How I Built an Order Management App Using Zoho Catalyst That Talks to Zoho Inventory
- January 17, 2025
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- 12:45 PM
Behind the Scenes: Building a Custom Order Management App
So here’s the deal: I didn’t wake up one morning and decide to build an order management app just for fun. This all started with a real need too many spreadsheets, too many WhatsApp messages, and too many “Did we ship that?” moments.
I needed something clean, simple, and connected. And since we were already using Zoho Inventory for managing stock and fulfillment, it made sense to build around that.
Spoiler: it worked.The app now handles everything from order intake to pushing updates to Zoho Inventory. No more manual syncing. No more copy-pasting SKU codes at 11 PM.Here’s the behind-the-scenes tour.
Step 1: Figuring Out the Flow (Before Writing a Line of Code)
Before diving into code, I had to get the flow right. I sketched it all out on a whiteboard (okay, a scrap paper menu from lunch).
Here’s what the flow looked like:
1. Sales rep takes an order (via mobile or desktop)
2. App validates product availability (using Zoho Inventory API)
3. Customer info + order items saved to Catalyst DataStore
4. Order pushed to Zoho Inventory as a Sales Order
5. We track fulfillment, invoicing, and shipment status via Zoho
Simple enough… in theory. The real magic? Making it seamless and quick, even on spotty internet or when the sales rep’s battery is at 9%.
Step 2: Choosing the Stack (Keep It in the Family)
Since we were already in the Zoho ecosystem, I leaned into it:
● Frontend: Angular (but you could use React, Flutter, etc.)
● Backend: Zoho Catalyst Functions (Node.js)
● Database: Zoho Catalyst DataStore
● Integration: Zoho Inventory REST APIs via Catalyst functions
Using Catalyst turned out to be a win. I didn’t have to worry about infrastructure or spinning up a separate backend. Catalyst Functions + DataStore gave me just what I needed to stay lean but powerful.
Pro tip: use Catalyst Cron for scheduled tasks (like syncing products every morning) and Catalyst Events for internal triggers.
Step 3: Building the Core Features
🔹 Product Catalog Sync
Each night, a Catalyst Cron function hits Zoho Inventory’s itemsAPI and refreshes our DataStore table with updated product info SKU, name, price, quantity available, etc.
Why not call Zoho live every time? Because reps don’t always have a strong signal, and speed matters. Local product cache = faster UX.
🔹 Order Form
Frontend talks to a Catalyst Function, which:
● Validates available stock (via Zoho Inventory)
● Inserts order details into the Orders and OrderItems tables in DataStore
● Calls Zoho Inventory’s salesorders endpoint to create the Sales Order
● Stores the Zoho sales order ID in our DataStore record for reference
I used Catalyst’s ZCQL for most queries it’s SQL-like, so not hard to get used to.
Bonus: Added auto-complete for customer names by syncing Zoho Contacts to a Customers table in DataStore.
🔹 Fulfillment Tracker
Zoho Inventory doesn’t push events to Catalyst directly, but I worked around that using Zoho Flow. When a sales order is fulfilled or invoiced, Zoho Flow calls a Catalyst function webhook with the status update. The function then updates the relevant record in DataStore.
Now the sales team can just open the app and instantly see what’s pending, what’s shipped, and what’s delayed.
The Little Details That Made Life Easier
● Recent Orders View: Catalyst View for filtering last 10 orders, pending shipments, customer-wise history.
● Offline Strategy: Caching product data locally in the frontend improved experience on flaky networks.
● Order Templates: Reps can “Reorder” from past orders, pre-filling forms via Catalyst function.
Lessons From the Trenches
● DataStore is fast, but think relational. Keep clean foreign keys for Orders, OrderItems, Products, Customers.
● Catalyst Functions timeout after 60 seconds. Break long tasks into batches or use async logic.
● Handle OAuth refresh: store refresh token in Catalyst Secure Vault and rotate tokens safely.
● Respect API rate limits cache where possible to avoid being blocked by Zoho Inventory.
Where It’s At Now
The app’s been humming quietly for a few months. Sales reps love the simplicity. Ops team loves the visibility. And I love not worrying about server maintenance.
There’s still room to grow. Here’s what’s next:
● PDF invoice preview
● Role-based access (Catalyst Authentication coming soon)
● Sales dashboard for top products & volume
But for now? It’s solid. It works. And it saved us from spreadsheet hell.
Thinking of Building Your Own?
If you’re already using Zoho Inventory and need a cleaner way to take and track orders, building a custom app on Zoho Catalyst is 100% worth it.
You don’t have to build everything at once. Start small like simplifying your sales order process and build from there.
The APIs are good. The tools are solid. And if you’re tired of wrestling with prebuilt tools that don’t fit your workflow… just build it.
You’ll thank yourself later.
That’s the Build.
Nothing fancy. Just something that works and works well.
Got questions or building something similar? Ping me. Always up for a good build chat.
Catalyst Sync and DataStore
Catalyst Sync and DataStore
Catalyst Sync and DataStore
Catalyst Sync and DataStore
Catalyst Sync and DataStore
Catalyst Sync and DataStore
Catalyst Sync and DataStore
Catalyst Sync and DataStore
Catalyst Sync and DataStore
