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Bookkeeping Tips for eCommerce Businesses in the USA | E2E

Author: E2E Accounting Team
Date: July 5, 2024
Category: Bookkeeping
Views: 655 views

The shift from brick-and-mortar businesses to eCommerce has been the highlight of the business world over the last two decades. The United States of America has the most advanced eCommerce market, with eCommerce sales reaching $1.29 trillion in 2025. More and more retailers or product manufacturers are looking to establish an online presence for retail distribution and sales. While this trend is here to stay, let’s look at some of the bookkeeping tips for setting up a financially stable and viable eCommerce business

Integration of Amazon/Shopify to Accounting Software.

Managing your Amazon FBA account or Shopify account using Google Sheets or MS Excel can be a daunting task, given the various items involved, such as Chargebacks, Shipping fees, Promo Rebates, Sales Tax collected, and FBA inventory reimbursement. Listed below are a few accounting software tools designed to integrate with sales channels, making accounting easier and more efficient.

Xero: Xero boasts a user-friendly interface, along with a wide selection of add-ons. It can be easily integrated with A2X or Stitch Labs for a customized Amazon Seller experience. Additionally, it features a mobile app, allowing access on the go.

A2X Accounting: The A2X app connects systems to cloud accounting, automating bookkeeping for Amazon Marketplace transactions. When Amazon creates a new settlement file, A2X can generate a summary for it, along with the ability to split multiple-month settlements on a per-month basis for multiple years. It works excellently with Xero, QuickBooks, and Shopify.

NetSuite: For accounting software to integrate with Shopify, the use of apps like Zapier and A2X is required to set up the integration. Alternatively, you can find an app connector in the Shopify App Store. Another way to streamline your operations is to integrate NetSuite with your online Shopify store, which offers a scalable solution that seamlessly handles financial data and sales channels.

Clarity on Accounting for Sales- One single Invoice per month by sales channel/ Geography.

One of the key functions of good bookkeeping is to assist in creating projections that forecast future business activity. One area that has a significant impact on the eCommerce business is sales. A detailed understanding of sales will help inform decisions such as which products to promote, when to increase a product’s price, and how to recognize seasonal fluctuations for each product.

Using A2X helps automate eCommerce accounting by connecting your accounting software to your sales channels, allowing you to track sales based on different tracking categories, such as sales per month, per channel, or by country. For example, suppose you are looking for accurate sales data from Amazon. Still, the backend report provided by Amazon does not bifurcate the numbers by categories such as FBA fees, shipping fees, warehouse fees, and chargebacks. In that case, it may all be recorded as “Sales,” which would be incorrect. A2X can avoid this problem by automatically updating your books from Amazon’s backend.

Daily bank Reconciliation to identify failed payments.

Massive volumes and speed of exchange typically characterize an eCommerce business. Fierce competition and marketing innovations have prompted eCommerce business owners to complement their product offerings with a range of complementary services, including gift cards, trial periods, flexible payment options, and reduced shipping costs.

The complexity of completing a transaction multiplies in a digital environment. One single online order requires the action of at least four parties other than the customer and merchants themselves – their banks, the payment processor, and the parcel delivery company. In the event of cancellations, refund requests, or supply chain glitches, the complexity level doubles.

This requires a three-way reconciliation between payment processors, banks, and the ERP systems, which is performed in two steps: processor to bank and processor to the internal system. This will not only reduce any risk of fraud but also identify any unauthorized withdrawals or bank errors.

Analytics report- Geography, product, etc.

Using analytics to uncover customer insights is a game-changer for an eCommerce business. Yet, having a vast amount of data to mine is different from gaining clear insight into customer preferences. The difference lies in the ability to extract the most value from your data. You can choose from various analytics programs, such as Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Adobe Analytics, and Statcounter, among others. In addition to an Overview Dashboard, some valuable analytics reports include:

1.Sales by Channel. The data in this report will help you identify which channel sources are successful and which are underperforming

2.Sales by billing country. This report helps you identify which countries contribute the most to your revenue so that you can determine where to invest in new markets.

3.Sales by Product. This report helps you identify the bestselling products by season or period.

These reports enable you to see margins on an item-by-item basis. When you total the cost of goods sold and link it to relevant suppliers, you can see how much money is being spent on each item and which items you need to focus on. Having this kind of data is a solid negotiating tool.

Portal for suppliers to extract invoices.

Accounts payable automation enhances efficiencies, enabling finance to scale and adapt to their business-changing needs. Using a supplier’s portal reduces supplier payment frictions, as these are web interfaces for collecting and displaying information pertinent to suppliers. This information includes, but is not limited to, payment histories, Tax IDs, and invoices.

Using a suppliers’ portal reduces data entry errors as well as the dependencies on the accounts payable team. When a supplier payment system is integrated into the supplier portal, it centralizes the supplier management system, allowing for ease of reconciliation and reporting.

Pay invoices of suppliers ahead of time to gain discounts.

Reducing the cost of sales is a sure-shot way to increase the profits from your eCommerce business, and paying invoices ahead of time to gain a discount helps you achieve that. If your supplier doesn’t offer you any benefits for advance payments, you could work on striking a deal with your supplier’s competitors to get a better rate. While it is evident that to avail of this benefit, you need to close your cash flow gaps and increase your working capital, any gaps in the cash flow can be fixed by using tools such as credit cards, bank loans, and capital advances for eCommerce or marketplace sellers.

Conclusion: Expert Bookkeeping Tips for Ecommerce Business

By understanding these areas and how they impact your eCommerce business, you can make the best decision about managing the bookkeeping of your eCommerce business and find the bookkeeping software or service that’s right for your business. To further support your eCommerce business, you can partner with professional accounting service providers offering bookkeeping and various other accounting services.

We are certain you have heard frequently about E2E Accounting from your competitors. After all, many of them have chosen us to help them in their bookkeeping work. Our accounting services, especially bookkeeping, have helped streamline their processes, bringing in cost benefits and an increase in the quality of work. For further information, please provide detailed information on our website contact form, and you will hear from our executive soon.

Wishing you luck and success and looking forward to future association.

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