The Benefits of EDI for Small Businesses

EDI is not only for large, multi-national companies, an Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) solution is just what you need to help your small business succeed and is a business requirement as you expand your business into different retailers and trading partners. EDI helps small businesses save time and money by reducing manual labor and creating more streamlined relationships with trading partners. EDI – like DataTrans cloud-based EDI and eCommerce solution WebEDI – is easy to use and automates fulfillment while offering great expandability as your business grows.

Small business EDI implementation, with the leading EDI service provider like DataTrans Solutions, makes data exchange easy and automated, helping small businesses focus less on data entry and more on what your business needs to grow and succeed. Becoming EDI capable automates the data interchange between business partners such as orders, shipments, product details, sales or inventory information.

Implementing a small business EDI solution creates a consistent and predictable experience with trading partners which can greatly assist in perpetuating sales while strengthening partnerships. EDI helps small businesses handle small to large influxes of purchase orders without needing additional staff and allows you to easily serve retailers and trading partners during peak periods and holidays without losing your reputation for dependability and prompt shipment.

Having EDI in place improves small businesses’ initial opportunities when talking to new trading partners by creating small business EDI compliance. With DataTrans as your EDI provider, maintain 100% EDI compliance with your entire network of trading partners. As DataTrans adheres to each trading partners’ EDI specifications, businesses can connect and scale easily while following each trading partners’ business requirements. While you may have started your small business on an online marketplace – like Amazon or eBay – or an eCommerce site – like Shopify or Magento – your growth plan includes a spot on the shelves of large retailers.

Large retailers such as Target or Walmart have detailed requirements once you become an approved vendor and being EDI capable are one of those requirements. Your small business cannot grow if you are not prepared. Luckily, with DataTrans, we make it easy to be EDI capable, compliant and automate fulfillment for on-time delivery making your business partnerships a success.

EDI for small businesses also make scalability easier for you and your company. While growth is always good, it frequently comes with a lot of headaches, including hiring more staff and working overtime. Implementing an EDI now means you’ll avoid these issues when you hit your growth phase. DataTrans supports your business with our all-in-one EDI and eCommerce solution that scales as your business evolves. Whether getting started with a few orders a month of tens of thousands of orders, DataTrans supports your business needs. When you are ready to scale, so is DataTrans.

Small business EDI compliance is required by many larger trade partners before they’ll commit to doing business with you. If your business plans involve growth into larger retail platforms, an EDI is your only way forward. EDI enables these trade partners to standardize their documents across a huge range of vendors ensuring that every incoming document has the details needed for their ERP and internal processes. Large retailers require EDIs because human errors are eliminated and tasks are streamlined. EDI allows small business to be among suppliers who are technically prepared to scale a relationship. This fast-tracks the onboarding processes so your products are in store and online sooner.

Small business EDI solution gives your business the ability to save a tremendous amount of time, effort and cost which in turn reduces stress. By partnering with DataTrans Solutions, ensure your business success.

• Manage and process orders and generate response documents such as advance shipment notices (EDI 856) or invoices (EDI 810) quickly and efficiently
• Prevent redundant manual entry of data, saving staff time and increasing productivity
• Increased efficiency and strengthen partnerships and loyalty by building a consistent and reliable procurements process for your trading partners while reducing errors or shipping delays
• Reduce human errors and increase speed and accuracy of information exchanged
• No need to juggle eCommerce and retailer orders separately
• Keep staffing solutions lean – keep personnel requirements to a bare minimum while growing your business
• Provides information security
• Ability to handle large volume orders
• Connects to all your retailers, trading partners and eCommerce marketplaces
• Integrates with any shipping service, accounting program, ERP, 3PL, WMS

DataTrans’ cloud-based EDI and eCommerce software, WebEDI, provides small businesses with a simple and affordable way to become EDI capable and compliant with any retailer, grocer, manufacturer, healthcare company or trading partner. WebEDI easily streamlines the procurement process by managing transactions, processing orders and fulfilling shipments with our multichannel all-in-one portal.

WebEDI is the industry’s all-in-one small business EDI and eCommerce solution making EDI as easy as email through a secure connection with 24/7 monitoring. With this solution, no special software or computer knowledge is required. All that is needed is an internet connection and your small business is EDI compliant within minutes. This cloud-based EDI and eCommerce solution also scales as your business evolves by integrating with any application.

Advantages of DataTrans WebEDI:

• Affordable: low upfront and ongoing EDI costs
• Easy: Rapid setup and intuitive interface
• Connect: To thousands of trading partners
• Reliable: 24/7 system monitoring with no interruptions
• Control: Set user permissions to securely administer multiple users
• Simple: No EDI training or extra technical staff required
• Compliant: With trade partners’ EDI requirements
• Support: Live U.S.-based support available by phone, chat or email
• Scalable: Integrated with any application

WebEDI extends the value of your existing accounting system – including QuickBooks, Fishbowl or Sage – with a simple integration. Our EDI processing synchronizes to your system of record, eliminating the need for cross referencing. Additionally, DataTrans WebEDI integrates with any shipping service, ERP, 3PL, WMS, API connection and more.

While the implementation process can be intensive, our experienced and highly trained, knowledgeable team will ensure an easy and seamless EDI implementation and as your scale, integration as needed. As partner we provide customizable, flexible solutions accommodating your business needs and requirements, it will prove itself with its ability to increase productivity and free up time for you and your team to focus on other aspects of your business.

Once you adopt EDI, the more effective your business process will be, especially with auto-filling capabilities. Our small business EDI solution connects with any trading partner or marketplace and integrates across various sales channels and solutions to ensure you get the greatest functionality.

Delaying your small business EDI implementation means you miss out on new business. Retailers must comply with consumer demands for fast products so efficient and reliable suppliers are critical to the success of large retailers. Without EDI, large retailers will simply pass over your small business.

Delaying your small business EDI implementation means your company may remain buried in tedious data work while you continue to pay more for transactions that still require hours of manual labor including emails, faxes and phone calls.

Have questions? Already an approved vendor and ready to get started? Feel free to reach out to our team, we’re always here to help.