Improving your compliance metrics is not about perfection on every single order — it is about building consistent habits and systems that keep your average well above the retailer's threshold. Here are practical, proven strategies that successful suppliers use.
Ship Early, Not Just On Time
The simplest way to improve your "on time" rate is to build a buffer into your shipping schedule. Instead of shipping so goods arrive right at the Must Arrive By Date, aim to arrive 2-3 days early.
- Carrier delays happen. Weather, traffic, and mechanical breakdowns are outside your control. A buffer absorbs these surprises.
- Check transit times carefully. If you are shipping cross-country, a 5-day transit estimate can easily become 7 days.
- Ship the same day or next day after receiving the PO whenever possible. The sooner goods are moving, the better your margin for error.
Rule of thumb: If the MABD is Friday and transit is 3 days, do not ship on Tuesday. Ship on Monday. That one extra day of buffer could save you from a late delivery penalty.
Send Your ASN Immediately
Do not wait until end of day to send your ASN. Send it as soon as the carrier picks up the shipment. Benefits include:
- You will never miss the retailer's ASN timing window
- The retailer's receiving dock can plan for your arrival
- If there is an error in the ASN, you have time to correct and resend before the shipment arrives
In RetailReady, you can generate and send the ASN directly from the shipment details page. Make it the last step in your shipping process, right after you get the tracking number.
Double-Check Quantities Before Shipping
Short shipments are the leading cause of "in full" failures. Before sealing cartons:
- Count every item against the pick list or packing slip
- Verify by SKU, not just total unit count. Shipping 100 total units does not help if you sent 60 of Item A instead of 50 of Item A and 50 of Item B.
- Check for damage. Damaged units that are refused at the dock count as short.
- If you cannot fill the full quantity, acknowledge the shortage in your 855 PO Acknowledgment before shipping. Some retailers prefer advance notice over surprises.
Keep Your Product Catalog Up to Date
Many compliance failures trace back to stale product data:
- Make sure your UPC codes in RetailReady match what is printed on your physical products
- Keep pricing current so invoices match PO expectations
- Update product descriptions and dimensions when they change
- Remove discontinued items promptly so you do not accidentally accept orders you cannot fill
Use the Compliance Dashboard to Find Problem Areas
RetailReady's compliance dashboard breaks down your performance by retailer, by metric, and by time period. Use it to identify patterns:
- Are your late deliveries concentrated with one carrier? Consider switching carriers for that lane.
- Are short shipments happening with specific products? You may have an inventory accuracy problem in your warehouse.
- Is one retailer's OTIF much lower than the others? Their compliance rules may be stricter and you need to adjust your process for them specifically.
Set Up Alerts for At-Risk Shipments
RetailReady can notify you when a shipment is at risk of missing its MABD. Enable these alerts in your notification settings. When you get an at-risk alert:
- Check the current tracking status of the shipment
- If it is going to be late, contact the carrier to see if expedited delivery is possible
- If the shipment cannot make it on time, proactively communicate with the retailer — they may be able to adjust the appointment
Tip: Compliance improvement is a marathon, not a sprint. Focus on fixing your most common failure reason first. If 70% of your misses are late deliveries, focus entirely on shipping earlier before worrying about quantity accuracy. Tackle one problem at a time.