# Integrations

> The tools and systems SmartaStudio integrates with — analytics, CRMs, payments, databases, auth, marketing, internal APIs and automation. If it has an API, we connect it.

URL: https://www.smartastudio.com/stack/integrations

_How it connects to everything else you run._

A website is rarely an island. We connect the systems you already run — analytics, CRMs, databases, payments, internal APIs and more — so the site works with your estate rather than beside it. Nothing here is rip-and-replace.

Whatever you already use, the site connects to it. We wire in analytics and tag management, CRMs and sales pipelines, payment and commerce engines, databases and backends, authentication and single sign-on, marketing and email tools, internal APIs and bespoke systems, and the automation that ties them together. If it has an API — or even if it only has a spreadsheet — we can usually connect it.

## Flexibility is the real requirement at scale

No serious website stands alone. It sits inside an estate of tools — the CRM sales already use, the ERP that runs operations, the analytics the board reports on, the payment system finance trusts. The question is never "does this platform have an integration?" It is "can this site bend to fit the systems we already run?"

That is why we build on open, API-first foundations. When the site can talk to anything with an endpoint, you are never forced to rip out a working system to suit the website — the website suits you. As the business grows and the toolset changes, the site adapts with it instead of becoming the thing that holds you back.

## How we handle it

Integrations are a design decision, not an afterthought bolted on at the end.

- **Map the estate first** — We start by listing the systems that must connect — and, importantly, the ones that must not change. Nothing is rip-and-replace by default.
- **Build on open foundations** — API-first platforms mean the site can connect to almost anything, so you are never boxed in by a closed system.
- **Automate the manual work** — Where a person is currently copying data between tools, we wire the tools together so it happens by itself.
- **Keep it secure and observable** — Every connection is authenticated, rate-limited where needed, and logged — so when something changes upstream, we know.

## Analytics & tracking

Measurement without the bloat — server-side where it helps performance and privacy, tag management where the marketing team needs control.

- **Google Analytics 4** — The default for traffic and conversion reporting — wired in cleanly so it measures without dragging on load times.
- **Google Tag Manager** — Lets the marketing team add and change tags themselves, without a developer or a redeploy each time.
- **Search Console** — Verifies the site with Google and surfaces the search queries, indexing issues and rankings that guide SEO.
- **Plausible & Fathom** — Lightweight, privacy-first analytics — no cookie banner, tiny script, GDPR-friendly by design.
- **Hotjar & Microsoft Clarity** — Heatmaps and session recordings that show how visitors actually behave, so design decisions are backed by evidence.
- **Server-side tracking** — Moves tracking off the browser to a server endpoint — faster pages, better data quality and fewer blocked events.

## CRM & sales

We connect forms, bookings and customer data straight into the systems your sales team already lives in — so a lead never gets retyped or lost.

- **HubSpot** — Pushes form and booking data into HubSpot as contacts and deals, so marketing and sales work from one record.
- **Salesforce** — Feeds enquiries and customer data into Salesforce, mapped to your objects and pipeline stages.
- **Pipedrive** — Creates deals and contacts from the site automatically, keeping the sales pipeline current without manual entry.
- **Zoho** — Connects forms and accounts to Zoho CRM for teams standardised on the Zoho suite.
- **Custom pipelines** — Bespoke lead routing and scoring when off-the-shelf CRM stages do not match how your sales team actually works.
- **Custom CRM** — Need something truly bespoke? We design and build custom CRMs from the ground up. ([See our software work](https://www.smartastudio.com/services/software))

## Payments & commerce

Take payments, subscriptions and checkouts securely, wired to the commerce engine that suits the business.

- **Stripe** — Our default for payments and subscriptions — secure, developer-friendly, and strong on recurring billing.
- **PayPal** — Added as a familiar checkout option that lifts conversion for customers who prefer it.
- **Klarna** — Buy-now-pay-later and instalments at checkout to raise average order value and reduce abandonment.
- **Shopify** — Shopify’s commerce engine and checkout, connected to a bespoke front end or headless build.
- **WooCommerce** — Fully custom commerce on WordPress, with payments and tax wired to your operational tools.
- **GoCardless** — Direct-debit collection for recurring invoices and memberships — lower fees than cards for regular payments.

## Databases & backends

The data layer behind portals, dashboards and custom platforms — relational, document or realtime, hosted or your own.

- **PostgreSQL** — Our default relational database — robust, well-understood and dependable for portals and custom platforms.
- **Supabase** — Postgres with auth, storage and realtime built in — a fast, open backend for member areas and apps.
- **MySQL / MariaDB** — The relational database behind most WordPress and WooCommerce builds, tuned for performance.
- **MongoDB** — A document store for flexible, evolving data models where a rigid schema would get in the way.
- **Redis** — In-memory caching and queues that keep heavy applications fast under load.
- **Firebase** — Realtime data and auth for lightweight apps and prototypes that need to move quickly.

## Auth & identity

Secure sign-in for member areas, portals and internal tools — from simple logins to enterprise single sign-on.

- **Clerk** — Drop-in authentication with polished sign-in flows and user management — our go-to for Next.js portals.
- **Auth0** — Enterprise-grade identity with fine-grained rules, for projects with complex access requirements.
- **NextAuth** — Flexible, self-hosted auth for Next.js when you want full control and no per-user cost.
- **SSO / SAML** — Single sign-on so staff log in with existing corporate credentials — a common enterprise requirement.
- **OAuth providers** — Sign in with Google, Microsoft, Apple and others, to cut friction on account creation.
- **Magic links** — Passwordless email sign-in — simpler for users and one fewer credential to leak.

## Marketing & email

Newsletters, automations and transactional email connected to the site so campaigns run themselves.

- **Mailchimp** — Newsletter sign-ups and audiences synced from the site for teams already running Mailchimp.
- **Klaviyo** — Commerce-focused email and SMS automation, wired to store events for abandoned-cart and post-purchase flows.
- **Brevo** — Email, SMS and automation on a cost-effective plan — a strong all-rounder for smaller lists.
- **Resend** — Developer-first transactional email for receipts, notifications and confirmations that must arrive reliably.
- **Postmark** — Fast, high-deliverability transactional email when getting to the inbox is non-negotiable.
- **Customer.io** — Behaviour-triggered messaging for onboarding and lifecycle campaigns across email and push.

## Internal APIs & systems

The systems you already run stay — the site connects to them. Nothing here is rip-and-replace.

- **REST & GraphQL APIs** — We consume and build APIs so the site talks to whatever powers your business behind the scenes.
- **ERP systems** — Sync stock, orders and pricing with your ERP so the website and operations never disagree.
- **PIM / product data** — Pull structured product information from a PIM to keep large catalogues accurate and consistent.
- **Booking systems** — Connect availability and reservations so customers book in real time against your live calendar.
- **Bespoke internal tools** — Integrations with the in-house systems only your business runs — the ones no plugin will ever cover.
- **Webhooks** — Event-driven links that trigger actions across tools the moment something happens on the site.

## Automation & workflows

Glue between tools so manual work disappears — triggered by a form, a payment or a schedule.

- **Zapier** — Connects thousands of apps with no-code automations — quick to wire up common back-office tasks.
- **Make** — Visual, multi-step automations for more complex workflows than a simple trigger-action rule.
- **n8n** — Self-hosted, open-source automation when data must stay on your own infrastructure.
- **Cron jobs** — Scheduled tasks — reports, syncs, clean-ups — that run reliably in the background without anyone remembering.
- **Serverless functions** — Small pieces of custom logic that run on demand at the edge, with no server to maintain.
- **Custom workflows** — Bespoke automation built around your exact process when off-the-shelf tools stop short.