Picture of Direct Response MIS Integration: Catalog, Stock & Order Sync

Direct Response MIS Integration: Catalog, Stock & Order Sync

Introduction

The Direct Response MIS integration allows Infigo to connect directly to a Direct Response MIS system to synchronise products, categories, stock levels, orders, and delivery status. This integration is designed for customers who want their Infigo storefront to reflect real-time data from Direct Response while maintaining a smooth ordering and fulfilment workflow.

This guide explains what the integration does, why it exists, and how to configure it from the customer side.

What this integration is (quick overview)

The Direct Response MIS integration connects your Infigo storefront directly to Direct Response so you can:

  • Automatically create and update products and categories

  • Keep stock levels accurate and up to date

  • Validate stock during checkout

  • Push orders to Direct Response

  • Receive shipping and delivery updates automatically

This guide walks you through exactly how to set it up and use it.

Why this was added

Previously, customers using Direct Response had to:

  • Manually recreate products and categories in Infigo

  • Manually manage stock levels

  • Rely on disconnected order and shipping workflows

  • Update order statuses manually or via custom processes

This integration removes those manual steps, reduces errors, and ensures that Infigo always reflects the latest data from Direct Response.

‼️Please Note: If you have the approval workflow enabled on your Infigo storefront - please be assured that orders are only pushed to Direct Response once they have passed any required approval steps in Infigo.

Before you start

Before enabling the Direct Response MIS integration, make sure you have:

  • A Direct Response MIS account with API access

  • The following details from Direct Response:

      • API URL

      • API Key

      • Inventory Code

      • API Username

  • Products in Direct Response marked as Externally Visible

  • Categories already structured correctly in Direct Response

  • Admin access in Infigo

  • OPTIONAL: Master product (with prefix 'Master_') and category templates prepared in Infigo

Tip 💡
The quality of your sync depends on how clean your data is in Direct Response. Make sure product names, categories, pricing, and stock are correct before syncing.

STEP 1 - Enabling the Direct Response MIS plugin

  1. Go to Admin → Connect Plugins

  2. Select the Configure button for the Connect: DirectResponse option from the list of available plugins

  3. Enter the required API connection details:

    • API URL

    • API Key

    • Inventory Code

    • API Username

  4. Save the configuration

  5. Use the Test Connection button on the main list of available plugins to confirm the credentials are valid

✅ You should see a confirmation message that the connection is successful. Now you can continue with the additional configuration options.

⚠️ If the connection fails, the credentials are most likely incorrect. 

STEP 2 - Configure product & catalogue synchronisation

How product sync works

  • Products are created or updated in Infigo when items are created or updated in Direct Response

  • Only items marked as externally visible in Direct Response are synced

  • Each product is matched using a composite external reference: ItemNumber_RevisionName

  • If a product already exists in Infigo, it is updated rather than duplicated

1. Enable product and category sync

  1. In the Direct Response plugin settings:

    • Enable Sync Products

    • (Optional) Enable Sync Categories

  2. Set your preferred sync interval or plan to run sync manually

  3. Save the settings

2. (Recommended) Set a master product template

Using a master product ensures all synced products follow your storefront rules.

  1. Go to Admin → Catalog → Products

  2. Create a product with a name starting with: Master_XYZ

    Example: Master_DirectResponse

  3. Configure default settings (tax, vendor, inventory behaviour, etc.)

  4. Return to the Direct Response plugin settings

  5. Select this product in Master Product

  6. Save

STEP 3 - Configure category synchronisation

How category sync works

  • Categories are created automatically as part of the product sync process, based on the category structure in Direct Response.

  • Category hierarchies (parent/child relationships) are preserved

  • Products are assigned to the appropriate categories during product sync

Using a master category template (recommended, completely optional) 

To control category defaults:

  1. Create a category with a name starting with Master_

  2. Configure display and SEO settings

  3. Select it in the Master Category setting

New categories created during sync will inherit these settings.

STEP 4 – Run the initial catalogue sync

  1. Go to Admin → Configuration → MIS → Direct Response

  2. Click Sync Catalog Now

  3. Wait for the background sync to complete

  4. Review:

    • Admin → Catalog → Products

    • Admin → Catalog → Categories

What happens during sync:

  • New products are created

  • Existing products are updated

  • Categories are created and linked automatically

  • Products are assigned to the correct categories

STEP 5 – Configure stock synchronisation

Enable background stock sync

  1. In the plugin settings:

    • Enable Sync Stock

    • Set the stock sync interval

  2. Save the settings

  3. (Optional) Click Sync Stock Now for an immediate update

Stock levels are now stored on products and used for:

  • Inventory display

  • Low-stock alerts

  • Checkout validation

STEP 6 – Enable live stock on product pages

Live stock is fetched automatically when a customer views a product page.

No additional configuration is required, as long as the product is mapped to Direct Response.

If Direct Response is temporarily unavailable, Infigo will gracefully fall back to the last known stock value and allow checkout to proceed with a warning.

What customers will see:

  • Real-time available quantity

  • Automatically refreshed values

  • Accurate availability before checkout

STEP 7 – Enable checkout stock validation

Stock validation runs only at the final checkout step.

What it does:

  • Prevents customers from placing orders with insufficient stock

  • Allows checkout for:

    • Backorder-enabled products

    • Print-on-demand products

    • Non-tracked inventory items

If Direct Response is temporarily unavailable, checkout continues using the last known stock value.

STEP 8 – Configure order push to Direct Response

Basic order settings

  1. In the plugin settings, configure:

    • Branch

    • Default Carrier

    • (Optional) Service Type

    • (Optional) Order Comment

    • (Optional) Order Number Prefix

  2. Save the settings

What happens when an order is placed

  • Orders containing Direct Response products are pushed automatically

  • Orders without mapped products are skipped

  • Order references are stored on the Infigo order for tracking

STEP 9 – Configure shipping method overrides (optional)

You can override carrier and service type per shipping method:

  1. Go to Admin → Configuration → Shipping → Shipping Methods

  2. Edit a shipping method

  3. Open MIS External Reference

  4. Load carriers

  5. Select:

    • Carrier

    • Service Type

  6. Save

This gives you granular control over shipping behaviour per method.

STEP 10 – Enable order status updates (webhooks)

What webhooks do

Webhooks allow Direct Response to notify Infigo when:

  • An order is shipped

  • An order is delivered

How it works

  • Infigo provides a webhook URL automatically

  • You register this URL in Direct Response

  • Order status and tracking information updates automatically

No manual intervention is required once enabled.

Webhook events are retried automatically by Direct Response if delivery fails, ensuring reliable status updates.

Common setup mistakes to avoid

  • Forgetting to mark items as externally visible in Direct Response

  • Not using a master product or category template

  • Missing branch or carrier configuration

  • Expecting stock validation on the cart page (it runs at checkout)

Summary

If configured correctly, the Direct Response MIS integration becomes a set-and-forget workflow that:

  • Eliminates manual catalogue management

  • Prevents overselling

  • Keeps customers informed with accurate stock and shipping updates

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