EDI stands for Electronic Data Interchange and is the electronic communication of business transactions between suppliers and retailers. Purchase orders, confirmations, invoices, shipping updates—these and many other transactions can be handled by EDI.
EDI replaces transactions and basic communications once done with paper or fax—remember those?—with electronic transmission.
There are all kinds of EDI documents—some retailers will use a lot of them, others will rely on just a few. But the process typically begins when the buyer at a retailer creates a purchase order digitally using a document called the EDI 850 (EDI 875 in the Grocery category). This starts the exchange of EDI documents that provide information including order acknowledgements, shipping details, invoicing, and more.
Cost-effective cloud-based EDI software solutions allow companies of all sizes to meet the EDI requirements of their trading partners, without making a major investment in costly hardware or additional personnel.
Trading partners transmit EDI documents when they want to order items from a brand or supplier. Depending upon the compliance standards of the retailers, documents will be exchanged throughout the process—acknowledgement of the order, a notice about a shipment, an inventory update, an invoice, etc. Specific documents are required at certain times, according to the compliance standards of the retailer.
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Not all EDI providers and platforms are equal. Not only is our Lingo™ software robust and intuitive, we back it with an expert customer support team that resolves issues quickly. When you need to move orders, we’re here to help make sure it happens.
