Custom program to fetch dropship feed data, autoupdate site & send orders to vendor

I have one really important question. I am doing a dropship business. I have a vendor that provides me with the xml file in terms of product inventory, product changes, order update, etc via the ftp. So, I want to know if I can get a custom programming be done that will fetch the datafeed and update my ecommerce store. And what platform should I use and also once I got an order, I want it to automatically send an xml file to the ftp server so that my vendor can process the order and ship it out. If you want more info, please let me know.

Thanks for the response.

Hi Marie,

Welcome to Dropship Forum :)

Yes of course. An xml data feed is like a database. Any programmer with intermediate to advanced experience in php/xml programming will be able to create a program that carries out the tasks you have outlined.

Which ecommerce platform are you using at the moment, or planning to use? OS Commerce? Joomla? Zen-Cart?

The only word of warning is to make sure that you write down a list of the features and processes you require the program to do. That way the programmer will be able to price the work correctly, and you will be provided with an accurate completion date.

Try websites like Elance.com to hire programming talent cost effectively.

PS: we are not big fans of dropship data feeds, because they make your website just a duplicate of other sites, limiting your uniqueness, and therefore sales and profit potential.

If you are or are planning to use Zen Cart, their add-on software section offers pre-built modules that cover such requirements. If they are of no use to you, there are many good and available programmers available through their forum.