Client Overview
Client Name: Fen X Custom
Industry: E‑commerce & Custom Manufacturing
Business Model: Shopify-based online sales with custom manufacturing workflows and commercial (B2B) customers
Implementation Partner
CRMFolks Pvt. Ltd.
Authorized Zoho Partner
Business Challenge
Fen X Custom operates a complex hybrid business model that combines:
- Shopify-powered e‑commerce
- Custom inventory and manufacturing workflows
- Commercial (B2B) customers with special pricing
- A custom-built Django backend for operational processing
Prior to engaging CRMFolks, Fen X Custom faced multiple operational and technical challenges:
- No centralized platform to manage operations, support teams, developers, and administrators
- Limited out-of-the-box integration between Shopify and Zoho Inventory
- Manual invoicing and payment reconciliation processes
- Difficulty managing B2B customers, pricing tiers, and credit terms
- No real-time data sync between Zoho Inventory and the Django backend
- Absence of centralized logging for API failures and webhook errors
- Disconnected expense management and payment workflows
- Limited cross-platform reporting and visibility
To support growth, Fen X Custom required a highly customized, scalable, and API‑driven system architecture.
Solution Overview
CRMFolks designed and implemented a Zoho One–centric ecosystem, seamlessly integrated with Shopify and a custom Django backend through APIs, microservices, and automation.
The solution was built around four key principles:
- Centralization of operations and data
- Automation of manual processes
- Scalability for future growth
- End-to-end visibility across all systems
Solution Architecture
Core Platforms
- Zoho One
- Zoho Inventory
- Zoho Books
- Zoho Expense
- Zoho Creator
- Zoho Flow
- Shopify
- Custom Django Backend
Key Implementations
1. Zoho One Setup & Role-Based Access
- Configured Zoho One for Operations, Support, Admin, and Developer teams
- Defined granular roles, permissions, and security policies
- Enabled internal collaboration using Zoho Groups
2. Custom Shopify ↔ Zoho Inventory Integration
- Built a fully custom, API-based integration (non-plugin)
- Implemented Zoho microservices for:
- Products
- Orders
- Inventory levels
- Enabled real-time data updates using Shopify webhooks
- Added retry logic, validation, and failure-handling mechanisms
3. Advanced Product & Inventory Management
- Standardized SKU structures across all systems
- Implemented serial number tracking in Zoho Inventory
- Controlled product sync rules to prevent duplication
- Supported both B2C and B2B inventory workflows
4. Commercial (B2B) User Management
- Identified and synced commercial users from Shopify
- Mapped B2B users to Zoho Inventory customer records
- Applied custom price lists and credit terms
- Automated customer classification and segmentation logic
5. Automated Invoicing & Payments
- Auto-generated invoices from Shopify orders
- Synced invoice and payment status across platforms
- Significantly reduced manual billing errors and processing delays
6. Django Backend Integration
- Developed secure custom APIs between Zoho Inventory and Django
- Pushed operational data with validation and authentication
- Returned unique processing IDs from Django to Zoho
- Ensured complete traceability between orders and backend workflows
7. Custom Email Automation
- Designed advanced email workflows using Zoho Flow
- Triggered emails for:
- Shopify customers
- Non-Shopify users
- Enabled the Django backend to trigger emails via secure webhooks
8. Expense Management & Payments
- Implemented Zoho Expense for employee expense tracking
- Configured approval workflows
- Integrated CSG Forte for automated payments and reconciliation
9. Analytics & Reporting
- Built centralized dashboards using Zoho Analytics
- Key reports included:
- Sales performance
- Inventory movement
- Invoice and payment status
- Expense tracking
- API and integration performance metrics
10. Custom Log Management (Zoho Creator)
- Developed a custom Zoho Creator application to log:
- API calls
- Webhooks
- Errors and failures
- Enabled search, filters, exports, and dashboards
- Provided real-time visibility for developers and administrators
Business Impact
Operational Improvements
- 90% reduction in manual inventory and billing efforts
- Real-time synchronization across Shopify, Zoho, and Django
- Faster order processing and invoice generation
Technical Improvements
- Scalable, microservices-based integration architecture
- Centralized error logging and monitoring
- Secure API communication and session handling
Management Visibility
- Unified analytics across sales, inventory, payments, and expenses
- Clear audit trails for orders and backend processing
Why CRMFolks
Fen X Custom selected CRMFolks for:
- Deep expertise in Zoho One and Zoho Inventory
- Strong API and microservices development capabilities
- Proven experience integrating Zoho with custom-built backends
- Ability to design scalable, future-ready enterprise solutions
Result
CRMFolks successfully delivered a robust, scalable, and fully automated Zoho–Shopify–Django ecosystem for Fen X Custom.
The implemented solution empowered Fen X Custom to confidently scale its operations while maintaining complete control, real-time visibility, and end-to-end automation across sales, inventory, finance, and backend operations.