Connect Subbu to Virtualstock

This guide explains how to connect a Virtualstock supplier account to Subbu.

Once connected, Subbu can communicate with Virtualstock to exchange information such as orders, products, stock availability and order status, depending on the integration configuration.

Before you start

Before setting up the Virtualstock channel in Subbu, you will need an active Virtualstock supplier account for the retailer you are connecting to.

For testing, you will also need Virtualstock Sandbox/Test credentials. Virtualstock's API documentation states that the supplier must first be set up and provided with test supplier credentials before the API can be used.

You will normally need:

  • Your Virtualstock Retailer ID
  • Your Virtualstock API Username
  • Your Virtualstock API Password
  • Confirmation of whether the credentials are for Sandbox/Test or Live/Production
  • Access to the relevant retailer within your Virtualstock supplier account

Do not use your normal Virtualstock website login unless Virtualstock has confirmed these are also your API credentials.

Getting Virtualstock test credentials

If you have not yet received test credentials, contact your retailer onboarding/integration contact or Virtualstock contact and explain that you need API credentials to connect your warehouse/order management system to Virtualstock.

You can ask them for:

"Virtualstock Sandbox API credentials for our supplier account, together with the Retailer ID required for our integration."

It is also worth asking them to confirm that your supplier account has been linked to the retailer you are testing with.

Virtualstock uses a separate sandbox API environment for testing, so Sandbox credentials should be used while setting up and proving the integration.

Once testing has been completed successfully, you can request or confirm the corresponding Live/Production credentials before setting up the live connection.


Setting up Virtualstock in Subbu

1. Open Channels

Log in to the correct Subbu account.

Select Channels from the menu.

Image Placeholder

2. Add a new channel

Select Add New Channel.

Image Placeholder

3. Select Virtualstock

From the available integrations, select Virtual Stock.

Image Placeholder

4. Install the integration

Select Install New Integration.

This will open the Virtualstock connection settings.

Image Placeholder

5. Connect the Virtualstock integration

Select Connect to begin setting up the Virtualstock connection.

Image Placeholder

6. Enter the Virtualstock credentials

Select the correct environment:

Sandbox – Use this while testing the integration.
Live – Use this once testing has been completed and the live connection is ready.


Enter the Virtualstock Username and Password supplied for that environment.

Once the details have been entered, select Install.

Image Placeholder

7. Enter the Retailer ID

Once the integration has been installed, you will be returned to the Virtualstock channel setup in Subbu.

Enter the Retailer ID for the retailer you are connecting to.

The Retailer ID identifies which Virtualstock retailer this Subbu channel should communicate with.

Save the channel once the Retailer ID has been entered.

Image Placeholder

Connection complete

Subbu will now attempt to authenticate with Virtualstock and install the channel.

Once successfully connected, the Virtualstock channel will appear within your Subbu channels.

You can set the channel to active and then begin testing the flow between Virtualstock and Subbu.

For a new connection, we recommend completing the setup in Sandbox first before creating the Live integration.


Testing the integration

Before moving to Live, test the processes that will be used by the retailer.

Depending on your Virtualstock arrangement, this may include checking that:

  • Test orders from Virtualstock are received into Subbu.
  • The correct retailer is associated with the orders.
  • SKUs/products can be correctly matched.
  • Stock information is sent correctly.
  • Orders can be acknowledged and processed.
  • Dispatch and tracking information is returned correctly.
  • Order status updates are reflected in Virtualstock.

Virtualstock's published API covers supplier order retrieval, order acknowledgement, stock/product management, dispatch and other order events, so the exact tests required may depend on the retailer's Virtualstock configuration.


Moving from Sandbox to Live

Once testing has been completed successfully, confirm with the retailer or Virtualstock that your account is ready to go Live.

You will need the Live Virtualstock credentials for the supplier/retailer connection.

In the Live Subbu account, create a new Virtualstock channel using the same process above, but select Live instead of Sandbox and enter the Live credentials.

Do not use Sandbox credentials for the Live connection.


Troubleshooting

Unable to connect / Invalid username or password

Check that the credentials are Virtualstock API credentials and that you have selected the correct Sandbox or Live environment.

Reached package/channel limit

Check that you are working in the correct Subbu account. For example, a test Virtualstock channel should normally be created in the appropriate test/development Subbu account, rather than adding test channels to the customer's production Subbu account.

Retailer cannot be found

Confirm the Retailer ID with the retailer or Virtualstock and check that the Virtualstock supplier account has been associated with that retailer.

Sandbox works but Live does not

Sandbox and Live are separate environments. Confirm that Live credentials have been issued and that the supplier has been enabled for production before attempting the Live connection.


Related Help

Sync stock and SKUs with Subbu

Once the channel is connected, products may also need to be mapped/synchronised between Subbu and the WMS.