The exchange of commercial data between the actors of the Large Distribution is still too often marked by double entries and human errors related to manual entry. The commercial information is not fully centralized, which complicates their provision and processing of data related to order taking, delivery of goods or invoicing.
Wishing to move things forward and facilitate their exchanges with their suppliers, the large retail stores such as Auchan and Carrefour have been equipped with EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) solutions for several decades.
The EDI’s interests for suppliers
For the exchange to work, suppliers and carriers of the Large Retail must also equip themselves with EDI solutions (integrated EDI, omnicanal B2B portal, Web EDI).
Even if it may seem restrictive at first, the transition to EDI can be an essential strategic asset for suppliers.
EDI automates the integration of business documents for:
- Optimize processing times
- Make data exchanges more reliable and avoid input errors
- Reduce litigation
In summary, if you communicate with several brands, logistics and carriers as a supplier of the Large Distribution, EDI simplifies, reliability, accelerates your commercial and logistic processes, This saves scales and improves productivity.
The most common EDI messages in Mass Retail
4 EDI messages are very widely represented in this area of activity:
- EDI Order (ORDERS)
The Mass Market sends a product order to the supplier. - Order confirmation (ORDRSP)
The supplier sends a confirmation of orders specifying the dates and quantities delivered. - Shipping Notice (DESADV)
Either the logistics operator or the supplier informs the Large Distribution of the shipment or the supplier sends the message to the logistics operator to inform it of the supply of the warehouse. - EDI Invoice (INVOIC)
The supplier issues an invoice to the Large Retail Order Givers.