What is a Connection?

A connection in VRIO is a powerful integration bridge that seamlessly links your VRIO platform with external third-party services and tools. Think of connections as pre-built pipelines that allow data to flow automatically between VRIO and your other business systems—no coding required.

Why Connections Matter

Connections transform VRIO from a standalone platform into the central hub of your business operations. They enable you to:

Automate Workflows: Eliminate manual data entry by automatically syncing information between systems
Expand Capabilities: Add powerful features to your VRIO setup without custom development
Save Time: Set up integrations in minutes with simple credential configuration
Scale Efficiently: Grow your business without growing your technical complexity

How Connections Work

The Magic of Real-Time Updates

VRIO connections are "event-driven," which means they're always listening for important moments in your business. When something happens—like a new order, a shipment going out, or a customer updating their information—VRIO automatically notifies your connected services.

Think of it like having a smart assistant that watches for specific activities and immediately tells your other tools what happened, so they can take action.

Simple Setup Process

Choose Your Connection: Select from our extensive library of pre-built integrations
Enter Credentials: Provide your API keys or login credentials for the third-party service
Configure Settings: Customize which events trigger actions and how data flows
Activate: Turn on the connection and watch the automation begin

What Happens Behind the Scenes

When you activate a connection, it begins listening for specific business events. For example:

A customer places an order → Your fulfillment center receives the shipment details
A subscription renews → Your email marketing tool triggers a thank-you campaign
A shipment delivers → Your customer service platform updates the ticket status

What Can Connections Do For You?

VRIO connections handle the complex integrations that power modern e-commerce businesses. Whether you need to fulfill orders, prevent fraud, recover failed payments, or keep your customers engaged, there's a connection that automates it.

Here's what becomes possible when you connect VRIO to your business ecosystem:

Order Operations

Automatically send orders to warehouses and 3PLs
Track shipments and update customers in real-time
Validate addresses before shipping to prevent failures

Revenue Protection

Screen transactions for fraud before processing
Fight chargebacks with automated representment
Recover failed payments with intelligent retry strategies
Calculate taxes accurately across jurisdictions

Customer Experience

Send branded transactional emails through your preferred provider
Trigger marketing campaigns based on customer behavior
Provide support teams with complete customer context
Keep billing systems synchronized across platforms

Business Intelligence

Push data to any system via webhooks
Sync with specialized industry tools
Connect to platforms we haven't even thought of yet

The beauty of connections is that they work together. A single customer action can trigger a cascade of automated processes across all your connected systems, creating a seamless experience for both you and your customers.

Getting Started

Step 1: Access Connections

Navigate to Settings > Connections > View All in your VRIO admin panel.

Step 2: Browse Available Connections

Explore our library organized by category. Each connection includes:

Overview of capabilities
Required credentials
Setup instructions
Support documentation

Step 3: Add a Connection

Click on your desired connection
Enter the required credentials (API keys, account IDs, etc.)
Configure any optional settings
Test the connection
Save and activate

Step 4: Monitor Performance

Track your connection status and data flow through the connections dashboard.

Monitoring Your Connections

Real-Time Event Tracking

VRIO provides complete visibility into how your connections are performing. Every time an event occurs and data is sent to a connection, we log:

What was sent: The exact data pushed to your connection
When it happened: Timestamp of the event
Response received: What the connection sent back
Success or failure: Whether the action completed successfully

You can view these logs directly in your VRIO admin to:

Troubleshoot issues quickly
Verify data is flowing correctly
Audit connection activity
Monitor for any errors

Connection logs are viewable either on the customer screen on the Webhook tab or directly on the relevant records (like shipments for fulfillment connections).

Common Use Cases

The Subscription Box Company

You run a monthly subscription box service with thousands of recurring customers. Here's how connections transform your operations:

Connections in Action:

Avalara calculates taxes for every state you ship to
Kount screens new customers to prevent friendly fraud
ShipStation receives orders automatically when subscriptions renew
Klaviyo sends personalized emails at every step of the customer journey
Midigator fights chargebacks while you focus on growth

The Result: What used to take a team of people now happens automatically. Orders flow to fulfillment, customers stay engaged, fraud is minimized, and you stay compliant—all without manual intervention.

Troubleshooting

Connection Not Working?

Verify credentials are correct and not expired
Check service provider's status page
Review connection logs for error messages
Ensure proper permissions are set
Contact support if issues persist

Don't See the Connection You Need?

Custom Webhooks: Your Gateway to Any Integration

If we don't have a pre-built connection for your specific platform, our Webhook connection lets you send VRIO data anywhere. Webhooks are automated HTTP POST callbacks that trigger when events occur in your account.

What You Can Do:

Send order data to custom fulfillment systems
Update external databases when subscriptions change
Trigger workflows in platforms we haven't integrated yet
Build your own custom scripts to handle VRIO events

Available Events:

Orders (updated or abandoned)
Transactions (completed, skipped, unskipped)
Order Offers (updated or cancelled)
Shipments (shipped, cancelled, or fulfilled)

Setting up webhooks is simple—just provide the URL where you want to receive the data, and VRIO will POST event information every time something happens.

Request a Native Integration

While webhooks provide flexibility for custom integrations, we're always adding new native connections based on customer needs. If you'd like to see a specific platform integrated directly into VRIO:

📧 Email us at[email protected]

Let us know which platform you need and how you plan to use it. We prioritize new connections based on customer demand, so your request helps shape our roadmap.