The Importance of Big Data in Retail
We all know that data-driven research and development is the key to success in an ever-growing digital age. And this is no different in retail. Since the start of the online retail boom, brick-and-mortar stores have often found it difficult to keep pace with the speed...
3 Ways NetSuite EDI Integration Can Streamline Omnichannel Order Management
Consumers expect to buy, receive and return items seamlessly across all channels including stores, e-commerce, marketplaces and more. This means that suppliers must manage orders across these channels, while ensuring their customers have the omnichannel experience...
4 Keys to Overcoming Challenges in the Retail Supply Chain
There’s been a lot of recent news about the challenges in the retail supply chain. Retailers and distributors are grappling with many disruptions — including unanticipated spikes in consumer demand, port delays and labor shortages, to name a few. Under normal...
What is Assortment Planning?
Assortment planning is how retailers choose the goods they’re going to have on offer at any given time. The aim is to have the right amount of stock, conveniently placed, to meet customers' needs while also fulfilling the retailer’s financial objectives. Successful...
When Omnichannel Retail Accelerated
For years, consumers have been buying in-store, online, and via social media, apps, and marketplaces like Amazon. Some retailers had these operations working as one smooth machine, but most worked behind the scenes to deliver a front-facing omnichannel experience with...
How Businesses Use NetSuite EDI Integration to Boost Their Omnichannel Strategy
As consumers increasingly embrace omnichannel shopping, SPS Commerce has worked with many businesses to accelerate their omnichannel initiatives. Let’s take a closer look at two companies that have used NetSuite EDI integration to enhance their omnichannel strategy....
Why is SPS the Acumatica Choice EDI Extension?
In technology, there are partnerships on paper and partnerships in action (aka, the ones that matter). Acumatica partners and customers quickly see the difference. The SPS Commerce and Acumatica partnership is much more than a simple handshake. It’s a daily commitment...
5 Product Content Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them
Consumers have more choices than ever. Your brand might compete with hundreds of others in its category. Whether your product is sold online or on a store shelf, the right product content is critical to helping your product stand out. But managing your product content...
All Your Orders in One Place, That’s the Power of Microsoft Dynamics EDI
Mornings get off to a slow start when you must first access orders from multiple sources. Logging in to every retailer’s portal or other communication method takes time (and an excellent memory to recall all those passwords). Then, you need to remember how to navigate...
How Carrier Service Cuts Freight Costs and Simplifies the Order Fulfillment Process
Truck shortages and escalating freight costs are having a dramatic effect on the supply chain. Fulfilling orders has always been complex, but now it’s more expensive and time-consuming than ever. That’s why we’re so excited about the latest update to our highly-rated...
3 Keys to Success in the Toy Industry’s Digital Retail Transformation
The toy industry experienced an unprecedented boom last year with 16.7 percent growth, according to research firm The NPD Group. Not surprisingly, e-commerce continues to be a key driver of the industry’s growth. But, it’s no secret that failing to adapt to the...
When Retailers Want EDI, It’s Time for Order Automation
When retailers update their trading requirements to include EDI, the best way forward for many suppliers is system automation. This was the case for an Australian supplier of premium pet food, treats and accessories. Their existing customer had new EDI requirements...
E-Commerce Retailer Boosts Growth Using NetSuite Integration with EDI
E-commerce merchants rely on NetSuite integration to help them manage orders and eliminate manual tasks. Recently, Thrive Market shared their story of EDI integration success. Thrive Market, a membership e-commerce platform, provides high-quality natural and organic...
3 Value-Added Benefits of NetSuite Integration with EDI
If you’ve just implemented NetSuite or are considering a new ERP system, it’s a great time to also consider your EDI needs. NetSuite is a powerful system to run your business. You can extend its capabilities by choosing a full-service EDI solution such as Fulfillment...
5 Dynamics EDI Considerations to Guide Your Move to the Cloud
Is it time to move your ERP to the cloud? Many Microsoft Dynamics businesses face this question and plan to migrate their on-premise solution to Business Central, Finance and Operations or another cloud ERP. This move will impact your EDI operations, but with proper...
How to Prepare for Drop Shipping vs. Order Fulfillment From a Warehouse
Are you a supplier that needs to meet retail order fulfillment requirements? You’ve come to the right place! In this blog, we’ll describe drop shipping vs. order fulfillment from a warehouse or distribution center. We’ll also outline typical electronic trading...
Four Strategies for Meeting Amazon’s New Seller Fulfilled Prime Requirements
About Guest Author Ruby Has Ruby Has Fulfillment is one of the fastest growing ecommerce fulfillment and logistics providers for direct-to-consumer brands and retailers. With a strategically located international footprint of distribution centers in the U.S. and...
Acumatica Summit 2021: Together Again!
A big thanks to Acumatica for bringing the community together last week in Las Vegas! Seeing one another in person, meeting new partners face to face, and taking in the bright lights made each of us say “it’s great to be back!” While there were many conference...
Acumatica Innovations from SPS
Innovation doesn’t happen without people. That’s why at SPS Commerce, we have formed lasting partnerships with the teams and individuals within Acumatica. From being invited into the Acumatica MVP Program to certifying our solution on every major Acumatica version...
EDI 820: What are the Benefits of EDI Payment Order/Remittance Advice?
Surprisingly, many buying organizations (retailers and distributors) still send physical checks to their suppliers. Likewise, many organizations also print and mail the remittance detail that corresponds with these payments. Fortunately, there’s a much more efficient...
Faster Dynamics EDI Integration from SPS Commerce
When Microsoft Dynamics ERP companies looked to the future, they knew they’d require more capabilities. They needed to support their move to the cloud, e-commerce strategies and communications. Automation would bring them efficiencies and reduced errors. But, they...
Unclutter Your Desktop with Embedded EDI for Acumatica
Simplifying one’s workday begins with cutting back on the number of applications, logins and windows we need to open during the day. If you check your device, it’s likely you have at least five open applications. A recent GoTo survey of 2,000 office employees found...
How to Write Product Descriptions That Wow Customers and Boost Sales
If you’re a supplier that has been tasked with writing descriptions of your products for an online store, you may be tempted to fill out basic details and move on. But the truth is, online product descriptions are more than just a few words that describe your product. They play a key role in bringing shoppers to your product page in the first place, and they help convince shoppers to buy your product once they’ve landed there. They’re helpful discovery and sales tools that deserve a bit of strategic thinking.
Ditch the Spreadsheet, Manage All Orders in Acumatica
Spending every day flipping between Acumatica, retailer portals, emails and marketplaces to locate and process orders is in a word — chaos. Today’s suppliers are multichannel. With this comes additional orders, which is a good thing, but every channel has its own way...
A Simple Guide to Understanding the GS1-128 Barcode Label
The GS1-128 barcode (also called UCC-128 barcode) allows businesses to identify and track products as they move through the supply chain. These barcodes are used in labels applied to pallet shipments and individual cartons. GS1-128 barcode labels enable buying...
Four Painful SAP EDI Problems You Can Actually 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...
Manage Any Order with E-commerce, Wholesale and Shopify EDI Integration
Suppliers receive sales orders from more and more channels. But who wants to spend time checking related portals, emails and messages? Wouldn’t it be fantastic if there was one solution that displayed all orders in a single screen, including those from Shopify?...
3 Important Keys to Automation in the Growth Stage of the Product Life Cycle
The growth stage of the product life cycle is where the rubber meets the road for product suppliers. Once you’ve introduced your product, you need to establish your market presence, prove your sales trajectory and improve your margins. As you enter this phase, you’ll...
EDI Software Integration Unlocks Digital Transformation Potential
In a recent study by the Economist Intelligence Unit, 72 percent of enterprises have significantly accelerated their pace of digital transformation. How does Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) fit into a digital transformation initiative? EDI considers the value of...
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.
Set Your Staff Free with EDI Integration for NetSuite
What tasks do your customer service staff perform? Do they spend most days (or at least most mornings) entering wholesale or marketplace orders into Oracle NetSuite? If so, you aren’t alone. Most suppliers use their customer service teams to process customer orders....
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...
EDI 810: Electronic Invoices Help Automate the Payment Cycle for Buyers & Sellers
The EDI 810 is one of the most fundamental business documents in the retail supply chain. It’s the electronic invoice a seller (supplier or vendor) sends to a buyer (retailer or distributor) to request payment for the products delivered. An automated invoicing process...
2021 Retail Priorities: Looking Forward
As the Australian economy reopens and shoppers start to return to stores, it’s time a good time to reflect on some of the things that 2020 has taught us. Better yet, we need to decide where do we go from here and what our 2021 retail priorities will be. In 2021 and...
Top Five Future Retail Trends
Earlier this year, SPS Commerce released its annual industry benchmark survey, Retail Insight 2016, in conjunction with Retail Systems Research (RSR). Distributors, retailers, manufacturers and logistics firms weighed in on their outlook for 2016.
Psychology Behind Cart Abandonment and Ways to Fix It
Pretend for a moment that you’re a store manager for a grocery or retail store. As you make your way around the floor, you run into a cart all by itself with just one or two items in it. You walk a little further and find one with five products in the cart. When you...
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...
Managing the Cost of Returns to Online Retailers
What is the cost of returns to online retailers? In 2020 alone, nearly $50 billion in items were returned either back to the retailer’s return center, retail store or directly back to the retailer’s trading partner. An estimated 30 percent of all products ordered...
Improve the Shipping Documentation Process with 3PL Integration
The struggle to keep up with orders has heightened as suppliers face changing retailer requirements and new order models. Most suppliers’ processes have trouble keeping up and the shipping document process is mired with manual steps. Instead, many businesses are...
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 e-commerce. This EDI document is foundational for organizations that want to expand into omnichannel retailing, which requires up-to-date inventory...
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...
4 Unexpected Benefits of the EDI 850 for Buyers and Sellers
The most crucial step in the retail supply chain is sending and receiving purchase orders. However, our retail experts discovered this document tends to be the most inefficient and difficult to maintain within supply chains. Why? Too many businesses are using email,...
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