This article provides a guide to partners who would like to update or replace their existing sales channel apps to leverage new functionality available via Channels Toolkit.
Existing sales channel apps need app credentials with updated OAuth scopes to authenticate and authorize requests to Channels Toolkit APIs. Log in to the Developer Portal to update your app’s credentials. Channel APIs require the following scopes:
See our Guide to API Accounts for more information on app credentials.
To be visible in Channel Manager once installed, apps must meet certain requirements. All channel apps are required to use BigCommerce’s Channel API. Select partner apps have additional Channel API implementation requirements to facilitate being marketed in Channel Manager.
Create a Channel (for each platform the app enables a merchant to sell on) - this enables the channel to be displayed within the “Manage” screen in the new Channel Manager for merchants, once the app has been installed.
Create a Channel request must include app_id at a minimum in the app config object.
Update UI to use BigDesign and the general design patterns and user flows demonstrated in the sample app (shown in the screenshots below) with channel name, icon, and menu nav sections.
Include sections in the Channel API request in the app config object.
channel_id with the corresponding channel ID for the merchant and which channel the order was placed on, if orders are synced to BigCommerce.Although the sample app shown in the screenshots above is for a point of sale integration, we’ve designed Channels Toolkit to be flexible enough to build any type of sales channel app, and each type of channel app has its own specific requirements centered around ensuring performance and user experience best practices.
The above “updating existing app” data applies; however, non-POS channel apps are not necessarily required to use the same sections and user flows shown in the example app screenshots.
All Partners:
All Partners:
To create or modify a channel app’s configuration, send a POST or PUT request to /stores/{{STORE_HASH}}/v3/channels:
Properties
Accepted Platforms and Types See the list of Channels Platform types in the Channels API reference.
We discourage using google_shopping as BigCommerce has deprecated this platform. Instead, we have added support for marketing and marketplace types on the google platform.
For a complete Channel API reference (including request schemas and property descriptions), see: API Reference Channels and Listings.
Select partners have slightly more stringent requirements for their sales channel apps due to the high visibility and marketability of their apps directly within the BigCommerce control panel.
For a high-level overview and more information on Channels Toolkit, see Channels Overview.