What happened when SPS Commerce went to IN>CHI18
For the next location in the series of events from SPS Commerce, members of our team set off for Chicago, Ill., right on the water at River Roast. The second networking event IN>CHI18 was held on October 2, 2018, and was co-sponsored with our partner ShipStation....
Drop shipping: An e-commerce solution for today’s retail – Infographic
Consumer expectations are constantly rising, and on top of it, even more of them are doing their shopping online. E-commerce order volumes for retailers are growing every year, but their capacity to send out orders doesn't necessarily scale quickly or proportionally....
EDI 894: Primer on the Delivery/Return Base Record
There are a variety of ways to get products from a supplier’s warehouse to a retailer’s store. A popular model is to have products delivered to a distribution center, and then ship the items to individual stores from there. However, when you’re not quite big enough to...
How to improve sell through with data analytics
Twenty years ago, many retail stores often had two methods of reordering inventory: order when products were nearly out and hope the new stock arrived on time, or order on a schedule and hope enough inventory from the previous round sold out before the new delivery...
SPS Commerce reveals lineup for IN>MPLS18 in Minneapolis
SPS Commerce has revealed the lineup for the third informational and networking event in a series of five. Offering retail professionals insights on the latest strategies to engage consumers, SPS IN>MPLS18 takes place on Wednesday, October 3, 2018, from 5:00 to 7:30...
EDI for sporting goods retailers, suppliers and brands
When it comes to finding growth in the retail industry, sporting goods has typically been one of the safe bets. The U.S.-based retail sector has seen continued growth since 2011, while the worldwide market is growing even faster. According to a Dun & Bradstreet...
Lineup for SPS IN>CHI18 announced
Fresh off the success of IN>SF18, SPS Commerce is gearing up to visit the next location in its series of networking events in less than two weeks: The windy city of Chicago! View our recap of the SPS IN>SF18 event here. SPS IN>CHI18 takes place on Tuesday, October 2,...
Five top EDI documents to integrate and automate
Electronic data interchange (EDI) isn’t exactly a riveting or “sexy” topic, but what it can do for businesses in the retail and retail supply chain ecosystem is actually pretty exciting. This standardized digital language for business documents empowers companies to...
SPS Commerce IN>SF18 recap; ramp-up to IN>CHI18 & IN>MPLS18
SPS Commerce recently visited San Francisco to kick off a series of networking events that will be taking place across the United States. The inaugural IN>SF18 was held on August 16, 2018, on the rooftop of Hotaling & Co. The event, co-sponsored by Stitch Labs, saw...
Going from portal EDI to a fully-integrated EDI solution
One of the early steps that small suppliers take when trading data with larger retailers is to standardize product information as the product changes hands and as the information is shared across systems. Conversely, when trading data with small retailers, it's...
Five ways to streamline order fulfillment for retailers
Are you a retailer who wants to streamline and simplify your order fulfillment channels? Do you want to assess your different channels to eliminate bottlenecks and sticking points? By using automation, electronic data interchange (EDI), and data analytics, you can...
The EDI solution that can Integrate with any system
As the retail supply chain strives to be a seamlessly integrated process, retailers are expected to manage more data and analyze the data to find insights that can help create efficiency within the supply chain. However, for many retailers and suppliers, the different...
Generation Z shopping habits explored
While many, many articles have been written about how Millennials are killing this or that industry (also television sitcoms, traditional sit-down dinner dates, golf and of course, retail shopping at malls and stores), in reality, they're only disrupting the way...
Thoughts from the OTM User Conference
Recently, we attended the OTM User Conference 2018 in Philadelphia where users of Oracle’s OTM product gathered to learn about new enhancements, meet with industry peers and discover partner solutions. This event draws a wide array of organizations and job functions...
Three benefits of outsourcing order fulfillment
By Rachel Burns, Content Marketing Specialist, ShipBob When your e-commerce company is still new, self-fulfilling orders can be a manageable, affordable fulfillment model. But as your business grows and more and more orders come in, it’s time to start considering...
Change management experts with proven processes for retail growth
SharkTank is a top-rated show with numerous lessons about the evolution of a business to be gleaned. Many of the contestants are just starting out in business, maybe selling a particular line of products to retailers. Many, if not most of them, are uploading a...
Ninth Annual SPS Commerce Charity Auction a Success
Last week, SPSers joined together for our ninth annual SPS Commerce charity auction, benefitting seven different charities (all of which were recommended and voted on by employees). With over 450 unique items and over 2,577 bids, we were able to raise more than...
Getting grocery ready for online ordering
One thing most of us like about shopping at grocery stores - instead of online ordering groceries - is the ability to see, touch and smell the food we are about to buy. We like all the colors of the fresh produce aisle. We want to see the rows and rows of cans and...
SPS Commerce goes on the road, starting In>San Francisco
SPS Commerce is going on the road to host a series of information-packed networking events across the United States. The inaugural event kicks off with SPS Commerce In>San Francisco on Thursday, August 16, 2018, from 5:00 to 7:30 p.m. Registration is open, and there...
When Amazon disrupts the drug, pharmaceutical supply chain
Amazon has been a significant change agent and disruptor to many of the industries it’s touched ever since they started selling books online 24 years ago. In that time, Amazon has become one of the biggest retail brands in the world, in many ways eclipsing Walmart,...
EDI 852: Basics of the Product Activity Report
For success in retail, grocery and distribution, it’s important to know how much inventory you have, how much has been sold and what products should be brought forward next. That information can help you manage marketing dollars, improve your sell-through, avoid...
The future of blockchain in the grocery industry
What if you could track the shipment of a particular grocery item all the way back to the original producer, and do it in a matter of seconds? If you were dealing with potential food contamination issues — like Rose Acres recently experienced with their 207 million...
Special considerations for e-commerce-only retailers, suppliers
When it comes to comparing brick-and-mortar retailers to their e-commerce-only competitors, each group has some advantages and disadvantages. Right off the bat, brick-and-mortar companies typically have higher overhead (as opposed to an e-commerce-only retailer), but...
SPS Gives Back: Ninth Annual Charity Auction
One of the SPS Commerce values is ‘Give Back’ and we truly strive to make a difference in the community. One of our most beloved SPS Gives Back events is our homegrown annual Charity Auction. The Charity Auction encourages employee involvement in all aspects, from...
EDI for pharmacy retailers and medical suppliers
Pharmacy retailers and medical suppliers share many of the same difficulties and opportunities as other retailers — gathering sales data, sharing product information and details, managing transactions automatically— but they also have their own unique challenges....
Intersection of technology, processes and people
From the front end to the backend: the people, technology, and the processes that empower them must all align towards a genuinely unified retail experience. From brick and mortar stores to e-commerce, to social, to the marketplace––and everything in between––the...
SIM Supply, SPS Commerce honored by Supply & Demand Chain Executive
Supply & Demand Chain Executive (SDCE) has named SIM Supply and SPS Commerce to the SDCE 100 Top Supply Chain Projects for 2018. The annual list showcases recent projects that advanced a company’s supply chain to deliver growth and new efficiencies that position them...
EDI 832: Price catalog / sales catalog (PRICAT) inquiry
Have you ever wondered how retailers get supplier item information to load into their Item Master File or populated to their website, or how they go about managing price or cost changes? For many, it’s an Excel spreadsheet filled with fields and fields of product...
How to improve e-commerce conversion rates for your online store
By Rachel Burns, Content Marketing Specialist, ShipBob Your conversion rate is the percentage of people who visit your online store and complete a purchase. Average e-commerce conversion rates are between 1 and 2%. This may seem low; however, this takes into account...
Distributors: Technology helps drive down costs, prices
Technology has been a boon to the retail industry and its supply chain, helping businesses keep better track of their inventory, streamline their order management processes and help reduce costs at a time when efficiency is the watchword of the day. Technology has...
Millennial shopping habits and the impact on retail
Millennial shopping habits had a major impact on the U.S. economy for several years. Born between the years 1980 and 2000, Millennials are aged 18 to 38 right now, although the date ranges may vary depending on who you ask. They’re also the second largest demographic...
Automated invoice reconciliation for suppliers and vendors
One thing retailers love about EDI is the ability to reconcile invoices electronically and automatically. This process compares the purchase order, receiving documents and invoice to make sure they all match each other in items, quantity and costs. Once the match is...
Grocery store formats for the future
The traditional supermarket may be in trouble. While big supermarket brands — Kroger, Safeway, Publix — are still making billions of dollars per year, industry experts are getting a little uneasy about the future of the traditional supermarkets. Even a few years ago,...
Finalizing Q4 planning for the holiday shopping season
It's summertime, and you know what that means! Holiday shopping season planning. Oh, who are we kidding? It's always holiday shopping planning season. The only time it isn't time to plan for the holidays is when you’re in the middle of trying to survive the actual...
EDI for baby product retailers and suppliers
A new kind of baby boom is underway in the retail industry. The baby goods retail industry is now so big and competitive that it shares similar characteristics to other retail verticals, like toys, health and beauty, and fashion. However, unlike many of those other...
Mindful collaboration to grow business through partnership
In the world of small business and entrepreneurship, we often hear about businesses collaborating to manage a large project. They bring in experts with a particular skill set, rather than trying to muddle their way through it or overextending themselves by trying to...
Order-to-shelf inventory management
Order-to-shelf inventory management is an inventory management strategy that has been making headlines recently as more and more retailers, particularly grocers, are embracing it in an effort to reduce back room storage and labor costs. We've seen this in other...
![Hyland’s cures its EDI woes, saves $45K annually [Case Study]](https://www.spscommerce.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/CS_Hylands.png)
Hyland’s cures its EDI woes, saves $45K annually [Case Study]
Since 1903, Hyland’s has been delivering effective, homeopathic medicines to babies, children and adults. From relieving colds to leg cramps to teething pain, consumers trust Hyland’s safe and natural medicines. The popularity of Hyland’s homeopathic medicines among...
EDI 812: Debit/Credit Adjustment transaction explained
At the risk of sounding like a "pobody's nerfect" t-shirt, things go wrong from time to time. Accidents can and do happen. Processes break when humans enter the equation and something happened to your order between the PO and the moment it arrived at your location....
Understanding the power of personalization
We all like to feel special, like people get us and understand us. It shows that they care and that they're concerned with us. It’s the same reason why retailers that use personalization often see increased sales and engagement when they customize their marketing...
What is blockchain and how does it help retail supply chains
No doubt you've been hearing all the buzz lately about Bitcoin and blockchain, wondering what all the fuss is about and exactly what it is. What is blockchain? For starters, Bitcoin is an alternative currency that doesn't exist in physical form. Blockchain, on the...
Fifty percent growth looks easy at PM&J with SPS Fulfillment (Case Study)
As a leading vertically integrated manufacturer of pet, apparel and home products, PM&J LLC has experienced significant growth in recent years. Prior to working with SPS Commerce, its third-party logistics provider (3PL) had been managing its EDI operations. With SPS...
Industrial distributors and Amazon: Competing with retailers and the internet
Industrial distributors and wholesalers have begun competing with retailers, providing products to do-it-yourselfers and enthusiastic amateurs at retail pricing. But now they're going to have to start competing with the internet and e-commerce retailers on a larger...
Free download: 5 signs your EDI solution isn’t the right fit
Your EDI solution was supposed to help your business grow, but it never seems to be working right. Lately it feels like all you’re doing is throwing more time, money and resources into a bottomless pit of neediness. You’re not alone. The problem isn’t with you – the...
Vendor consolidation for retailers
Retailers who are looking to streamline their operations and improve their efficiency, while maintaining their product selection, will often consider vendor consolidation as a way to achieve their desired results. They look for a way to reduce their numbers of vendors...
EDI for toy retailers and toy suppliers
People who work in the retail industry, especially the retail supply chain, are already aware of how competitive that market is. But of all the verticals in that field, the toys vertical is insanely competitive, especially in the modern digital retail landscape. The...
![Jenks Hatches Success With EDI for Quickbooks [Case Study]](https://www.spscommerce.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/CS_Jenks-Hatchery.png)
Jenks Hatches Success With EDI for Quickbooks [Case Study]
As a fourth-generation operation, Jenks Hatchery is a leader in the hatchery industry. Each spring they ship more than 9,000 boxes of chicks to Tractor Supply stores across the United States. Jenks is also a direct-to-farm supplier of chicks, in addition to their...
Try Before You Buy trend is causing ‘returns tsunami’
By Derek O’Carroll, CEO, Brightpearl A growing online shopping trend may be a great perk for consumers, but it could take a significant toll on unprepared retailers. I’m talking about try before you buy (TBYB), a new shopping trend that enables customers to order...
Free downloads: EDI 101 and 5 signs EDI can help your business
Is your business encountering scalability issues and growing pains? Do you need to find efficiencies, speed up processes or reduce manual data entry? Has a retailer, vendor or other trading partner asked you to implement EDI? Download these two resources for free: EDI...
Need state merchandising for grocery
There’s a difference between the shopper and the consumer, just as there is a difference between the person who buys the food and the person who eats it. The parent who buys food for the family is the shopper, the kids are the consumer. Sometimes the shopper is the...
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