10 EDI Benefits
Last week we gave a top-line intro to EDI, or Electronic Data Interchange – the dominant language of e-commerce automation worldwide – and made the case for why a fusion of EDI with conventional APIs is the best way to create a platform that can help you do business on as many channels as possible while connecting to the cloud. As part of our continuing series on these nerdy fundamentals of selling online, let’s explore the top 10 benefits of EDI that make it the backbone of modern e-commerce.
10) It’s fast.
Integrate EDI and you’ll reduce your manual data entry by magnitudes. That decreases inventory screwups, reduces delays, and keeps your reputation as a seller high.
9) Automation saves you money.
Automating a formerly analog process means less paper, less stamps (which are expensive, as the writer of this post has come to learn while planning a wedding), and less labor hours. The easiest way to improve your bottom line is by investing in infrastructure that helps your team do things more efficiently.
8) Use less paper!
Automating processes reduces paper usage, which keeps your office clean – and the Lorax happy.
7) Data integrity.
Enter data once and it pops up on the other end, so someone else doesn’t have to write the same thing again – which means half the chance of messing it all up. Plus, EDI contains coding standards that help you elaborate on specific types and formats of information, leave special notes, and much more.
6) Security.
Data integrity reduces the chances of leaks, lawsuits, and embarrassment. That being said… you should probably still avoid giving your passwords to the intern.
5) Take it all the way to the bank.
With a better system for record-keeping, taxes and reconciliation become a thousand times easier. Tell your bookkeeper you’re thinking of automating invoices and watch their reaction closely; their eyes will light up with the hope of a child on Christmas.
4) A bird’s-eye view of the whole supply chain.
See inventory levels, order status, and shipment tracking in real time, so you can rotate stock, make more money, and save on space. To paraphrase William Ernest Henley, you are the master of your fate… and the captain of your warehouse!
3) Spend time on the things that matter.
By reducing the time spent processing and fulfilling orders, your team can actually help you do the higher-order tasks you hired them for, instead of running around the warehouse during crunch time. You’ll be able to turn “all hands on deck now!” into “some hands, sometimes, it’s totally fine.”
2) It makes talking to the world’s largest companies easier.
You speak EDI, they speak EDI, he she we…speak…EDI…
It’s great when systems can communicate with each other. And that’s why #1 is our favorite:
1) Works with CommerceBlitz 😉
Like we mentioned last time, we’ve implemented a hybrid translation engine into our CommerceBlitz OMNI software so that our APIs can talk to EDI. What that means in “I’m-an-entrepreneur-not-a-tech-person” speak is that our system is compatible with more selling platforms than anyone else. And that’s something we’re really proud of – which is why we wrote two whole blog posts about it!
If you’re looking for a switch to a lean, fluid, cloud-based inventory and warehouse management system, allow us to make our case by scheduling a quick demo here! We’d love to learn more about the pain points in your business and how we can help.
Thanks for reading!