A successful connection

syreta creates a connection between Unimarkt and the Foodora delivery platform

In the roughly eight years since Foodora was founded, a lot has changed. In addition to brief name changes, delivery areas were expanded and more and more restaurants were added to the offering. In 2021, the delivery platform took another step forward and implemented, initially only in Vienna, the option to have groceries delivered from supermarkets, gas station shops, and selected partners. Over time, the online delivery service’s delivery areas were expanded further and further, and the option was also brought to Upper Austria.

In Linz, Wels, Steyr and Vöcklabruck, customers can now conveniently shop via the platform at the local Unimarkt branches as well.

Existing webshop makes the Foodora integration easier

Since Unimarkt has had an online shop built by syreta for years, only a few technical adjustments were necessary for the Foodora integration. All product information and images were already available from selling via the webshop and only had to be transferred to the Foodora platform. For this purpose, the experts at syreta programmed their own interfaces that enable smooth data exchange.

A dedicated interface for communication

The biggest challenge in the project was the discrepancy that arose in inventory and daily turnover of the delivering branch due to sales via the platform, since billing is handled via Foodora.

Therefore, a dedicated interface was implemented that transmits the items and sales ordered via Foodora back to the branch. This way, the “sale to Foodora” can be posted properly and there is seamless accounting.

If Foodora decides in the future to include additional areas in its delivery offering, more Unimarkt branches can be added at any time, as the solutions programmed by syreta can be used flexibly. We like sophisticated solutions like these!

Marketplace integration: the underestimated effort

Connecting a delivery platform to your own system sounds like a manageable technical step. In practice, there is significantly more to it – especially when inventories, sales and accounting for multiple branches have to be synchronized correctly. The specially developed return-transmission interface that feeds Foodora sales back to the respective branch is exactly that: an invisible but essential solution to a problem that, without it, would lead to accounting errors every day. The project also shows: a solid existing infrastructure pays off. Because the webshop was already in place and maintained, the effort required for the platform integration was significantly reduced. Investments in digital foundations take the long view – and pay off even when new channels are to be opened up.