Connecting Your Store to PayHelm

Connecting your ecommerce platform to PayHelm is essential for accessing your analytics and insights. This guide covers how to connect Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce stores.

Before You Connect

What You'll Need

• Admin access to your ecommerce platform
• Your store URL or domain
• Permission to install apps or grant API access (varies by platform)

What Happens When You Connect

Once connected, PayHelm will:

• Import your order history
• Sync customer data
• Pull product information
• Track ongoing sales in real-time
• Monitor inventory levels
• Import shipping data

Connecting Shopify

Step 1: Navigate to Integrations

1. Log in to your PayHelm account
2. Click Integrations in the top navigation
3. Find Shopify in the list of available integrations
4. Click Connect

Step 2: Authorize PayHelm

1. You'll be redirected to Shopify's authorization page
2. Enter your Shopify store URL (e.g., yourstore.myshopify.com)
3. Click Continue
4. Review the permissions PayHelm is requesting
5. Click Install to grant access

Step 3: Confirm Connection

1. You'll be redirected back to PayHelm
2. You should see a success message
3. Your Shopify store will now appear as connected in the Integrations page

Permissions Required for Shopify

PayHelm requests access to:

• Read orders: To analyze your sales data
• Read products: To track product performance
• Read customers: For customer analytics and segmentation
• Read inventory: For inventory tracking and analysis
• Read analytics: To pull Shopify's native analytics data

PayHelm does NOT have permission to:
• Modify or delete your data
• Process payments
• Change your store settings
• Access customer payment information

What Data Syncs from Shopify

After connecting, PayHelm imports:

• Orders: All order details including items, totals, dates
• Products: Product names, SKUs, variants, prices
• Customers: Customer names, emails, purchase history
• Inventory: Stock levels for each product variant
• Shipping: Shipping methods, costs, tracking numbers
• Refunds & Returns: Return data and refund amounts

Connecting WooCommerce

Step 1: Prepare Your WooCommerce Store

Before connecting to PayHelm:

1. Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard
2. Make sure WooCommerce is installed and active
3. Ensure you have admin-level access

Step 2: Connect from PayHelm

1. In PayHelm, go to Integrations
2. Find WooCommerce in the list
3. Click Connect

Step 3: Enter Your Store Details

1. Enter your WooCommerce store URL (e.g., yourstore.com)
2. Click Continue
3. You'll be redirected to your WordPress site

Step 4: Authorize the Connection

1. Log in to WordPress if not already logged in
2. Review the permissions PayHelm is requesting
3. Click Approve to grant access
4. You'll be redirected back to PayHelm

Step 5: Verify Connection

Back in PayHelm:

1. Your WooCommerce store should show as "Connected"
2. Data sync will begin automatically
3. Check the sync status in the Integrations page

Permissions Required for WooCommerce

PayHelm uses the WooCommerce REST API with read-only access to:

• Orders and order details
• Products and product variations
• Customers and customer data
• Order notes and metadata
• Coupons and discounts used

PayHelm cannot:
• Create, modify, or delete orders
• Change product prices or inventory
• Access WordPress admin settings
• View or store payment credentials

What Data Syncs from WooCommerce

PayHelm imports:

• Orders: Complete order information
• Products: All products, variations, and categories
• Customers: Customer profiles and order history
• Order Metadata: Custom fields and additional order data
• Coupons: Discount codes used
• Shipping: Shipping zones, methods, and costs

Connecting BigCommerce

Step 1: Access Integrations in PayHelm

1. Go to Integrations in PayHelm
2. Locate BigCommerce
3. Click Connect

Note: BigCommerce integration is available on Enterprise plans. See How to Upgrade Your Account for plan details.

Step 2: Log In to BigCommerce

1. Enter your BigCommerce store URL
2. Click Continue
3. You'll be redirected to BigCommerce
4. Log in to your BigCommerce account if needed

Step 3: Grant API Access

1. BigCommerce will show the permissions PayHelm is requesting
2. Review the access scopes
3. Click Confirm to authorize PayHelm
4. You'll be redirected back to PayHelm

Step 4: Confirm Setup

1. Your BigCommerce store will appear as connected
2. Initial data sync begins immediately
3. Monitor sync progress in the Integrations page

Permissions Required for BigCommerce

PayHelm requests read-only access to:

• Orders and order transactions
• Products and product variants
• Customers and customer groups
• Store analytics data
• Shipping and fulfillment data

PayHelm does not:
• Modify your store data
• Access payment gateways
• Change store settings
• Delete any information

What Data Syncs from BigCommerce

From BigCommerce, PayHelm imports:

• Orders: All order data including line items
• Products: Product catalog with variants and options
• Customers: Customer information and purchase behavior
• Analytics: BigCommerce's native analytics metrics
• Shipping: Shipping methods and fulfillment data
• Inventory: Real-time inventory levels

After Connecting Your Store

Initial Data Sync Timeline

Once connected:

• First 15 minutes: Recent orders (last 30 days) begin importing
• First hour: Product catalog and customer data sync
• First 6 hours: Recent order history (90 days) completes
• First 24 hours: Full historical data import finishes

The exact timing depends on:
• How many orders you have
• Your internet connection speed
• Current PayHelm server load

Checking Sync Status

To see your sync progress:

1. Go to Integrations
2. Find your connected store
3. Look for the sync status indicator
4. Click View Details to see what's been imported

What Imports Immediately

These data types sync right away:

• Recent orders (last 7-30 days)
• Active products
• Current inventory levels
• Customer list

What Imports Later

These may take several hours:

• Full order history (beyond 90 days)
• Historical inventory data
• Archived products
• Old customer records

Managing Connected Stores

Connecting Multiple Stores

You can connect multiple stores to PayHelm:

1. Return to Integrations
2. Click Connect on another platform
3. Repeat the connection process
4. All stores will sync to the same PayHelm account

This is useful if you:
• Run multiple Shopify stores
• Have both a Shopify and WooCommerce store
• Sell on multiple platforms

Viewing Data by Store

Once you have multiple stores connected:

1. Use the store filter in your Dashboard
2. Select which store's data to view
3. Reports can show combined or individual store data

Disconnecting a Store

If you need to disconnect a store:

1. Go to Integrations
2. Find the connected store
3. Click Disconnect or Remove
4. Confirm the disconnection

Note: Historical data already imported will remain in PayHelm unless you request deletion.

Troubleshooting Connection Issues

Connection Failed

If your connection doesn't work:

• Check your URL: Make sure you entered the correct store URL
• Verify admin access: You need admin permissions on your store
• Try again: Temporary server issues can cause failures
• Clear cache: Clear your browser cache and try reconnecting

Store Shows as Disconnected

If a previously connected store shows as disconnected:

• The app may have been uninstalled from your platform
• API credentials may have expired
• Click Reconnect to restore the connection

Data Not Syncing

If data isn't appearing:

• Check sync status: Look for error messages in Integrations
• Wait longer: Initial syncs can take up to 24 hours
• Verify permissions: Make sure PayHelm still has access
• Contact support: Reach out if data hasn't synced after 24 hours

Permission Errors

If you see permission-related errors:

• Make sure you logged in with an admin account
• Check that you approved all requested permissions
• Disconnect and reconnect to grant permissions again

Data Security & Privacy

How PayHelm Protects Your Data

• All connections use encrypted API access
• Data is transmitted over secure HTTPS connections
• Your payment and customer payment information is never accessed
• Data is stored securely and is never shared with third parties

Compliance

PayHelm is:

• GDPR compliant for EU customer data
• Follows industry security best practices
• Regularly audited for security vulnerabilities

Getting Help

If you need assistance connecting your store:

• Contact support through the in-app chat
• Email the support team with your store platform and error messages
• Check the Help Center for platform-specific troubleshooting guides

Once your store is connected, PayHelm will begin analyzing your data and you'll start seeing insights on your dashboard within minutes.