Combining Retail Software and EDI to Reduce Errors and Increase Efficiencies (Webinar March 7th).

B2BGateway and Brightpearl have partnered to give online retailers and distributors a cutting edge in today’s modern world of omni-channel commerce. Combining B2BGateway’s award winning, cloud based EDI technology with Brightpearl’s class leading retail management software suite benefits the end user by:

§  Eliminating the need to re-key data which in turn reduces errors and cuts down on labor costs associated with manual data entry.

§  Can handle all international EDI file standards including X12, EDIFACT, Eancom, Tradacoms, PEPPOL, oioUBL, etc.

§  EDI is widely used in Box Store Retail (Tesco, Walmart, Boots, etc.), the Online Marketplaces (Amazon, Jet.com), Logistics, Government and Finance.

§  Can handle all communication protocols required VAN, AS2, FTP, sFTP, etc.

§  Compliant with all trading partner requirements and regulations

§  Full integration to Third Party Logistics Provider (3PL)

§  Supports Drop Shippers

§  GS1-128 Label and Packing Slip capabilities

To highlight the benefits of the combined solutions, B2BGateway and Brightpearl will co-host a webinar on Tuesday, March 7^th at 5pm GMT (9am PST). For further details and to register to attend please visit http://bit.ly/2kWbM0t

'Tis The Season To Sell Online!

Did you know that B2BGateway integrates with Magento, Shopify, 3dcart, Bigcommerce, WooCommerce and a host of other eCommerce Online Shopping Platforms?

Do you sell your goods and services on your own in-house shopping cart powered by Magento, Shopify, 3dcart, Bigcommerce, WooCommerce, Volusion or others? Through EDI/API technology and full integration with your Accounting Software / ERP solution (e.g. QuickBooks, Xero, SAP, Sage, NetSuite, Acumatica…….), B2BGateway can help you maximize your eCommerce activities in the following ways:

1.       Pull orders from your eCommerce shopping cart and place them directly into your Accounting Software / ERP solution as Sales Orders. There is no need to re-key data.

2.       Send Inventory Updates to your eCommerce sites so that you never sell out of stock items.

3.       B2BGateway can automatically send new orders from your shopping cart to your 3PL, Warehouse or Drop Ship Vendor.

4.       B2BGateway can help update your site with shipping and tracking information.

Having a fully integrated B2BGateway solution between your online shopping cart and back end ERP/Accounting Software solution means that there is no need to re-key the data – this drastically cuts down on errors, reduces manual labor costs and speeds up your entire process!

B2BGateway’s eCommerce EDI solutions will also help your organization to send orders directly from your eCommerce site to your 3PL (third party logistics provider), warehouse or drop-ship vendor for fulfillment.

To learn more on how B2BGateway’s fully integrated EDI solutions for eCommerce platforms can improve your organization’s supply chain please email our sales team at Sales@B2BGateway.Net

What is Supply Chain Management (SCM)?

Would you like to understand the concept of supply chain management but don’t have the time to do so? The good news is that in some upcoming posts we will explain to you the key principles and terms of supply chain management (SCM) that you can read and learn in under 3 minutes!
In this post we will focus on introducing the term ‘supply chain management’ and how your organization may improve the competitiveness of your supply chain.

The term “supply chain management” arose in the late 1980’s and came into widespread use throughout the 1990’s. Prior to this, businesses used terms such as ‘logistics’ and/or ‘operations management’. In the late nineties individual authors undertook an attempt to express the essence of supply chain management in one definition. Its constituents are the subject of a management philosophy, target group, goals and numerous ways to achieve these goals.

The subject of supply chain management is, of course, a chain that represents a network of all the organizations that are involved, through links up and down the chain of different processes and activities creating value in the form of products and services for the end customer.

In broad terms the supply chain consists of two or more separate organizations legally connected with one another by the flow of materials, information and finance. These organizations may be companies that produce parts, components and finished products, logistics providers and even the final customer. Network connections do not usually focus on the flow inside a single chain, but consists of complex flows associated with a variety of customer orders, which must be operated in parallel.

In the narrower sense of the term supply chain, it is used for large companies with multiple locations, often located in different countries. Co-ordination of the flow of materials, information and finances in multi-national companies effectively is still a huge challenge. The objective of managing all links of the supply chain is to increase competitiveness. This is possible because individual organizational units are not responsible individually for the competitiveness of their products and services in the eyes of the end customer but the responsibility lies with the supply chain as a whole. Hence competitiveness shifted from individual companies in the supply chain.

There are two broad ways to improve the competitiveness of the supply chain. One is the integration (or co-operation) of the organizations involved, and the second is better co-ordination of the flow of materials, information and finances. Overcoming organizational barriers, adjusting strategy and accelerating flows along the supply chain are the main subjects in this context.

If you would like to see how B2BGateway can help improve your organization's supply chain processes, please email Sales@B2BGateway.Net today

Modern EDI – It’s no longer just X12, EDIFACT or Tradacoms!

In today’s modern world of integrated data communication, the term EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) no longer represents just X12, EDIFACT or Tradacoms file exchanges, but rather has become a much more generic term for the exchange of all business data supported by an ‘Any to Any’ integration. In fact, in today’s terms modern EDI represents a completely integrated communication hub for all parties in the supply chain.

While the traditional EDI data formats of X12 et al are still supported, and indeed still widely used in retail, wholesale distribution, manufacturing and logistics industries, modern EDI will also support the majority of additional file formats such as XML, CSV and flat files. Modern EDI will also be built on SaaS/cloud based platforms allowing much more flexibility, scalability and value for money to the end user.

The modern EDI provider will also be able to support API integration in tandem with traditional EDI ports. Therefore, the modern EDI provider becomes a complete, integrated communication hub to support all the needs of the end user, be it the ordering of goods from a factory, selling those goods to traditional box-stores and the modern online marketplace, selling their own goods and services on their own shopping cart and integrating with a 3PL for the storage and shipping of the aforementioned goods. 

	Traditional EDI	Modern EDI
File Formats Supported	·         X12 ·         EDIFACT ·         Tradacoms	·         X12 ·         EDIFACT ·         Tradacom ·         PEPPOL ·         oioUBL ·         XML ·         CSV ·         Flat Files ·         And much more
Integration	·         Desktop ·         Limited Connectivity ·         SDK ·         ERP ·         WMS	·         Cloud Based ·         ‘Any to Any’ ·         SDK and API’s supported. ·         ERP ·         Accounting Software ·         WMS ·         OMS ·         Inventory Software
Pricing	·         High, used predominantly by very large organizations who could afford it.	·         Affordable and available all.
Industries Predominantly Serviced	·         Retail ·         Manufacturing ·         Automotive ·         Large Scale Wholesale Distribution	·         Retail ·         Online Market Places ·         Drop Shipping ·         eCommerce Shopping Carts ·         Manufacturing ·         Automotive ·         Wholesale Distribution ·         Healthcare ·         Insurance ·         Third Parfty Logistics (3PL) ·         Finance/Government

If you would like to know more about modern EDI and how it can support your business’ communication needs, please visit www.B2BGateway.Net or email Sales@B2BGateway.Net

B2BGateway EDI encourages the use of Pencil and Paper!

B2BGateway EDI encourages the use of Pencil and Paper. Read the FiftyThree Case study here http://bit.ly/28IxECR

B2BGateway offers organizations complete integration for all their supply chain communication needs.

B2BGateway’s cloud based EDI and automated supply chain solutions offer organizations complete integration with all their trading partners and business tools, regardless of market vertical served. Using B2BGateway’s cloud based EDI and data exchange technologies provides growing organizations with a complete ‘one stop shop’ approach to fulfilling all their communication needs.

B2BGateway offers complete supply chain automation solutions by providing full integration from the customers’ ERP solutions to Online Shopping Carts (Magento, Bigcommerce, 3dcart…), 3PL’s (Third Party Logistics), Online Marketplace (Amazon, Rakuten, Zappos...), Box Store Retailers (Walmart, CVS, Target…), Inventory Software Solutions (ACCTivate, Numbercruncher, Fishbowl), Manufacturers (Apple, Ford, Caterpillar…), Government and Financial Institutions.

To learn more about how B2BGateway’s complete communications solution removes the need for today’s modern organizations to have many, many separate solutions and touch points, please visit www.B2BGateway.Net or email Sales@B2BGateway.Net

B2BGateway and NetSuite: Conquering the Wholesale Distribution Marketplace

By Kevin Hoyle, CEO, B2BGateway.

B2BGateway and NetSuite first partnered way back in 2001, back when NetSuite was known as NetLedger and the term ‘cloud computing’ was not yet invented. Back then we just referred to the cloud as plain and simple, doing business over the internet! In the intervening 15+ years, the world of EDI and ERP has changed a great deal; many integrations now use web-services and CFO’s are actively seeking cloud based ERP systems such as NetSuite. These solutions provide instant anywhere ERP access, along with fully integrated EDI solutions, through cloud technology and they are both affordable and available to the masses.

Since B2BGateway became NetSuite’s EDI partner in 2001, the Wholesale Distribution market has evolved significantly. The traditional supply chain route of; manufacturer to wholesaler to box store retailer has been altered. Now, we have online shopping carts, multi-layered e-commerce stores and drop shipping where the retailer may never handle the goods. EDI technology has played a major part in automating and simplifying all e-commerce solutions. Take for example the EDI 846 transaction set or inventory inquiry document. The EDI 846 is used by Wholesale Distributors to communicate inventory levels to their trading partners. It has become particularly important for online retailers such as Amazon to have this information at hand, especially when drop shipping. Online retailers cannot reliably offer goods to consumers without having up to date inventory information from their distributors. Cloud based, fully integrated EDI solutions can solve this problem by instantly sending electronic inventory updates from NetSuite to the trading partners.

Furthermore, many Wholesale Distributors are now outsourcing their warehouse and transportation needs to Third Party Logistics Providers (3PLs). By using the EDI 900 transaction set series, Wholesale Distributors can automate and communicate electronically with their 3PLs. Going beyond conventional EDI, NetSuite users can have their EDI 945 transaction sets (warehouse ship advice), received from the 3PL fulfill their transactions in NetSuite.

In Wholesale Distribution, margins are tight and getting tighter every day. Customers have choices of where they can purchase their products and the competition is always out there. Through better management of the warehouse, dead stock can be eliminated, items can be purchased that have better turn rates, and long lead time items can be better forecast. Wholesale Distributors can use EDI to optimize order entry, but they can also use EDI for Advanced Ship Notifications (ASNs), invoicing, creation of shipping labels and in some cases for ‘Just In Time’ (JIT) inventory processing and ‘Vendor Managed Inventory’ (VMI).

As we start 2016, more and more distributors are beginning to sell directly to consumers through e-commerce solutions such as NetSuite’s SuiteCommerce platform, Magento, Shopify, etc., and see it as an important driver for growth. Wholesale Distributors, whether they are very mature commodity businesses or young technology distributors, are facing the same challenges with respect to e-commerce. Essentially, an e-commerce company relies on a virtual storefront to sell goods and the distributor to fulfill the orders. In the past, Wholesale Distributors shipped to a B2B world of brick and mortar organizations. Generally, goods would be packaged in lots of dozens or grosses. Now with e-commerce the Wholesale Distribution business is beginning to cover both B2B and B2C (business to consumer) marketplaces, where the customer is buying in quantities of one or two. As such, product packaging has had to change and the methods of handling items are different for these reduced quantities.  

Further, e-commerce has substantially changed retail. In a Wall Street Journal article, Sarah Nasshauer describes that retail now has between 13 and 20 different seasons. We all know about Christmas, Halloween, Spring DIY season, but there are seasons like Storage and Organization in January, Allergy Season in late spring and Fall Gatherings (rakes and sweaters) in early October.  Wholesale Distribution needs to fulfill orders for these new seasonal demands, so they need technology to better manage their inventory and to be able to quickly handle orders and order changes. Wholesale Distributors need to be more nimble than ever in order to meet the changing needs of their customers.

NetSuite is a great product to use for managing a Wholesale Distribution organization. NetSuite has fantastic inbuilt functionality, but it also supports a complete eco-system of third party add-ons, such as B2BGateway’s fully integrated EDI (which can be found on the NetSuite SuiteApp platform). By continuously adding or improving third party applications and verifying their quality through verification processes such as ‘Built For NetSuite’, NetSuite can be assured their customers are getting the very best integrated cloud technology and market leading solutions.   

Read the full CIO Review magazine article here

EDI transaction sets frequently used in Manufacturing

As EDI becomes more and more popular in many manufacturing verticals and as the thin line between manufacturers and distributors becomes more and more blurred in today’s world of e-commerce transactions, here is a list of some of the more popular EDI transaction sets used in today’s modern world of manufacturing:

§  ANSI X12 810 / EDIFACT INVOIC – Invoice – sent by manufacturers to the customer to bill for goods ordered and delivered.

§  ANSI X12 830 / EDIFACT DELFOR – Planning Schedule/Material Release – provides forecast data for upcoming orders that helps suppliers manage materials and other resources such as labor requirements. Not all 830's, however, can be used to create a Purchase Order, just manufacturers with 830's that have release capabilities.

§  ANSI X12 832 / EDIFACT PRICAT – Price/Sales Catalog – used by manufacturers to provide product information and prices to their supply chain partners in the form of a catalog.

§  ANSI X12 846 / EDIFACT INVRPT – Inventory Inquiry/Advice – used to notify trading partners of on-hand inventory. Becoming a strong requirement from Online Retail trading partners.

§  ANSI X12 850 / EDIFACT ORDERS – Purchase Order – used by manufacturer to purchase materials and/or services from a supplier.

§  ANSI X12 856 / EDIFACT DESADV – Advance Ship Notice (ASN) – communicates the contents of a shipment, sent in advance of that shipment’s arrival, which also provides information on the order, the products, the shipment arrival date and time, etc.

§  ANSI X12 862 / EDIFACT DELJIT – Shipping Schedule – provides detailed shipping requirements and may be triggered by product usage, allowing suppliers to replenish items immediately (similar to VMI), in support of Just In Time manufacturing processes.

§  ANSI X12 940 / EDIFACT INSDES – Warehouse Shipping Order – used to instruct remote Third Party Logistics Providers (3PL) or warehouses to ship orders to customers.

§  ANSI X12 943 / EDIFACT DESADV – Warehouse Stock Transfer Shipment Advice – an advance ship notice to a remote warehouse that a transfer shipment has been made from the manufacturer.

§  ANSI X12 944 / EDIFACT RECADV – Warehouse Receipt Advice – acknowledgment of receipt of a shipment (such as may be referenced in an EDI 943 transaction) at the warehouse.

§  ANSI X12 945 / EDIFACT DESADV – Warehouse Ship Advice – used by 3PL or warehouse to let manufacturer know goods have been shipped to customer.

§  ANSI X12 997 / EDIFACT CONTRL – Functional Acknowledgement – customer acknowledges receipt of EDI transaction set from manufacturer.

If your organization would like to know more about how EDI can help improve its supply chain efficiencies, please contact B2BGateway today by visiting our website www.B2BGateway.Net to get a local office number or simply email Sales@B2BGateway.Net

Using EDI to Connect with eCommerce Platforms such as Magento and Bigcommerce

 

AU Webinar: Using EDI to connect with your ecommerce Platforms such as Magento or Bigcommerce. Tuesday September 08 at 12pm Sydney time. Details and registration here http://bit.ly/1N47ht0

Managing the Omni-Channel – Hot Topic during SuiteWorld 2015.



Speaking at SuiteWorld, NetSuite’s annual client and partner conference, Branden Jenkins, General Manager for Global Retail at NetSuite, commented on disruption and change and how retailers need to adapt to the new world of omni-channel retail.

According to Jenkins "Retailers need to put systems in place that give them the omni-channel capability”. He believes that the NetSuite eco-system (combination of NetSuite product features and partner add-on features will give NetSuite users a clear lead in the omni-channel market place. NetSuite also introduced their new Point of Sale (PoS) functionality which should greatly enhance the retailers omni-channel approach.

As well getting the product visible and sold through the right channels, the NetSuite user also needs to look closely at a complete and seamless supply chain integration platform. A platform which ties in all the players in the channel from online retail to box store to shopping carts to 3PL providers to drop shippers to manufacturers and more.

The omni-channel approach by NetSuite seems to be working as they were able to announce at SuiteWorld that they have just landed international surfing and clothing company, Billabong as a major new customer. Billabong is starting with NetSuite’s eCommerce platform and says that over time it may also switch its current ERP systems as well.  According to Kadima Lonji, CTO at Billabong, the new NetSuite implementation with enhanced inventory and stock visibility has the potential to deliver Billabong cost savings of $13 million per annum.

If you would like to know more on how B2BGateway’s fully integrated EDI solutions for NetSuite can help your organization handle the disruption of the omni-channel while at the same time enhancing your business call +1 401 491 9595 (NA) / +353 61 708533 (EU) or email Sales@B2BGateway.Net

Automating Orders and Inventory between your eCommerce site and ERP

As online shopping continues to gather rapid pace (Forrester predicts that over $278 Billion will be spent this year online by US consumers on products and services), many organizations are purchasing eCommerce platforms such as 3dcart, Volusion, Magento, etc., to help them operate their eCommerce online stores. An eCommerce platform is a complete online store application that includes search, navigation, user accounts, shopping cart and ordering capabilities.

Without the right tools using an eCommerce platform can be quite a cumbersome and manual process as the following steps will outline:

1.       Setup product items to sell online including pricing, imagery, inventory.

2.       Customer places order online through the shopping cart.

3.       Order details are keyed in manually into the organizations backend accounting software solution or ERP.

4.       The order is sent (email, fax, etc.) to the warehouse for fulfilment, where it is manually entered again into the warehouse’s WMS.

5.       The warehouse fulfils the order and sends the organization notice (email, fax, etc.) that the goods have been shipped with tracking details.

6.       Order information from warehouse re-keyed into organizations backend system.

7.       Product shipped to customer.

 



 

As can be seen from the steps above, the entire process is quite laborious and can be error prone. Now let’s see how the same transaction would work if the organization implemented EDI:

1.       Setup product items to sell online including pricing, imagery inventory.

2.       Customer places order online through the shopping cart.

3.       EDI 850 Purchase Order is sent directly into organizations backend accounting software or ERP (no need to re-key data). The EDI 850 triggers an EDI 940 (warehouse ship order) to be sent directly into the warehouses WMS (again full automation and no re-keying of data required).

4.       The warehouse fulfills the order and sends an EDI 945 (warehouse shipping advice) to the organization letting them know the goods have been shipped. The organization uses the EDI 945 to close out the sale in their back end system.

5.       Product shipped to customer.

As well as orders and shipping notices, organizations can use the EDI 846 Inventory Inquiry/Advice document to let their trading partners know of stock levels at all times to avoid selling out of stock goods and the EDI 856 Advance Ship Notice to let trading partners know when to expect to receive goods.

For further information on integrating your eCommerce platform with your ERP/Accounting Software system please call B2BGateway today at (401) 491 9595 or email Sales@B2BGateway.Net

B2BGateway EDI Solutions for the Omni-Channel

Top 5 Advantages of EDI

Webinar July 09 at 1pm EST: Integrate your eCommerce Platform with your Accounting Software or ERP

Do you use an eCommerce Platform such as Magento, 3dcart, Shopify, Volusion, etc. to run your Online Shopping Cart?

Would you like to learn how to integrate your eCommerce platform to your Accounting Software / ERP system? (QuickBooks, NetSuite, SAP, Microsost Dynamics, etc.)

Regiester today to learn how to:

• Use B2BGateway's fully-integrated EDI solutions to pull orders from your online shopping cart and populate them as sales orders in your accounting package or ERP system without rekeying any data!
• Keep your online site up to date with inventory updates.
• Connect and communicate seamlessly with 3PLs and outsourced warehouses or shipping companies.

We'll have a 'questions and answers' segment at the end for any specific question that might not have been covered in the Webinar. Please click the link below to register we hope to see you on July 9th!

Register here http://bit.ly/1yU0idk

B2BGateway and Acumatica partner to deliver best of breed cloud based EDI and supply chain solutions to Acumatica users.

B2BGateway, a leading global EDI and automated supply chain solution provider, and Acumatica, the cloud ERP, have partnered to deliver Acumatica users the best in breed in cloud based EDI technology.
 
Acumatica is a leading provider of cloud ERP applications that empower SMBs to stay competitive. Born in the cloud, Acumatica’s browser-based Cloud ERP software offers many choices in deployment, licensing, integration, and customization.
 
Today EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) has become a standard business requirement in wholesale distribution, manufacturing, retail, automotive and ecommerce industries. By having B2BGateway’s fully integrated EDI solution, Acumatica users can now connect seamlessly with online retailers such as Amazon, eCommerce platforms such as Magento, box store retailers such as Walmart and third party logistics providers (3PL). In essence B2BGateway provides a ‘one stop’ solution that can cater for any organizations omni channel logistical and supply chain needs.

For further information on how B2BGateway can further help you automate your organizations supply chain processes with Acumatica call +1 401 491 9595 or email Sales@B2BGateway.Net