Wholesale distribution
Automate both sides of your distribution business
Distributors buy from many suppliers and sell to many customers, often with thin margins and high order volumes. ECOM automates both sides, so orders, catalogs, prices and shipments move between partners and your ERP without manual work.
At a glance
- Customer order automation
- Supplier purchasing
- Catalog and price updates
- Drop-ship
- Sales reporting
What is distribution EDI?
Distribution EDI connects wholesale distributors with suppliers upstream and customers downstream. On the selling side, it covers orders, acknowledgments, ship notices and invoices. On the buying side, it covers purchase orders, confirmations and supplier ship notices. Catalog and pricing documents, such as the 832, and sales reporting, such as the 867, are also common.
Challenges
Integration challenges in wholesale distribution
Orders in every format
Customers send orders by EDI, email, PDF and portals.
Catalog and price accuracy
Pricing errors lead to disputes and lost margin.
Drop-ship coordination
Supplier-direct shipments must be tracked and billed correctly.
How we help
How ECOM supports wholesale distribution companies
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Customer order automation
Capture EDI, API and document-based orders into the ERP.
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Supplier purchasing
Exchange orders, confirmations and ship notices with suppliers.
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Catalog and price updates
Process 832 price and sales catalogs into item and price files.
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Drop-ship
Route orders to suppliers and relay confirmations to customers.
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Sales reporting
Produce 867 reports for supplier programs where required.
Documents and standards
Common transactions
Common X12 documents for distributors.
| Code | Document | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| 850 | Purchase Order | Orders to and from the distributor. |
| 855 | Purchase Order Acknowledgment | Confirms orders. |
| 856 | Advance Ship Notice | Describes shipments. |
| 810 | Invoice | Bills for goods. |
| 832 | Price/Sales Catalog | Shares item and price data. |
| 867 | Product Transfer and Resale Report | Reports sales to suppliers. |
Scenarios
Typical integration scenarios
Industrial and MRO distribution
Automate high volumes of small customer orders.
Food and consumer distribution
Coordinate retailer orders and supplier replenishment.
Frequently asked questions
What is an EDI 832?
The 832 price/sales catalog shares item descriptions, prices and related data between suppliers and customers.
Can emailed and PDF orders be automated?
Yes. SmartConvert extracts order data from emails and PDFs and sends it through the same ERP integration as EDI orders.
Do you support distributor ERPs?
ECOM integrates with ERPs common in distribution, including Epicor, Infor, Microsoft Dynamics, NetSuite, SAP, SAP Business One and Sage, using APIs, files or connectors.
Talk to an integration expert
Tell us about your partners, systems and goals. We will show you how PRISM and our team can help.