NetSuite delivers a complete software package to run a successful eCommerce business. With NetSuite, you receive accounting/ERP, 
CRM, and eCommerce in a single, fully integrated solution. If you are looking to expand your business by adding trading partners or drop shipping, implementing EDI is the perfect solution.
With EDI, you can become fully integrated with trading partners. If you are looking to trade with big box retailers, EDI is mandated, so implementing it offers a greater selection of partners. Once you have selected the partners you wish to integrate with, your EDI provider will begin mapping and testing the integration, and provide you with an EDI standard. An end-to-end integration is preferred because it will automate manual tasks and send necessary procurement documents effortlessly.
By connecting directly with your trading partners using EDI, XML or flat files, your provider eliminates the need to receive orders via email or faxes and manually input the order into NetSuite. Using EDI gives you the ability to send and receive POs (Purchase Orders, EDI 850), ASNs (Advance Shipment Notices, EDI 856), PO Acks (Purchase Order Acknowledgements, EDI 855) and Invoices (EDI 810) electronically with no manual entry. Once you receive the EDI 856, you can email your customer to let them know their item has shipped. EDI documents also simplify the ‘pick,pack,ship’ process, ensuring your product gets where it needs to go at a quicker rate.
Companies looking to drop-ship would also benefit significantly by utilizing an EDI provider. EDI facilitates communication between trading partners, making drop-shipping both possible and painless. The flow of EDI documents ensures information sent between partners is accurate and flows much faster than email, fax, or phone calls. Drop shipping without EDI would be filled with headaches because the process would be slower and manual, which opens the door to human errors made while rekeying information.
Integrating NetSuite with EDI is a great way to grow your business. EDI can facilitate the process of onboarding new trading partners and automate your drop ship process. Choosing an end-to-end EDI solution automates any manual tasks around you order process that would arise if you were not fully integrated with your trading partner. Many EDI providers are cloud-based, like NetSuite, so you will not have to add anything extra to your server. If you are interested in learning more about implementing a cloud-based, end-to-end EDI solution, click here.
