The Rokker Company AG needed a stable ERP-Shopify connection, but their Dataforce (Palos) integration kept failing. Orders were fully manual, price calculations created chaos, and the whole setup was costing them sales.
We rebuilt the connector from scratch, merged their stores, and cut monthly costs by CHF 2000. Here’s what actually happened.
The Connector Went Live – But Not Without Pain
Mid-December 2025, we launched the new ERP connector. It replaced an outdated FTP-based system that relied on custom ColdFusion code and a Shopify API version from 2020.
The old setup? Unreliable at best. Stock levels were wrong, order transmission broke regularly, and nobody could trace where things went sideways.
The new connector stabilized things – but not immediately. We spent the first two weeks of 2026 fixing edge cases and syncing issues. By week 2, it was solid.
The lesson: Even when you rebuild something properly, expect a transition period. FTP dependencies and legacy APIs don’t just disappear – they hide problems you only discover when real orders start flowing.
Price Calculation Differences Nearly Killed Automation
Here’s a fun one: Shopify calculates B2C prices including VAT per line item. Dataforce calculates B2B prices excluding VAT.
Sounds manageable, right? Wrong.
Rounding differences meant totals didn’t match between systems. Dataforce couldn’t generate invoices automatically because the numbers were off – sometimes by cents, but off enough to block the entire process.
We had to align the calculation logic on both sides, add missing VAT rates in the ERP, and fix incomplete shipping cost data. Only then could orders flow through without manual intervention.
What we’d tell anyone doing ERP integration: Test your price calculation logic with real-world orders before you go live. B2C/B2B mismatches, rounding rules, and tax handling will break things in ways mockups never reveal.
Store Merge Freed Up Budget and Simplified Operations
The Rokker Company AG ran multiple Shopify stores in parallel. Different pricing, different apps, overlapping functionality – and monthly costs piling up.
We consolidated down to a cleaner setup, harmonized pricing across markets, and cut unnecessary app subscriptions. That alone saved around CHF 2000 per month.
The merge itself finished by end of December 2025. One less store to manage means fewer errors, less admin overhead, and clearer data.
The trade-off: Merging stores sounds simple until you hit payment providers, tax rules, and marketing tracking. Which brings us to…
Subdirectories Got Blocked – by an External Agency
We designed and prepared a proper Shopify Markets structure with subdirectories (ch-de, de-de, at-de, etc.). Clean URLs, better SEO, proper market segmentation.
It was ready to launch, but a delay came up. Why? The performance marketing agency was not informed at the right time. Instructions were passed to us by proxy, generating some confusion and delay until it has been properly resolved.
The takeaway: If you’re merging stores or restructuring markets, loop in everyone who touches URLs, tracking, or ad campaigns. Marketing agencies need lead time – and surprises tank launch schedules.
What’s Still Open (and Why It Matters)
The following procedure remains unresolved:
Internal Dataforce mapping for some customer-specific quirks can only be solved three ways: extend the orders API, change Rokker’s internal process, or create custom mapping inside Dataforce itself.
We’ve laid out the options. The decision sits with the client.
Why this matters for you: Even when the technical work is done, organizational alignment determines whether you actually use what you built. Budget time for internal coordination – it’s rarely quick.
What Actually Worked
Despite the friction, the project delivered:
- Connector live and stable – orders, stock, and customer data flow reliably
- Store merge complete – cleaner structure, harmonized pricing
- CHF 2000 saved monthly – through app consolidation and smarter tooling
- GLS shipping automated – labels, tracking, and imports work without manual steps
The connector proved that even messy ERP situations (outdated APIs, mismatched calculation logic, incomplete master data) can be fixed – if you’re willing to dig into the details and rebuild properly.
Key Takeaways
Start with a Proof of Concept. We did, and it surfaced the price calculation mismatch early. Without that PoC phase, we’d have discovered those rounding issues in production – way worse.
Scope the non-obvious stuff upfront. Address logic, VAT handling, customer creation rules – these aren’t sexy, but they’re where projects break. Checklist them from day one.
Involve all stakeholders before the merge. Marketing agencies, payment providers, analytics teams – if they touch URLs or tracking, they need to be in the planning room.
Important: Customizing ERP systems incurs additional costs, which are typically not covered by agency offers.
If you’re looking at Shopify ERP integration or considering a store consolidation, check out our Shopify services to see how we approach these projects.
Reading tip: Learn more about connecting your Shopify store with ERP systems.