Integrating third-party payments, e-commerce and other services with the cloud accounting system just became easier.
Xero has launched a new app marketplace that allows businesses to add extensions to the cloud-based accounting system, and integrate it with a wide range of other online services.
By adding an extension, information from the other services can automatically appear in Xero, or vice-versa, without needing to manually re-enter data.
The tools in the app marketplace, which launched this morning, include inventory management systems such as Vend, payment processing providers PayPal and Stripe, e-commerce systems Shopify and BigCommerce, as well as Google for Work.
It also features a range of different payroll, reporting, expense management, time tracking, human resources and currency conversion systems.
Xero claims it has 500 apps available at launch, and that around a quarter of its 717,000 customers already use an extension.
“Our new marketplace makes it as easy as possible for our small business customers and their advisers to find exactly the right app for their unique business needs,” Xero’s global ecosystem manager Brooke Anderson said.
For tech startups looking to add their online service to the marketplace, Xero has also published a step-by-step guide explaining how to submit an add-on.
“Building to an established and open business platform like Xero’s API, gives startups the chance to hit the ground running and fast-track global growth because they have access to an established support and customer network,” Anderson said.
The new app marketplace comes as the major accounting software vendors compete to make it easier for small businesses to integrate third-party services with their respective products.
Last week, MYOB announced it will soon integrate its accounting software with NAB's QuickBiz Loan application process, while Reckon One added a new feature allowing small businesses to directly bill customers from their invoices using PayPal.
