How to Proactively Mitigate At-Risk Orders
As Murphy’s Law states, “whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.” This adage certainly holds true when it comes to managing the day-to-day order process. Missing orders, back orders and late shipments are just a few of the common supply chain problems that can cause...
Holiday Prep in the Era of Retail Disruption
This year is destined to be a retail holiday season like no other. Supply chain disruptions and risks of additional COVID-19 outbreaks are having a dramatic impact on the retail industry. According to IBM’s annual retail index, the pandemic has accelerated the trend...
Overcoming Increasing Order Volumes With QuickBooks EDI For Order Automation
Chocolate without the sugar, what could be better? Consumers agree. They’ve been snacking, baking and gobbling up Lily’s Sweets which can now be found at a growing number of national retailers and grocers. The company’s business has more than doubled in two years and...
Supply Chain Collaboration, a $195B Opportunity
Billions of dollars are ripe for the taking. The latest Coresight Research report attributes a four percent increase in sales for those retailers and suppliers using shared sales and inventory data to improve performance. With the U.S. retail sales predicted to top...
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...
Three Strategies to Get Ahead of Supply Chain Disruption
To keep consumers and workers safe, many retail organizations have recently ramped up their ecommerce efforts. This includes accelerating the rollout of buy-online, pick up in store (BOPIS), curbside delivery and same-day delivery services. According to a recent...
How Transportation EDI 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, the...
EDI Systems: Key Considerations Before You Buy
Have you been researching “What is an EDI system?” or “How to set up an EDI system?” If so, you’re probably aware there are countless EDI systems available in the market today that likely all sound the same. In fact, a Google search for “EDI providers” leads to over 8...
Reduce Returns with Better Inventory and Item Data
When stores closed during the COVID-19 outbreak, many consumers flocked to e-commerce and omnichannel retail shopping. Consumers increasingly chose low-contact shopping methods, like buy online, pick up in store (BOPIS), curbside pickup and home delivery. As stores...
Why Automation is Crucial to a 3PL Drop Ship Business
Drop shipping has become big business in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many suppliers and 3PLs report that drop-ship orders have tripled or more in recent months. So, the questions on everyone’s minds is how to drop ship more efficiently and more profitably....
Automated Data Speeds Up 3PL Warehouse Operations
Third-party logistics providers (3PLs) excel at warehouse operations. They do it fast. They do it right. They are the experts. This is the service that their customers pay for. But, does part of a 3PLs’ ability to quickly fulfill orders fall on their customer’s...
How to Shift Inventory Based on Shifts in Consumer Demand
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause shifts in consumer demand. Some consumers are shopping at fewer retail stores but buying more on each trip. Others are flocking to e-commerce and other low-contact shopping methods, like curbside pickup. At the same time,...
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...
Automated Inventory Updates Improve 3PL Visibility
A supplier’s inventory resides in many locations across the retail supply chain. This makes accurate visibility a challenge. A supplier’s primary location for inventory is likely at their 3PL’s warehouses. Without direct visibility to on-hand inventory, suppliers rely...
Master the inventory balancing act for BOPIS
Managing inventory has never been easy. But it’s more complex now than ever with the rise of digital fulfillment options such as buy online, pickup in store (BOPIS), curbside pickup, and home delivery services like Shipt. These fulfillment options have grown...
E-Commerce and the New Age of Retail
About Guest Author Shipfusion Shipfusion sets your business on autopilot and combines flexible, reliable fulfillment with powerful, real-time technology. Shipfusion has multiple fulfillment centers across the US and Canada - making it easy to manage your e-commerce...
![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...
NetSuite and SPS: A perfect pairing for natural food & beverage brands
About Guest Author Sean Gillespie As Chief Operating Officer at SuiteCentric, Sean oversees the NetSuite development team, sales and marketing initiatives, and management of the company’s NetSuite Solution Provider and CAP memberships. With more than 20 years of...
3PL Study Finds Accurate Data Key to Shipping Accuracy
The saying “garbage in, garbage out” certainly applies to the retail supply chain. Wherever incomplete or errant data is found, so are mistakes, delays and additional costs. In April 2020, SPS surveyed nearly 200 third-party providers (3PLs) about data. The responses...
Replacing inventory with information
Inventory 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). You improve...
3PLs Optimize Warehouse Staffing with Automation
Third-party logistics providers (3PLs) are being stretched to do more while keeping their margins in line, especially when it comes to staffing expenses. Why? The biggest cost for most 3PLs is human capital. Warehouse staff are necessary, but expensive. Making sure...
SPS Commerce Ranked #1 Twin Cities Largest Software Development Firm
The Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal recently published its annual list of who’s who among Twin Cities tech firms. This year the Journal combined the Software Developer and Software-as-a-Service lists into one. And, SPS was (again) ranked as the largest...
Better Visibility to Orders Requires the ASN
Retailers and distributors are looking for real-time updates on the status of their orders. Why? They want to: Maximize open-to-buy budgets Remove the need to carry safety stock Manage inventory without compromising customer satisfaction. If buying organizations have...
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...
Boost Omnichannel Sales with Retail Product Data Management
Whether suppliers sell their products in stores or through e-commerce, the right item information and visual assets are essential. From attractive photos to accurate dimensions and vivid descriptions, consumers need product data when shopping on any device or at any...
![[INFOGRAPHIC] Reduce Stock on Hand & Improve Inventory Optimization with Retail Data Analytics](https://www.spscommerce.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/iStock-850852928_super-1080x675.jpg)
[INFOGRAPHIC] Reduce Stock on Hand & Improve Inventory Optimization with Retail Data Analytics
Finding ways to reduce stock on hand or improve inventory optimization isn’t easy. It’s especially challenging when the sales and inventory data you get from retailers is incomplete, delayed or in multiple formats that you have to compile yourself. Fortunately, a...
Managing Drop-Ship Returns with the EDI 180
The reverse logistics process has typically been an afterthought in the retail supply chain, until now. In the past 18 months, the number of drop-ship orders has skyrocketed. As more than 25 percent of drop-ship orders are returned, establishing an efficient returns...
Gear Up for Retail Stores Reopening
We are beginning to see retail stores reopening across many states. As stores open back up, retailers expect their suppliers to be prepared to collaborate with them to jointly find areas of opportunity. Location-based sales and inventory data can arm you with the...
Optimize Open-to-Buy Processes with Order Acknowledgment
Once a buyer places an order with a supplier, they are often left in the dark about if and when the order will arrive or what will be on the delivery. The lack of a confirmation and/or order acknowledgment leaves buyers asking questions like: Can the vendor ship the...
5 Tips to Manage Order Volume Velocity without Retail Chargebacks
Orders can spike quickly when trends take off or consumers are displaced, often with little notice. In just a few days, new retailers are calling and wanting to do business. But, don’t forget that all good things typically come with a few strings attached, or in this...
How a retail data tool can improve forecasting and decision-making
If you’re like most businesses, making decisions and planning for the future is especially challenging in today’s uncertain market. It's even more challenging when you look at the retail data that informs your decisions and find that it's incomplete, delayed or...
Optimizing Retail Order Management Requires Data-Driven Insights
Consumers are pushing the limits of retailers’ operations, especially given today’s omnichannel world. Retail order management has expanded beyond a linear process from order to store shelf. Today, order management must address the dozens of ways consumers can shop,...
How to Avoid Overspending on Package Shipping Rates
Cash flow is the lifeblood of small businesses. Optimizing shipping costs can help businesses preserve cash, which is more important now than ever. Compare shipping rates for drop-ship fulfillment For companies that drop-ship, the ability to reduce package shipping...
Using Analytics to React to Disruptions with Data
Earlier this week, I was speaking to a footwear supplier in California who wanted to see how their sales were shifting by week and by state. I also talked to a supplier of fitness products whose sales were spiking and wanted to make sure they had inventory in the...
Data Requirements for Supply Chain Traceability and Visibility
No one likes surprises, but they happen every day. Whether it’s a recall or simply a missing order, data is needed to inform retailers and suppliers about the product’s journey and its location. If you are like me, I’d prefer to look up the data, find the order...
SAP S/4HANA Cloud EDI: Macro-Trends Shaping SAP Migration Events
In February of this year, SAP broadly announced to the SAP community that there would be critical changes in its maintenance policy for SAP ERP Central Component (ECC) beyond 2025; however, this appears to be a fluid deadline. Current users have been “voluntarily...
SPS Commerce encourages Girl Scouts to “Think Like a Programmer”
It’s no surprise that young girls often associate math and science with boys, as only 24% of women make up the STEM workforce. Events like “Think Like a Programmer” are helping to break down those barriers. “Think Like a Programmer” is a full-day event for Girl...
Faster, more efficient order fulfillment with EDI for UPS, FedEx, USPS and other popular carriers
Streamline the shipping process with Carrier Service 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...
How to Successfully Implement Just-in-Time Inventory
Evolve Your Business to Just-in-Time Inventory Inventory management within your supply chain often includes a complicated web of data being managed through multiple systems. High cost, inefficient inventory, and distribution management practices are unfortunately...
Why EDI Integration That’s Built for Oracle NetSuite Certified Matters
When you’re a small to mid-sized company, new orders and new customers are the lifeblood of your business. But as your order volume grows, so does the complexity of your supply chain. If your company is going through a transition like this, automating your...
Improve business relationships with retail data analytics
Fifteen minutes before their annual buyer meeting, a supplier of premium sandals received a spreadsheet from their retail customer. The spreadsheet included data on how their sandals had been selling by store and by region. This supplier scrambled to make...
Toying with Success? Global EDI is Coming.
It’s the dream of every consumer goods business owner. Demand for your product is making headlines across Australia, the United States (U.S.) and around the globe. This was the case with Moose Toys. They are the Australian family-run business that shook up the toy...
Click and Collect Expands Retail Volume Online and In-Store
As the continued growth of online purchases, in-store pickup, and ship-to-store strategies widen, the supply chain has driven retailers to become more flexible. Click and Collect is perfectly positioned to offer this kind of flexibility to retailers by delivering the...
How to Prevent Stockouts Using Retail Data Analytics
It should come as no surprise that stockouts are a critical problem in the retail industry. According to advisory firm IHL, stockouts lead to lost sales of nearly $1 trillion annually. Estimates show that suppliers lose an average of 10% of sales each year due to...
Turn Your Products Faster with Better Inventory Visibility
Inventory visibility has always been a vital part of any retail process. Still, the absence of it can be painful for retailers and felt in a variety of operationally connected ways such as missing wholesale item data, incomplete packing data, shipping information, and...
Driving Loyalty with Personalized Packaging and Labeling
Part of a successful drop shipping effort includes ensuring that customers’ packages display accurate retailer branding and shipping information. Using personalized packaging and labeling is one way to accomplish that. Doing so means that customers can easily...
Determining the EDI Cost Savings for Your Business
Companies invest in retail technologies with the expectation that it will make their business more efficient, save time and money, or help them to grow. To prioritize these investments, businesses look at metrics such as the payback period, return on investment (ROI),...
EDI Reporting: Visibility that Trading Partners Need
Both retailers and suppliers need more visibility to the status of orders in their supply chain. With the latest advances in electronic reporting, more power than ever is being placed into the hands of more trading partners. Trading partners communicate order...
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