EDI 852 - Product Activity Data

Sellers and buyers use the EDI 852 to share sales and inventory details. Suppliers can stay updated on how their products are performing to improve their sales and inventory.

EDI Documents

How is the EDI 852 Used?

The EDI 852 is often sent on a weekly basis. There are multiple ways EDI Product Activity Data can be used, including:

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Ongoing collaboration – Retailers inform suppliers what was sold, what is on order, returns, in transit and inventory levels by retailer location.

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Vendor managed inventory – Retailers share data on what was sold, so the suppliers can replenish inventory or create a suggested order to the retailer.

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Scan based trading – Retailers inform suppliers what has sold in preparation for the supplier invoicing the retailer.

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Distributors – Distributors report to the supplier or manufacturer what was sold or transferred to another retailer, or sent to a joint customer.

Benefits of using an 852 Product Activity Data

Implementing the 852 Product Activity Data offers benefits to both the retailer or distributor (sender of the EDI 852 document) and the supplier (receiver of the EDI 852 document). These benefits include:

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Gain visibility into product sales performance at the store level or by product

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Optimize inventory planning and management

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Reduce the risk of stock-outs and overstock positions

The key data elements in the price catalog/sales catalog SLSRPT document include:

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Item and quantity sold in dollars

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Item and quantity sold in units

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Quantity on hand (inventory)

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Adjustments to inventory

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Out of stock quantities, e.g., lost sales, rain checks or shortfalls

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On-order quantities as reflected in the buyer’s systems

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Quantities received as reflected in the buyer’s systems

Common issues regarding EDI 852

Inaccurate data:

Data quality issues, particularly inaccurate on-hand inventory levels, can make it difficult to rely on the EDI 852 to make informed decisions.

Inconsistent data:

Every retailer provides a slightly different format for the EDI 852. That’s why it’s critical to discuss each trading partner’s requirements and capabilities prior to implementing this document.

Time-consuming data analysis:

The EDI 852 is a complex and lengthy document. Turning the data into actionable insights can be challenging, even based on data from one retailer. Collecting, normalizing and analyzing Product Activity Data from multiple retailers is extremely labor-intensive.

Streamline 852 Product Activity Data with Analytics from SPS Commerce

Streamline your analysis of EDI 852 data and easily manage ongoing compliance with your retailers’ requirements with SPS Commerce Analytics.

SPS Analytics gathers, aggregates, cleanses and analyzes sales and inventory data (including EDI 852) from all of your trading partners on your behalf. Plus, our pre-built best practice dashboards help you start reporting on and using your data to drive decisions right away. Our proven process, team of experts and technology make it easy to analyze retail data trends.

Interested in learning more about our retail data analytics solution?

Find out how SPS can help you eliminate the hassle of gathering, cleansing and analyzing EDI 852 data yourself.

Give your retailers all the item data they need—in one central format:

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