Connecting Square to Shopify: Is this the best of both worlds?

Running a Shopify store and considering Square for your POS? While Shopify doesn’t directly integrate with Square, there’s an easy way to connect Square to Shopify without any coding. This connection can unlock powerful benefits, combining the strengths of both platforms. Keep scrolling down for the answer!

Highlights

• Shopify – Square connection allows businesses to manage online and in-person transactions through a single Square account. 
• This integration provides a seamless and familiar checkout experience for customers.
• Merchants can connect Shopify and Square using apps like Square Sync, SKU IQ, or Zapier with no coding required.

What Is Square?

Square Payments is a dynamic payment gateway and POS system that’s designed to make transactions a breeze for businesses of any size. Since founded in 2009 by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, it has quickly carved out its spot in the industry.

As a payment gateway, Square lets businesses accept a wide variety of payment methods, from credit and debit cards to mobile payments, all through a straightforward, user-friendly interface. On the POS side, tools like the Square Reader and Square Stand make it easy to process payments, manage inventory, track sales, and generate reports—all from one simple platform.

What makes Square Payments outstanding is its simplicity and accessibility. With a no-nonsense pricing model and super user-friendly products, it’s a top pick for small businesses and freelancers to handle payments or set up an affordable POS system.

What is Shopify?

Shopify is a leading e-commerce platform that helps businesses of all sizes to effortlessly create and manage their online stores. The platform lets users design stunning storefronts and sell products seamlessly. It also integrates with popular payment gateways like PayPal and Stripe, or you can opt for its in-house payment processor – Shopify Payments.

Shopify’s success stems from its intuitive interface, a vast app marketplace, and powerful marketing tools. It’s the perfect solution for entrepreneurs who want to launch their online business quickly while still enjoying advanced features like mobile-friendly designs that are customizable and don’t require coding, the ability to manage unlimited products and categories, built-in analytics, multiple payment options, and 24/7 customer service.

What Is Shopify Square Integration?

The Shopify Square integration simplifies the process of accepting payments for merchants by connecting their Shopify store with Square. This integration enables seamless management of both online and in-person transactions through the same Square account. Here’s an overview of how it works:

• Unified payment system: With this integration, Square has become one of the available payment methods for checkout on the Shopify platform. This allows merchants to accept credit card payments directly through Square.
• Account setup: Merchants need both Shopify and Square accounts to enable this integration. The two systems are connected by entering their Square account details into the Shopify admin panel.
• Transaction management: Payments made via Square are processed through Square’s system, and the funds are deposited into the merchant’s Square account. All online or in-person transactions can be managed through Square’s dashboard, providing an easy way to track all payment activity.

What Benefits Does Connecting Square to Shopify Bring to the Table?

So, both Square and Shopify are pretty awesome. But can you connect them to get the best of both worlds? 

Here’s a look at the key benefits this powerful combo brings to the table.

• Omnichannel Selling 

Integrating Square with Shopify unifies your sales across online and in-person channels. This means you can manage your entire business from a single platform, syncing inventory, sales, and customer data effortlessly. This unification reduces errors and simplifies management, helping you keep track of everything in one place.

• Cost-Effective Payment Solutions

Square offers transparent, competitive pricing without hidden fees, which can help businesses manage their payment processing costs more effectively. When integrated with Shopify, this benefit extends to your online and in-person sales, providing a cost-efficient solution that doesn’t compromise on service quality.

• Enhanced Security Measures

Square’s strong security protocols, including PCI compliance, ensure that all transactions are secure. Integrating it with Shopify means your customers’ payment information is protected across all sales channels, giving them peace of mind and fostering trust in your brand.

• Flexible Payment Options

With Square integration, businesses can offer various payment methods, including credit and debit cards, mobile wallets and gift cards. This variety gives customers the flexibility to choose their preferred payment option, so transactions are more convenient and accessible.

How to Connect Square to Shopify? 

Now, here is a detailed guide on connecting Square to Shopify, including 5 steps:

Step 1: Start by creating a Shopify account if you haven’t done so already. 

Step 2: Next, you’ll need to register for a Square account. Head to Square’s website and complete the sign-up process.

Step 3: To connect both platforms, you’ll need an app from the Shopify Store or a third-party one. Visit the Shopify App Store or find an external integration app that links Square with Shopify. Follow the instructions provided by the app to establish the connection.

Step 4: After integration, customize your payment settings in Shopify. You can configure options like allowing partial payments, enabling tipping or setting up automatic refunds to suit your business needs.

Step 5: Finally, run a test transaction to ensure the integration works correctly. Just make a test purchase on your Shopify store and confirm the payment goes through Square with the funds reaching your Square account.

App Options for Connecting Square and Shopify

Using an App from the Shopify Store

To get the job done, you can opt for the Square Sync app by RAKT. This app helps keep your Shopify store’s inventory updated in real-time across various locations, minimizing order cancellations and inventory issues. You can also easily transfer product details such as images, SKUs, barcodes, pricing, categories, and variants between the platforms. 

Here’s why you should choose this app:

• Simple Product Transfers: Easily import and export product details, including images, barcodes, SKUs, pricing, categories, and variants.
• Efficient Inventory Sync: Automatically sync products and inventory between Shopify and Square to ensure accuracy.
• Automatic Product Updates: Push product details directly from Shopify to Square without manual intervention.
• Multi-location Synchronization: Keep your inventory synced across multiple locations, making management simpler.
• Customer Sync: Sync customer information between the two platforms, keeping your customer data up to date on both Shopify and Square.

Using a Third-Party App

Several third-party apps are available to help integrate Square with Shopify. Let’s explore a few options:

SKU IQ

SKU IQ is a cloud-based automation platform designed to simplify workflows across multiple platforms, including Square and Shopify. The best part is no coding skills required! With an intuitive drag-and-drop interface, businesses can automate everything from data syncing to lead generation and email marketing.

SKU IQ also offers pre-built integrations with CRMs, social media, marketing tools, and e-commerce systems. It enables businesses to set up bots that handle inventory syncing, lead generation, and even automate social media posts. Its real-time analytics and reporting tools also keep workflows running smoothly, ensuring better operational control and informed decision-making.

Integrate.io

Integrate.io, previously known as Xplenty, is a powerful cloud-based data integration tool. It helps businesses connect Shopify with Square by using simple drag-and-drop ETL (extract, transform, load) pipelines – ideal for non-tech users.

With Integrate.io, you can pull data from various sources like databases, APIs, and cloud storage, and push it into destinations like Amazon Redshift or Tableau. It also includes tools to clean and enrich data before loading, making it perfect for businesses needing automated data management and real-time insights.

Zapier

Zapier is another great option for automating Square and Shopify integration. Using “Zaps,” or automated workflows, you can set up actions based on events like sending a notification every time a payment is processed on Shopify through Square.

Zapier also allows you to sync customer data between the two platforms to ensure a smooth flow of new customers from Square to Shopify and vice versa. You can even create Zaps to generate invoices in Square when a Shopify order is placed or to sync inventory levels. This hands-off automation saves time, reduces errors, and makes managing both platforms a breeze.

ConnectPOS – The Perfect Alternative to Square

Looking for the perfect alternative to Square? ConnectPOS is a powerful point-of-sale solution that can be integrated with Shopify. The software includes everything from inventory management and real-time sync to customer data and performance tracking – all in one platform.

• Provides diverse payment options due to its integration with top payment gateways, such as Stripe, PayPal, etc. 
• Centralized data with automatic syncing between stores and warehouses.
• Compatible with Desktop POS, PC POS, Android POS and iOS POS.
• Self-checkout enabled through PWA mobile app and kiosk.
• Supports Shopify merchants with one or multiple locations, providing regional support.
• Tailored POS integration with third-party tools like ERP, CRM, and accounting systems.
• Customizable features for industry and region-specific requirements.
• Offers advanced features like e-invoice, custom orders, reports, second screen, gift cards, and BOPIS (Buy Online, Pick Up In-Store).

Conclusion

And there you have it! Now that you know how to connect Square to Shopify, you can fully harness the strengths of both platforms for your online store. Regardless if you’re ready to set it up on your own or considering an alternative like ConnectPOS, which also integrates seamlessly with Shopify, the choice is yours.

Ready to see how ConnectPOS can elevate your business? Contact us today for a demo!