivate interest. The fortune’s in the follow-up.

Custom Quote synchronization between Magento and Salesforce: An important customer experience feature that accurately maintains multiple quotes per Account.

Sync orders with Product-Level Detail: Identify and serve clients based on what they order, so you can cross-sell and upsell effortlessly.

AI-powered Deduplication Logic: THE ONLY integration built to understand and adapt to the interdisciplinary functions of your customer data with best practices

User to Account Synchronization: Effortlessly connects customers that belong to one singular account; Critical support for B2B wholesalers and retailers.

Almost 60% of implementations never actually reach the finish line. That’s why all of our integrations come with white glove set-up assistance, and at the very least, a one-on-one onboarding call. If you’re still deciding, watch this video for a walk-through of the product in less than five minutes.

If you’re feeling particularly impatient, fast forward to 3:09s to see the near-real-time sync.

We know Salesforce, and we know Magento. We know how unwieldy they can be. That’s why it’s hard to find a decent connector. And that’s why we’re being super blunt.

We did our best to build a product that worked like a bespoke integration, at a price point that makes sense for any business. Our competition can’t touch us.

If you schedule 25-minutes with me, we’ll make sure that we can match up with what you’re looking for. We’ll give you a transparent quote if you need something more than what we offer out of the box.

So whaddaya say? Let’s chat?