Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) is the automated, computer-to-computer exchange of standard business documents — such as purchase orders, invoices and despatch advices — between trading partners, with no manual data entry.
Instead of emailing, faxing or re-keying paperwork, EDI converts each document into a structured standard that both companies’ systems can read, so information flows directly between buyer and supplier. Common standards include EDIFACT, TRADACOMS and ANSI X12. The result is fewer errors, faster processing and a complete audit trail.
In logistics and supply chain management, EDI is the digital backbone that lets retailers, suppliers, manufacturers and carriers exchange trading documents automatically and in real time.
Typical EDI messages across the supply chain include purchase orders, order responses, despatch advices (ASNs), invoices and inventory or stock updates. By replacing manual handling, EDI reduces order errors, shortens lead times, improves stock accuracy and gives every partner end-to-end visibility of goods as they move through the chain.
The main benefits of EDI are fewer errors, faster processing and lower administrative cost.
Because documents are exchanged automatically rather than re-keyed, businesses typically gain faster order-to-cash and invoice processing, far fewer data-entry mistakes and disputes, reduced paper, postage and admin overhead, real-time visibility of orders, despatches and stock, and a full audit trail for compliance. EDI also makes it easier to meet large retailers’ trading requirements and to onboard new partners quickly as you grow.
Web EDI is a browser-based way to send and receive EDI documents without installing or running any EDI software of your own.
With Commerce Connections’ Web EDI portal, iForms, you log in through a web browser to create, send, receive and track orders, invoices and despatch advices in one shared workspace — no back-end EDI system required. It’s ideal for suppliers who need to trade electronically with a retailer but don’t have, or don’t want to maintain, in-house EDI infrastructure.
Commerce Connections is an approved EDI service provider for major UK retailers including Tesco, Marks & Spencer, John Lewis and Sainsbury’s, and connects suppliers to Amazon and the PEPPOL network.
Because our service is built on open EDI standards, we can connect you to virtually any trading partner that supports electronic document exchange — letting you manage all your retailer connections through a single provider.
EDI pricing depends on which service you need and how much data you exchange, rather than a single fixed price.
Commerce Connections offers a managed Web EDI portal (an annual plan with a document allowance) and a fully integrated EDI service (priced on the volume of data exchanged), plus a one-time setup. To get an indicative figure for your own volumes, use our EDI Cost Calculator, or contact us for a tailored quote.
PEPPOL (Pan-European Public Procurement On-Line) is an international network for exchanging electronic documents — particularly e-invoices and orders — over a single standardised connection.
To send or receive documents on PEPPOL, you connect through a certified PEPPOL Access Point. Commerce Connections is a certified PEPPOL Access Point provider: we register your participant ID, configure document routing and connect PEPPOL to your existing ERP or accounting system, such as SAP, Oracle NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, Sage 50 or Xero.
A Global Location Number (GLN) is a 13-digit GS1 identifier used in EDI and supply chains to uniquely identify a company or a specific location — such as a store, warehouse or delivery point.
You can look one up using Commerce Connections’ free GS1 GLN/EAN database tool: search by company name or number to find the location identifier you need for EDI trading.
GLN, GTIN and EAN are all GS1 identifiers, but they identify different things.
A GLN (Global Location Number) identifies who or where — a company or a physical location. A GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) identifies what — an individual product or trade item. An EAN (European Article Number) is the common barcode format used to carry a GTIN on retail products. In short: GLN is the party or location, GTIN is the product, and EAN is the barcode that encodes the product’s GTIN.
Getting started is straightforward: book a discovery call and we’ll map your trading partners, recommend the right service and manage onboarding and testing with each partner.
Businesses choose Commerce Connections because we’re a UK-based EDI specialist with over 25 years’ experience, an approved provider for major UK retailers, a certified PEPPOL Access Point and a GS1 member — and because you deal directly with experienced integration consultants rather than a call centre.