Automate Shipping and Invoicing to Optimize the Fulfillment Process
The retail industry has changed quickly in the last couple of years. It’s no wonder, given the global pandemic. As the supply chain continues to evolve, consumer habits continue to evolve, too. Shoppers want a seamless experience across multiple channels, and...
Test new products online before stocking at retail stores
Now is a great time for retailers to test new products and understand how to reach the right market. For decades, the process of getting a new product on store shelves was fraught with risk. Retailers didn’t want to gamble on an unproven product. If they did, they...
Create retail branded packing slips for drop shipping
Part of a successful drop shipping business is branding. Making sure packages display the retailer’s branding and shipping information helps customers recognize their order immediately and identify it with the retailer’s brand, even if the order was packaged and...
Profiting from Assortment Planning in Retail
Your ability to deliver on new item innovation could mean the difference between being down five percent or up five percent (or more) at the end of the season or the end of the year. That's why assortment planning in retail is so important. That up or down spread on...
The importance of big data in retail
What is big data in retail? Big data analytics is the collection of information that can be used to reveal more about customer habits.
Five top EDI documents to integrate and automate
AT A GLANCE Master key EDI documents like purchase orders, invoices and ASNs. Discover how automating EDI workflows reduces manual work and errors. Learn how integration speeds up order-to-cash processes. Understand how full-service EDI supports scalability and...
Four Painful SAP EDI Problems You Can Overcome with Full-Service EDI
Far too many SAP EDI solutions fall short, leading to wasted resources and lost opportunities. But with the right SAP EDI solution, you can avoid these problems altogether. Osborn, LLC is a leading supplier of industrial brushes. The company faced several challenges...
Improve the order-to-cash process to speed up payments
What is the order-to-cash process? The order-to-cash process involves all the steps that start from when a customer places an order to when you get paid for an invoice. Automating the order-to-cash process is essential for ensuring accuracy and an efficient order...
Three Ways Fulfillment for NetSuite Helps Optimize Picking, Packing and Shipping
Every retailer has specific rules, requirements and preferences for packing shipments. What’s more, retailers have different packing requirements for different types of goods, such as apparel or perishables. These requirements include how many units can be packed per...
How EDI Shipping Can Declutter Your Day
As the pace of retail quickens, so does the need to have better visibility to products and shipments in transit. This is what makes EDI and transportation a perfect match. When suppliers (aka shippers) and carriers want to know answers to the following questions, EDI...
The SPS Commerce Holiday Readiness Guide
The holiday season can be a busy, hectic time for businesses of all sizes. Increased channel traffic, order spikes and your partners’ downstream challenges can be especially difficult to manage. But, by selecting the right mix of solutions to help you stay ahead of...
Change Management: 5 Keys to Streamlining Your Cloud Migration
Moving from an on-premise ERP system to a cloud solution offers a wealth of benefits ranging from cost savings to system flexibility. But replacing the software central to your business can be risky without the right safeguards and partnerships. Migrating your...
4 Ways Independent Grocery Retailers Can Benefit from In-Aisle Ordering
Big-Box retailers rely on and benefit from technology in real, quantifiable ways. But what about smaller, mid-market or independent grocery retailers? How can order management software with in-aisle capabilities help these retailers? These stores may not have the...
Best Practices to Drive Sell-Through
Sell-through compares the amount of inventory a retailer receives with what’s actually sold to the consumer–and it’s more important than ever. Finding the gaps between supply and demand can help uncover insights that boost sales. Improving sell-through can be...
Order-To-Invoice EDI for SAP: A New Standard
AT A GLANCE Explore how EDI enhances SAP workflow automation. Find out benefits like faster processing and fewer errors. See how it improves cash flow and customer satisfaction. Delve into SPS Commerce as an SAP EDI integration leader. A common refrain at SPS Commerce...
Optimizing The Retail Special Order System
When we normally talk about retail networks and order fulfillment, we usually think of consumer-based retail stores like Target and Best Buy. But there’s a whole other world within retail: the world of distributors.
Specifically, I’m talking about companies like Fastenal and Grainger, as well as NAPA and Auto Zone. If you’re not in the trades, you’re probably not familiar with them. These are the “stores” (they’re actually called branches) the contractors and auto mechanics go to for tools and parts. Rather than going to the hardware store, a contractor can call a distributor to order the specific new hammer drill or sump pump needed for their worksite or job.
QuickBooks EDI Solutions from SPS – Integrated Fulfillment for Intuit QuickBooks Online
Introducing the SPS Commerce connection to QuickBooks Online, an automated, integrated solution that helps your organization sell more product, track inventory and measure expenses, while turning data into actionable insights. See the SPS Commerce listing in the...
Faster, more efficient order fulfillment with EDI for UPS, FedEx, USPS and other popular carriers
Meeting customers’ expectations for fast and flawless order fulfillment isn’t easy, especially when managing drop-ship orders. As part of SPS Commerce Fulfillment, a full-service EDI solution, Carrier Service can help businesses satisfy retail or eCommerce customers...
What is Supply Chain Demand Planning?
Now more than ever, supply chains need to be efficient. In an increasingly competitive global market, supply chains need to prioritize efficiency and speed and minimize disruption. In addition to everything that supply chain managers and logistics teams must control –...
How to Prepare for Drop Shipping vs. Order Fulfillment From a Warehouse
AT A GLANCE Explore differences between drop ship and warehouse models. Find out cost and speed considerations for e-commerce. See how hybrid strategies improve customer experience. Delve into SPS solutions as adaptable for both models. Are you a supplier that needs...
Considerations for EDI & ERP Integration
As organizations modernize their IT infrastructure, they often want to integrate their order information with their system of record (ERP system). How can companies connect these two parts of their business without manual work? Fortunately, EDI ERP integration can...
A Simple Guide to Understanding the GS1-128 Barcode Label
AT A GLANCE Explore what GS1-128 barcode labels are and why they are essential in logistics. Find out how these labels enhance product identification and regulatory compliance. See how GS1-128 improves shipping accuracy and warehouse efficiency. Discover best...
How to Choose an EDI Provider
Whether you are new to EDI or re-evaluating legacy systems, choosing an EDI provider can be a challenge. But finding the best fit for your business while navigating the confusing jargon has never been more important. Armed with the right information, you can find an...
EDI 214: How to Improve Shipping Using the Transportation Carrier Shipment Status Message
In today’s retail environment, shippers have no choice but to keep up with rising standards for fast delivery. As a result, visibility into shipment status is more important than ever. The EDI 214 (Transportation Carrier Shipment Status Message) is a key piece of the...
Purchase Order Changes (EDI 860): What are the Benefits for Buyers and Sellers?
The Purchase Order Change is a fundamental EDI document for improving inventory management, supply chain efficiency and financial accuracy. The Purchase Order Change is commonly known as the EDI 860. This document ensures that a final order is correct. It also helps...
How to Maximize the Advantages of Cross-Docking for Warehouse Efficiency
Receiving shipments from suppliers and moving inventory to individual stores is complex and costly. If you’re looking to optimize labor costs, maximize space utilization, leverage existing technologies, and reduce transportation costs, cross-docking is a great option....
Help Consumers Find Your Product with a Catalog Management System
When consumers shop, they need product details to find the item from their searches and to give them the confidence to choose one product over another. Product details provide the attributes that consumers look for in store and search for online. They can’t find or...
What is a 3PL Provider and How to Select One?
No matter how complex the need, there are three basic capabilities that sum up what suppliers need to get out of a 3PL: expertise, capacity and technology.
EDI 852: Important Fundamentals of the Product Activity Report
For success in retail, it’s important to know how much inventory you have, how much you've sold and what products to bring forward next. This information can help you manage marketing dollars, improve sell-through, avoid overstocks and sidestep stockouts. The EDI 852...
7 Important Questions and Helpful Answers About GDSN Data Synchronization
High-quality product data is critical for any business that buys or sells products. Many companies we talk to want more information about product data standards, such as GDSN data synchronization. We recently sat down with product manager Scott Williams to discuss...
Ask The Right Questions: Outsourced Vs In-house Vendor Portals
Web-based vendor portals are popular in Australia, particularly in the grocery sector. Retailers have told us that they are an easy way to ensure all suppliers or vendors are onboarded for electronic exchange of orders, invoices, and shipping documents (ASNs), giving...
EDI 846: 5 Reasons to Adopt the Inventory Inquiry/Advice
The EDI 846 Inventory Inquiry/Advice has become an essential EDI document due to growth in drop-shipping and eCommerce. This EDI document is foundational for organizations that want to expand into omnichannel retailing, which requires up-to-date inventory information....
Using the EDI 945 to Deliver Shipment Details
There are many ways third-party logistics providers (3PLs) communicate shipment details to their customers. The list includes emails, phone calls, texts and even faxes. Most 3PLs find these methods outdated and use the EDI 945 Warehouse Shipment Advice instead. It is...
The Most Eco-Friendly Shoppers in the U.S.
Social responsibility is of increasing importance to consumers. This made the research team at SPS Commerce wonder, what U.S. cities are the most eco-conscious and which eco-friendly products are trending? Thanks to Google, we can compare consumer demand data for the...
What is the EDI 940?
As a third-party logistics provider (3PL), you’ve likely been in conversations about customers using or requiring the EDI 940. But what is it? And why do you need it? In its most basic form, it is an electronic version of an order from your customer. In fact, whenever...
5 Secrets to a Successful ERP Implementation
This time of year, businesses often consider deploying new systems — including enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. Considering a new ERP implementation? These 5 strategies will help everything run smoothly within your company and with your customers: Plan for...
Three Common Supplier Onboarding Challenges & How to Solve Them
To satisfy the needs of today’s consumers, buying organizations need to continuously add new products to their assortment. And they need suppliers to fulfill these products as fast as possible. But getting new suppliers ready to fulfill your orders isn’t as easy as it...
How Purchase Order Acknowledgements Can Transform Your Supply Chain
AT A GLANCE Uncover purchase order acknowledgments and their role in retail. Learn how automation reduces manual confirmation errors. Examine improved supplier-retailer communication. Master how EDI accelerates order-to-fulfillment cycles. With the growth of eCommerce...
The Power of Netflix on Consumer Behavior
AT A GLANCE Examine how consumer shopping habits have shifted post-pandemic. Gain insight into trends like omnichannel, personalization, and fast delivery. Connect behavioral insights to data-driven inventory management. Explore why agile supply chains are essential...
Be Ready All Stages of Business Growth with EDI, Xero & SPS
The No Nasties Project was founded a little over two years ago. Today, the supplier has sold more than 30 million Sugar Free-zies stix across Australia. No Nasties evolved from a start-up in 2018 to a nationally recognized brand by 2020. Their staff know how the...
A Guide to eCommerce Fulfillment for Retailers & Distributors
According to a recent study, 63 percent of consumers expect to continue to do more online shopping, even after the pandemic. The acceleration of eCommerce also has massive implications for how retailers and distributors fulfill orders. Yet fulfilling eCommerce orders...
Looking for an EDI developer? Think about full-service EDI instead
It’s no secret that technology talent is hard to come by these days, and an EDI developer is no exception. EDI developers are a rare breed with specialized and broad skills that make them especially difficult to find, such as: Implementing and monitoring EDI systems,...
Distributor Strengthens Retail Partnerships with Full-Service EDI
In every part of the globe, distributors face ongoing pressures. This is certainly true in Australia. Businesses need to maintain margins, deliver superior customer service and comply with the complex trading requirements. Cellnet is one of Australia’s leading...
No More Struggles with Retailer EDI Changes at L’Oreal Australia
Australian retailers such as Coles and Woolworths have needed their suppliers, including L’Oreal Australia, to do EDI for many years as part of the order fulfillment process. As a retailer’s business and supply chain needs evolve so do their EDI requirements....
Unleashed & SPS EDI: A Global Solution for Nutricare
Nutricare’s natural health care products are a global success. Consumers across Australia, Europe and the United States have become loyal fans of their amazing products. As a result, the small business was seeing: Increasing number of retail customers Growing order...
EDI Software for the Undecided
Whether you’re new to EDI software or a veteran, choosing the right solution is a big decision. Perhaps you’re asking, “what should I look for in EDI software?” or “what’s involved with a new EDI software implementation?” Let’s explore some fundamental questions about...
![Australia’s Grocery Retailers and Vendors Automate with EDI [Case Study]](https://www.spscommerce.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/iStock-1223553745-1080x675.jpg)
Australia’s Grocery Retailers and Vendors Automate with EDI [Case Study]
What happens when you turn your grocery supply chain inside out? How do your vendor relationships change when you cut out the distributor and go direct to your suppliers? The answer: You have a whole new grocery supply chain to automate. This was the case with Drakes...
Replacing inventory with information
Inventory information can be the lifeline or the death rattle of companies in the retail ecosystem. Companies – regardless of size – need to balance inventory with meeting customers’ needs (whether your customer is an actual shopper, a retailer, or a manufacturer)....
How to Manage Increased Drop-Ship Demand at Scale with SPS and NetSuite
Are you new to the drop ship order process? Has the pandemic replaced many of your bulk orders with drop-ship ones? Or, maybe you’ve dabbled in drop ship, but now you’re seeing your drop-ship orders skyrocket? If so, you’re definitely not alone. Every segment of...
The Data Needed for Distributed Order Management
A consumer places an online order. The next step is for the buying organization to put it in a box and ship it to them. Sounds simple, but those of us in retail and distribution know that it’s not. Where should the item be pulled from? Inventory isn’t always on-hand...
GET WEEKLY UPDATES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX.
Never miss an update from the SPS blog! Receive retail and supply chain news, valuable resources, expert tips and more.