What Is a Trading Partner?
In the EDI world, every retailer you do business with is called a trading partner. Each trading partner has their own specific requirements for how they want to exchange electronic documents with you. Think of it like each retailer handing you a unique instruction manual for how to work with them.
Before you can start receiving orders electronically from a retailer, you need to set up that connection in RetailReady. This guide walks you through the entire process.
What You Need from Your Retailer
Before you begin setup, your retailer (or their EDI coordinator) will provide you with a few pieces of information:
- ISA and GS Identifiers — These are like mailing addresses for EDI. Your retailer has their own ISA Qualifier and ID (e.g.,
ZZ / RETAILER123), and you'll have yours too. These identifiers tell each system who sent the document and who should receive it. - Communication Protocol — How files will be sent back and forth. Most retailers use either SFTP or AS2 (more on these in the next article).
- EDI Document Versions — Which version of each document type they expect. For example, they might use ANSI X12 version 4010 for purchase orders.
- Trading Partner Guide — Many large retailers publish a detailed guide (sometimes called an "implementation guide" or "spec sheet") that describes exactly how each document should be formatted.
Tip: If your retailer hasn't sent you their EDI specs yet, ask for their "EDI Implementation Guide" or "Trading Partner Requirements." They deal with this regularly and will know exactly what you need.
Setting Up the Connection in RetailReady
Once you have your retailer's information, follow these steps:
- Add a New Trading Partner — Go to Trading Partners and click Add Trading Partner. Enter the retailer's name and select them from the list if they're a known retailer. RetailReady pre-fills many settings for popular retailers like Amazon, Target, and Walmart.
- Enter EDI Configuration — Fill in the ISA/GS identifiers your retailer provided. Double-check these carefully — even one wrong character means documents won't route correctly.
- Configure the Connection Protocol — Set up SFTP or AS2 credentials based on what your retailer requires. RetailReady will test the connection to make sure it works.
- Map Document Types — Confirm which EDI documents you'll exchange. At minimum, most retailers require: Purchase Order (850), Purchase Order Acknowledgment (855), Advance Ship Notice (856), and Invoice (810).
The Three Stages of a Connection
Every trading partner connection moves through three stages in RetailReady:
| Stage | What Happens |
|---|---|
| Practice Mode (Sandbox) | You enter the retailer's EDI configuration, set up connection details, and exchange test documents in a safe practice environment. Documents stay within RetailReady and are not sent to the retailer. |
| Certification | After passing preflight checks, your documents are transmitted to the retailer's actual EDI endpoint for certification testing. The retailer reviews your documents before approving you for live trading. |
| Live | Real orders start flowing. You're officially doing business electronically with this retailer. |
You can always see which stage each trading partner is in from your Trading Partners dashboard. RetailReady won't let you skip ahead until each stage is complete, which protects you from going live before you're ready.
You can switch a trading partner back to Practice Mode at any time if you need to re-test or troubleshoot your setup.
Tip: The setup process typically takes 1–3 weeks depending on how quickly you and your retailer can coordinate testing. Don't rush it — thorough testing prevents costly mistakes once real orders start arriving.