EDI Document Types
Purchase Order (850)
The document a retailer sends to you when they want to buy your products. It contains the items, quantities, prices, ship-to address, and required delivery dates. This is where every order begins.
Purchase Order Acknowledgment (855)
Your response to a purchase order. It tells the retailer "I received your order and I can (or can't) fulfill it." You can accept all items, reject specific items, or adjust quantities. Most retailers require this within 24-48 hours.
Advance Ship Notice / ASN (856)
The document you send when you ship products. It tells the retailer exactly what's in the shipment, how it's packed, the carrier, tracking number, and expected delivery date. Warehouses rely on this to prepare for receiving your goods.
Invoice (810)
Your bill to the retailer for products you've shipped. It references the original purchase order and includes line items, quantities, prices, and payment terms. This is how you get paid.
Payment / Remittance Advice (820)
The retailer's payment notification. It shows how much they paid, what deductions were taken, and which invoices the payment covers. Review this carefully — deductions are common.
Functional Acknowledgment (997)
An automated receipt that confirms an EDI document was received and is structurally valid. Think of it like a delivery confirmation for email. RetailReady handles sending and receiving 997s automatically. You can see the result — whether your document was accepted, accepted with errors, or rejected — as a color-coded status indicator in your order's document history.
Chargeback / Debit Memo (812)
A financial penalty from the retailer. Chargebacks are issued for compliance failures: late shipments, missing ASNs, wrong labels, short shipments, and many other reasons. Avoiding chargebacks is one of the biggest reasons to use a platform like RetailReady.
Connection & Technology Terms
Trading Partner
Any company you exchange EDI documents with. In your case, this is typically the retailer (like Walmart or Target). Each trading partner has its own set of requirements, document formats, and connection details.
EDI Standard (X12)
The formatting standard used for EDI documents in North America. X12 defines how data is structured — which segments to include, what order they go in, and what each field means. The "850," "856," and "810" numbers all come from the X12 standard. You don't need to learn X12 — RetailReady translates it for you.
SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol)
A secure method for transferring files over the internet. Some retailers exchange EDI documents via SFTP — files are uploaded to and downloaded from a secure server. RetailReady manages these connections for you.
AS2 (Applicability Statement 2)
A protocol for sending EDI documents directly between two systems with encryption and delivery receipts built in. Many large retailers (including Walmart) prefer AS2. RetailReady handles the AS2 connection, certificates, and message tracking.
Compliance & Performance Terms
Compliance
Meeting all of a retailer's EDI and supply chain requirements. This includes sending documents on time, in the correct format, with all required data. Each retailer has a compliance guide — sometimes called a "vendor manual" or "routing guide" — that spells out their rules.
OTIF (On Time, In Full)
A key performance metric. "On Time" means the shipment arrived within the retailer's delivery window. "In Full" means you shipped every item and quantity they ordered. Retailers track your OTIF score, and low scores can result in chargebacks or even loss of the account.
MABD (Must Arrive By Date)
The deadline by which your shipment must arrive at the retailer's warehouse or distribution center. Missing this date is one of the most common causes of chargebacks. Pay close attention to the MABD on every order.
Routing Guide
A retailer's detailed instructions for how shipments should be prepared, labeled, and transported. It specifies approved carriers, pallet configurations, label formats, and delivery scheduling requirements. Always follow the routing guide — deviations result in chargebacks.