Did you know that Amazon will be launching its full retail services in Australia in late 2017/early 2018?

To date Amazon has only offered its Kindle and AWS services to the Australian market, however that is soon about to change as Amazon prepares to launch its full range of retail services in Australia by late this year or early 2018. Amazon recently released this statement, “Amazon Web Services launched an Australian region in 2012, we launched a Kindle Store on Amazon.com.au in 2013, and we now have almost 1,000 employees in the country. The next step is to bring a retail offering to Australia, and we are making those plans now. We are excited to bring thousands of new jobs to Australia, millions of dollars in additional investment, and to empower small Australian businesses through Amazon Marketplace. We are optimistic that by focusing on the things we believe customers value most – low prices, vast selection, and fast delivery – over time we’ll earn the business of Australian customers.”

Here are some facts and figures that B2BGateway has uncovered regarding Amazon offering full retail services in the Australian Marketplace

·         Amazon, the US headquartered online retail giant is actively looking for a warehouse to become a fulfillment centre, the first of many in Australia, with floor space of up to 93,000 square metres.

·         Based on its track record in other countries, Amazon will spend hundreds of millions of dollars over the next few years to establish its services in Australia.

·         56% of Australian adults told Nielsen in February they will buy from Amazon when it lands.

·         In Australia, Amazon is already selling entertainment, including ebooks and Amazon Prime streaming of television series and movies. The next stage is local ordering and local delivery of goods from and within Australia.

·         The initial focus for Australia will be consumer and home electronics — the market currently dominated by JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman — the type of goods which can be held without spoilage and can easily be shifted to a consumer in a box.

·         First, and most obviously, Amazon is going to take a gigantic bite out of local retail revenues. One analyst briefed by Amazon’s management team last year told news.com.au that Australia’s high prices were the main reason for its entry into this country.

·         The combination of lower prices and the attraction of Amazon’s efficient delivery model already sees Australians spend about $1 billion a year at Amazon. But that figure is expected to quadruple over the next five years as Amazon grows its local presence and cheaper delivery costs. Those $3bn in additional sales have to come at the cost of existing retailers and as the expected September launch date for Amazon’s local delivery approaches, every major retailer in the country is, as we speak, preparing to lose market share while talking tough in the local media.

As an EDI provider, B2BGateway has been helping Amazon vendors automate their supply chain processes for many years. B2BGateway supports Amazon vendors in all categories including Amazon Vendor Central, Amazon Seller Central and a variety of country specific sites. If you would like to know more on how B2BGateway can help your organization be ready for the Amazon revolution in Australia please email Sales@B2BGateway.Net or call +61 28003 7584

Want to improve your Amazon Operations?

B2BGateway, a global EDI solution provider, and Lean Channel Management, an organization of Amazon alumni, announced today a partnership that will deliver top sales potential and greater supply chain efficiencies to vendors who trade on the Amazon Marketplaces.

Representing organizations in the Automotive, Beauty, Electronics, Home, Kitchen, Outdoors, Pets, Sports, and Tools verticals B2BGateway and Lean Channel Management will combine solutions to help vendors achieve accelerated sales growth through world class marketing, business analytics and integrated EDI solutions.

Lean Channel Management will use their Amazon expertize to provide clients with pricing strategies, online catalog optimization, forecasting, merchandising and shipment management, while B2BGateway will optimize the clients exchange of business documentation (PO’s, Purchase Order Acknowledgments, Invoices, Shipping Notices, Routing Requests, etc.) with Amazon through cloud based EDI technology.

"B2BGateway is proud to partner with Lean Channel Management”, states Roger Leyden, Director of Global Business Development at B2BGateway, “Amazon has become one of our fastest growing Trading Partner relationships and we have many clients selling through a host of Amazon divisions and country specific marketplaces including Amazon Vendor Central and Amazon Seller Central. We are very excited to team up with leading Amazon experts Lean Channel Management who will be able to advise our mutual clients on best business practice and how to dominate their relevant channels on the Amazon Marketplaces they subscribe to.”

"Lean Channel Management is excited to partner with B2BGateway in order to provide a comprehensive vendor service offering that will now include B2B's stellar supply chain management,” added David McLean, Senior Partner at Lean Channel Management. “We find that vendors and sellers often struggle to adapt as Amazon pushes them to rapidly change the way they do business. It's refreshing to have found an EDI provider that understands these challenges and can help vendors and sellers improve their supply chain at the pace of Amazon.”

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

B2BGateway and Maclaren Shortlisted for a UK Supply Chain Excellence Award

B2BGateway, a leading global EDI solution provider and Maclaren, the company which introduced the world's first lightweight aluminum baby stroller over fifty years ago, have been shortlisted for a UK Supply Chain Excellence Award 2016 for developing a mobile EDI Connect App in the Technology Awards Category.

B2BGateway provides cloud based EDI solutions to Maclaren which fully integrate with Maclaren's NetSuite ERP system. The B2BGateway EDI solution allows Maclaren to exchange electronic business documents such as orders, invoices and shipping notices, etc., with customers such as Target and Amazon and removes the need for the Maclaren staff to re-key data.

This summer B2BGateway developed a mobile EDI Connect App that lets Maclaren executives check EDI orders from anywhere on their mobile devices, ensuring EDI documents are transmitting properly and that all orders are fulfilled in a timely fashion. Some of Maclaren’s EDI customers include retailers like Bed Bath & Beyond, John Lewis and Saks.The B2BGateway EDI Connect App works with the majority of ERP systems and is available on both iOS and Android platforms to B2BGateway clients.

The winners of the UK Supply Chain Excellence Awards will be announced in London on November 14, 2016. You can see a full list of all the organizations that are shortlisted for this year's awards here.

A baby stroller manufacturer rolls faster with electronic orders

By Phil Burgert on B2BeCommerce.com

Maclaren, a pioneer in strollers, is using a mobile app to check EDI orders as it also takes orders via its e-commerce site.

Maclaren is a manufacturer known for introducing 50 years ago lightweight, easy-to-use “umbrella” baby strollers made with aviation-grade aluminum. It’s continuing try new things today, including a more flexible means of managing its electronic orders from all sizes of customers.

Maclaren sells to retailers ranging from large corporations like Target Corp. and Amazon.com Inc. to smaller regional store chains and individual “mom-and-pop” stores. While the Targets and Amazons prefer to place most if not all of their orders via electronic data interchange, or EDI, many of the smaller merchants aren’t set up to exchange EDI documents and prefer to order via Maclaren’s e-commerce site, MaclarenBaby.com, which also takes orders from consumers.

In early 2015, Maclaren deployed NetSuite Inc.’s SuiteCommerce software suite, which includes Maclaren’s e-commerce platform and its enterprise resource planning, or ERP, business software applications for managing inventory, customer orders and financial records. As Maclaren receives e-commerce orders from customers across eight countries, it automatically updates data across the SuiteCommerce ERP applications.

But it can be difficult to monitor the flow of EDI orders, checking for transmission problems and ensuring enough inventory is on hand to fulfill the orders. Following the SuiteCommerce deployment, Maclaren worked with B2BGateway to also integrate its EDI orders with the SuiteCommerce ERP system, relieving the manufacturer of manually entering EDI order data into its ERP applications.

This summer, Maclaren took things up another notch by deploying B2BGateways’ EDI Connect App, a mobile app that lets Maclaren executives check EDI orders from anywhere, ensuring EDI documents are transmitting properly and that orders are fulfilled. EDI documents include customer purchase orders and Maclaren’s invoices and ship notices. Maclaren’s EDI customers also include retailers like Bed Bath & Beyond, John Lewis and Saks.

“We have an EDI team and they use the app to work with EDI transactions coming and going,” says James Ramsey, global head of technology for Maclaren, a unit of United Kingdom-based holding company Dory Ventures.

“All of our larger customers prefer to work through EDI so they don’t have to use our B2B e-commerce site and everything can be done through EDI with those customers,” he says. “That’s why we’re working with B2BGateway. They’ve been a great partner in getting EDI set up with all of these big accounts, which takes a lot of the load off our account executives and sales team for everything that comes in and goes back out again.”

Ramsey says considerable volume goes through EDI at Maclaren, and that that having the integration with SuiteCommerce and the mobile app make it far easier to keep it running smoothly. “The misconception with EDI is people think once it is put in place it just runs and everything is good in the world. But it never gets done, there’s always some issue that comes up,” he says.

Louisa Gooding, director of sales and strategic relationships at B2BGateway, says B2BGateway is continuing to add more of Maclaren’s trading partners into its EDI system. “We’re in the process of adding 40 more online trading partner relationships between now and December.”
Gooding described the B2BGateway EDI Connect App as primarily a reporting app. Ramsey, she says, “needs it because he wants to have a quick place to see what’s going on.”

Ramsey says he has been able to use the app to catch up on the status of trading partners while walking into the office or to get complete overviews of a day’s EDI transactions while watching his son’s soccer games.

B2BGateway launched the app last year on iOS platforms and added Android platforms earlier this year.

For further information on the B2BGateway EDI Connect App please visit www.B2BGateway.Net or email Sales@B2BGateway.Net

EDI Matters Newsletter

B2BGateway Newsletter out now! Taking the heat out of your EDI needs http://bit.ly/2ahQlTC

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's EDI Connect App Brings Maclaren's Customer Communications Into the 21st Century!

Iconic baby stroller company uses newly developed B2BGateway EDI Connect App to manage all customer accounts with backend NetSuite ERP while on the go!

Maclaren, the company which introduced the world’s first lightweight aluminum baby stroller over fifty years ago, has announced that it has implemented B2BGateway’s EDI Connect App to help staff monitor all EDI customer accounts while on the move.

In order to improve supply chain efficiencies, comply with customer requirements and to scale for rapid growth, Maclaren enlisted the help of B2BGateway to integrate EDI with their NetSuite ERP system. Having a fully integrated, cloud based EDI solution allows Maclaren to automate the sending and receiving of standard business documents such as purchase orders, invoices and advanced shipping notifications (ASN) with global customers such as Amazon, Bed Bath & Beyond, John Lewis, Saks and Target to name but a few. Having B2BGateway’s EDI solution fully integrated with Maclaren’s NetSuite system removes the need for the Maclaren staff to manually re-key data; this in turn leads to reduced errors, lower labor costs and faster payments from their customers.

B2BGateway have made further improvements to their solutions offered to all clients by recently introducing the B2BGateway EDI Connect App. The App supports both iOS and Android platforms and is available to download for free on the Apple iTunes and Google Play app stores. While the existing B2BGateway platform allows users to manage their full EDI accounts, clients can now use the B2BGateway EDI Connect App on their Android and Apple devices to oversee trading partner relationships, daily EDI transactions and contact support 24/7. 

“B2BGateways’s cloud based, fully integrated EDI solution for NetSuite has greatly improved our overall supply chain efficiencies and customer communications,” states James Ramsey ICT Manager at Maclaren,” Now with this new wonderful B2BGateway EDI Connect App, I can catch up on where new trading partner setups stand on my walk into the office, or get a complete overview of all the day’s EDI transactions while watching my son’s soccer game.”

Louisa Gooding, Director of Sales & Strategic Relationships at B2BGateway adds “Our technologies are innovative because they meet the specific needs of business people around the world. Regardless of where they are, our clients will now have full access to all their EDI transactions thru the B2BGateway EDI Connect App. Our goal is to help clients increase productivity, generate greater market share and improve relationships with their customers. By downloading the B2BGateway EDI Connect App the user will now have instantaneous, up to date information regardless of geographical location or time zone.”  

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

Retail giant Target to crack down on suppliers.

Retail giant Target is cracking down on suppliers as part of a multi-billion-dollar overhaul to speed up its supply chain and better compete with rivals including Walmart and Amazon.

The sixth-largest U.S. retailer by sales plans to tighten deadlines for deliveries to its warehouses, hike fines for late deliveries, and could institute penalties of up to $10,000 for inaccuracies in product information, according to a letter sent to suppliers recently.

The new rules and penalties are detailed in a letter sent to suppliers. They will start to take effect on May 30 and will be rolled out over the next 60-90 days. In the letter to suppliers, Target said the goal was to keep products stocked to help eliminate out of stock situations and therefore missed sales. The new rules, detailed in the letter, call for domestic suppliers to give a single-day arrival date for shipments to Target's warehouses. Domestic suppliers constitute the majority of Target's vendor base.

These suppliers will no longer have a "grace period" to ship a few days after the promised date without penalties, the letter says. Suppliers said the current grace period for shipments is two to 12 days depending on product category. Target will also hike fines on late shipments to 5 percent of the order cost, according to the letter, which adds that the retailer is considering "escalating charges of $5,000-$10,000" for suppliers who fail to provide complete and accurate product information.

Household, paper, pet products and center-store grocery suppliers have to comply with the rules in June; health and beauty vendors in July and divisions including apparel, home and electronics in August.

If your organization would like help to meet Target’s new rules and deadlines, please contact B2BGateway today on +1 401 491 9595 or email Sales@B2BGateway.Net

B2BGateway offers organizations complete integration for all their 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    

What is the difference between Amazon Seller Central and Amazon Vendor Central?

At B2BGateway we often get asked by clients and partners ‘What is the difference between trading with Amazon Seller Central and Amazon Vendor Central?’ I came across a great blog recently by Trinity Hartman on Content 26 which lays out in simplified detail, the differences between both Amazon structures for merchants. A brief overview of the blog can be seen here:

 

If your products are selling very well on Amazon, chances are you may be contacted by an Amazon Buyer to sign up to sell your products through Amazon Vendor Central. But what is Amazon Vendor Central and how does it differ from what you are doing already on Amazon Seller Central? To answer these questions lets’ take a look at a brief description of both:

 

What is Amazon Seller Central?

 

If you are already selling on Amazon, chances are you are using Amazon Seller Central. Amazon Seller Central is the web interface used by sellers to manage and view their orders. If you sell via Seller Central, you’re considered by Amazon as a marketplace or third-party seller. As a marketplace seller, you have different options for managing your virtual storefront. Amazon has a pay-as-you-go system for individual sellers as well as a pro merchant option for high-volume sellers. Pro merchant sellers can also choose Fulfillment by Amazon where Amazon takes care of shipping, customer service, and returns.

 

What is Amazon Vendor Central?

 

Amazon Vendor Central is the web interface used by manufacturers and distributors. If you sell via Vendor Central, you’re called a first-party seller. You’re acting as a supplier, selling in bulk to Amazon. Registration on Vendor Central is by invitation only. A tell-tale sign that a company is selling through Vendor Central is the phrase “ships from and sold by Amazon.com.” Only Vendor Central allows enhanced content, which Amazon refers to as A+ content. What is enhanced content? It’s an extended version of the basic product description including scan able text that explains the features and benefits of the product as well as product images and often a comparison chart.

 

Whether you operate on Amazon Seller Central or Amazon Vendor Central, you can learn more about how B2BGateway EDI solutions can help you further improve and automate your supply chain with Amazon by calling + 1 401 491 9595 (NA) / +353 61 708533 (EU) or email Sales@B2BGateway.Net



B2BGateway EDI Solutions for the Omni-Channel

Multi-Channel Vs. Omni-Channel Explained

I recently came across a great article by Linda Bustos of Get Elastic who describes the differences between “mutli-channel” and “omni-channel”. Linda also expands on these terms and predicts what the store of the future will look like.

In the early days of e-Commerce, traditional brick-and-mortar and catalog retailers added transactional websites, becoming “multi-channel” retailers. For many, the online “channel” functioned as its own entity with its own systems, even with its own P&L competing against the box store or mail catalog retail division. Some even outsourced e-Commerce – notably Target and Borders, who let Amazon run their online stores for years before taking control in-house. Regardless of the model, online and in-store customer experiences were completely separate.

In recent years, the “multi-channel” concept has morphed into “omni-channel,” these buzzwords often used interchangeably – but they’re not exactly the same concept. If you want to get etymological, multi means “more than two” and omni means “every.” You can operate in as many “channels” as you want, but you’re not an omni-channel business unless there is interconnectedness between every touch point you offer from the perspective of the consumer.

Omni-channel isn’t about pushing in-store customers to buy more online. There’s a myth of the uber-profitable “multi-channel customer” that splurges wherever you accept a credit card. It is about supporting the customer’s shopping needs and preferences, with the online channel as much of a customer service tool as it is an option to purchase from.

Accenture found 73% of North American consumers have show-roomed at least once in the last 6 months, and 49% think integrating stores with online and mobile touch points is where retailers need to improve the shopping experience most.

Today, having a website with transactional capabilities isn’t an option for retailers – it’s an expectation. And having a mobile-friendly site is now table-stakes too, not just as a complementary touch point to the ecommerce site, but as an in-store shopping aid. You can read Linda’s full article here including her predictions on what stores of the future will operate.

If you would like to know more about how B2BGateway can help support your omni-channel requirements and improve your supply chain call +1 401-491-9595 (North America) / +353 61 708533 (EU) or email Sales@B2BGateway.Net



Amazon encourages Vendors to implement EDI and SSCC Labels to avoid upcoming No Carton Label Content Chargebacks.

In recent correspondence to vendors and solution providers, Amazon have outlined the steps that vendors should take in order to avoid the upcoming No Carton Content Level Charge-backs which will be introduced on January 1^st, 2015. According to Amazon, becoming EDI compliant and introducing SSCC/GS1-128 Labels will greatly help to avoid the upcoming charge-backs of $5 per non-compliant carton. A copy of the correspondence is detailed below:

“Dear Amazon Vendor,

In December 2013, we announced new labeling and ASN (Advanced Shipment Notification) requirements, whereby we require all vendors to provide ASNs and carton (package) labels to communicate carton content information. In the March 2014 newsletter, we provided vendors with another reminder and asked vendors to be compliant with these requirements by August 31st, 2014.
As a next step, we will be introducing the No Carton Content Label chargeback. This chargeback will apply when cartons (packages) in your shipment do not have carton content labels with the required information: PO number in both text and Code39 or Code128 barcode form, ASIN, ISBN, UPC, or EAN, Number of units in carton, Expiration date (if applicable), Lot number (if applicable).
Although you may receive notifications about this chargeback as of October 7th, 2014, the charge will be waived through December 31st, 2014. As of January 1st, 2015 we will be enforcing a $5 chargeback per each non-compliant carton (package).
To comply with our policy, you must affix one of the following to each carton (package) in your shipment:
1) SSCC labels (most preferred) - EDI vendors using document 856 can use the SSCC labels to meet the above requirements. We have revised the EDI 856 Technical Specifications document in the Vendor Central Resource Center so that vendors can start providing expiration date and lot number details. If you are not currently using the 856 document, we recommended that you start using it to meet our carton content label requirements. If you are not set up to use EDI, we recommended looking into this option in order to use SSCC labels to comply with this policy.
2) 2D barcode shipping labels - If you're already using the GS1 specifications to generate a 2D barcode, you may continue to do so. We will accept all 2D Barcode shipping labels that meet the GS1-128 standards. If you have not invested in the GS1-128 standards and want to provide us the required information via a 2D barcode, you can also use one of the following formats (in order of preference):

• PDF417 - Besides being an industry standard and one of the speediest formats to read, there is no character limit on this format.
• Data matrix
• QR Code
• Maxi - this has a 93 character limit.

For specifications with illustrative examples, download the North American Shipment Guidelines in the Vendor Central Resource Center, open the NA_Vendor_Prep_and_Trans_Manual.pdf file, and go to the "BPS (Barcode Packing Slips) - 2D barcode shipping labels" section.
3) The redesigned Shipments feature in Vendor Central offers an option to print the required information at the carton (package) level and will be linked to an AMZNCC (Amazon container code) barcode label. To access this feature, sign in to Vendor Central and go to Orders > Shipments.
Note: Labels printed via the Shipments feature in Vendor Central will include the required PO information. If you use one of the other two options, ensure that the labels include the required PO information, or print a separate PO label from the Orders > Purchase Orders feature. “


If you would like further information on how B2BGateway’s EDI and Label solutions can help you avoid the upcoming Amazon Chargebacks, please call +1 401 491 9595 / +353 61 708533 or email Sales@B2BGateway.Net

Streamlining the Supply Chain and Increasing Sales!

Everyone talks about streamlining the supply chain process, tightening lead times and process flow automation…but most people have no idea what any of that means. To most, it sounds like a load of the latest buzz words with a really high price tag attached. Do you really need to be part of “The Cloud” to make your business better? Do you need a staff of programmers to make your business thrive? Do you need a PhD in Computer Science to understand this stuff? Well, for the last three questions the answers are Maybe, No and No. My focus here will be to demystify some of the newer technologies and to show how you can really (and inexpensively) use them to your advantage. 
To start with, we probably all know that the Supply Chain is the interdependent process of receiving and sending documents and the associated goods. For example, if you are a supplier, you receive a Purchase Order, you turn it into a sales order in your system, which becomes a pick ticket, and the goods are picked and packed for shipping. Often times, an Advanced Shipping Notification (ASN) is generated and sent to the Buyer to let them know what to expect. Once the goods are shipped, an Invoice is generated and sent to the buying organization. Several days/weeks/months later the invoice is paid and you are in the money.

Tightening of the supply chain can start with Electronic Data Interchange or EDI. EDI is the process of handling the documents in the supply chain electronically rather than on paper.  Ok, that may sound mystical and expensive, but it doesn’t have to be.  Doing EDI is simply a matter of receiving a document electronically and converting it into the right format so that it can imported into your order processing system. Years ago, this was done by hiring a whole IT staff and investing in lots of computers and programs to convert the data. Nowadays, companies are available to pick up that data, convert it and send it to you (over the Internet) in a format that can be imported into your system.     

This is a good time to explain “The Cloud”. Back when I was in college we had to draw computer program flow charts. The flow charts had weird symbols that you used to define parts of the process such as disk storage, decisions, cards, etc. (See Figure 2). As the years progressed and the internet became a huge part of our everyday lives, kids in college taking programming courses still had to draw flow charts but they needed a symbol to define the internet. As such they went with a Cloud image like the one shown in Figure 3.  So with all the mystery of “The Cloud”, it is simply a different way of saying the internet. Companies that offer services over the internet, have been called Internet based companies, Application Service Providers, Software as a Service companies and now they are simply referred to as Cloud based computing. Cloud computing is anything that takes place on the internet, from using QuickBooks Online, to doing EDI with B2BGateway.Net, or even buying consumer goods on Amazon.

So, now you understand EDI and “The Cloud”, but you are still asking yourself, “How do I increase my Sales”? The real increase in sales comes from using Cloud based EDI, but ratcheting it up a notch to be known as Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI).  With VMI, you….as the vendor, manage the inventory, (so that’s how they came up with the name).  What this means is that instead of you receiving orders from a company that is buying from you, you receive inventory information.  A company that is buying from your organization could easily buy from your competition, particularly if you sell commodity type goods, unless you manage the inventory.

When you approach an organization that is buying from you, and say, “Hey, we will completely manage your inventory and we will ensure that your bins/shelves/racks are never empty”, that is VMI. The buying organization saves money on purchasing and is always ensured that the goods are in stock. You will be ensured that you will always make the sale, because in essence, you are placing the orders to yourself. Pretty cool… yes, but how does it work?

 

VMI is just like EDI, but instead of receiving Purchase Orders for goods, your Cloud Based EDI service provider will receive inventory information. This inventory information can be in the form of on-hand information, or it could also be point of sale (POS) information.  On-hand is the optimal information to receive, but on-hand can be computed by subtracting POS items sold from the starting inventory.  Thresholds can be setup in the Cloud Based EDI service provider’s system to define Max Level, Min Level, Safety Stock, lead time, optimal ship quantity, etc. The on-hand quantity is compared to the levels that are set and if the quantities are below the threshold, an order is automatically generated. See Figure 4 for a clever and timely use of a flow chart decision symbol. From the end-users standpoint, you are receiving an EDI Purchase order, in both scenarios. Although it is not shown in Figure 4, you would still be invoicing in the normal EDI way.

So let us recap; you have tightened your supply chain by using EDI, (in the “Cloud”) and you have secured your sales channel by offering to manage the inventory of the buyer. You have increased you sales and you have effectively ruled out the possibility of the buyer buying from the competition, because the whole system will break down if they do.   

Now, human nature will probably take place; the buyer will say to you, “I’m giving you all my sales and I’m saving some money on purchasing. Yeah, my shelves are always filled, but they were when we were purchasing, what else is in this for me….?”  The proper response to this question, (It will always come up), is “We will give you better terms”. Many organizations that do VMI offer long terms. Yes it can be a bit painful, but since you are maintaining the inventory, you essentially own the stock until it sells. You can either set it up with extended terms that are longer than you buyers cycle times, or you can invoice for the goods as they are sold.

Your sales force is going to love you. All they have to do is say, “We will manage your inventory to make sure you always have goods in stock and you don’t have to buy the goods from us until after you sell them”. Who doesn’t love consigned inventory?   So you see; streamlining the supply chain, utilizing cloud computing, without breaking the bank, and increasing sales… is possible.

For further information on B2BGateway’s cloud based EDI and VMI solutions please call +1 401 491 9595 / +353 61 708533 or email Sales@B2BGateway.Net

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

Integrate your Omni-Channel Logistics with cloud based EDI solutions from B2BGateway.

 

To fulfill goods and services for the ever increasing world of Omni-Channel Retail, suppliers have to create excellence in their Omni-Channel Logistics operations. Omni-Channel Retailing is best described by Wikipedia as the evolution of multi-channel retailing, but is concentrated more on a seamless approach to the consumer experience through all available shopping channels, i.e. mobile internet devices, computers, bricks-and-mortar, television, radio, direct mail, catalog and so on. Retailers are meeting the new customer demands by deploying specialized supply chain strategies and software solutions.

The major challenge for suppliers, in order to meet the retailers’ new omni-channel needs, is to get their goods and services to the correct channel as quickly and as accurately as possible and, needless to say,  in the most cost effective manner.

In order to help suppliers achieve excellence in Omni-Channel Logistics, B2BGateway has developed full end to end seamless connectivity between the supplier and all parties in the supply chain from box store retailers (Wal-Mart, Target, CVS, etc.) to online retailers (Amazon, Buy.com, etc.), to manufacturers, third party logistics providers (3PL) and even the suppliers own online shopping carts (which may be powered by online platform providers such as 3dcart, Volusion, Magento, etc.).

 

Through specially developed, cloud based EDI software, B2BGateway’s Omni-Channel Logistics solution fully integrates the suppliers ERP software with all parties in the supply chain, thus allowing fully automated and seamless connectivity for the exchange of all business documentation needed such as Purchase Orders (EDI 850), Invoices (EDI 810), Inventory Updates (EDI 846), Warehouse Shipping Orders (EDI 940), Advanced Shipping Notices (EDI 856) and so forth.

  

As there is full automation and no need to re-key data, the supplier benefits greatly from increased speed, increased accuracy, greater visibility and reduced labor overheads.

 

If you would like to learn more about B2BGateway’s fully integrated Omni-Channel Logistics solution please call +1 401-491-9595 or email Sales@B2BGateway.Net  



 

EDI Web Portals Vs. Full Integration

 

Many organizations use vendor specific EDI web portals (e.g. Amazon Vendor Central) to communicate with their trading parties, often these organizations may have multiple vendor specific EDI portals to deal with on a daily basis. This requires a lot of labor and manual data entry on the organizations behalf, from downloading purchase orders and re-keying the data into the organizations backend ERP/accounting software solution, to manually creating invoices and uploading same to the vendor specific EDI web portal.

 
As one client previously said “I know these portals are tedious and error prone, but I guess this is the price we have to pay to trade with the large vendors?” Wrong. Organizations do not have to solely communicate with their trading partners through their vendor specific EDI portals. Yes the option is there to use these EDI portals and often they are a good starting point for a young or seasonal operation. But as the organization grows, more trading partners are added and orders increase, the organization should seriously consider switching from a portal based EDI system to one that is fully integrated with their ERP or accounting software solution (e.g. NetSuite, Intacct, Sage, SAP, QuickBooks, etc.).
 
By fully integrating the organizations EDI needs with their business software application the organization can create greater efficiencies by having a seamless flow of all business documentation required. Fully integrated EDI solutions remove the need to re-key data, reduce labor costs, reduce human error and speed up the ‘order to payment’ cash cycle for the organization.
 
If you would like to know more on how B2BGateway can help your organization gain greater efficiencies and cost savings by bypassing vendor specific EDI web portals and introducing a fully integrated EDI solution, please call (401) 491 9595 or email Sales@B2BGateway.Net  

Drop Shipping and EDI

Drop shipping is a supply chain management technique in which the retailer does not stock or take possession of the goods, but instead transfers customer orders and shipment details to either the manufacturer or wholesaler direct. It is the manufacturer or wholesaler who then ships the goods directly to the customer.

Some drop shipping retailers may have example ‘not for resale’ items in store, so that customers can inspect an item similar to those that they can purchase. Other retailers may provide only a catalogue or online listing of their products e.g. Amazon.

Drop shipping reduces inventory, warehousing, packaging, labor and shipping costs for retailers by enabling them to pass orders and ship to information along to the manufacturer or wholesaler direct. EDI can help drop ship trading partners, by not alone providing integrated order, invoicing  and shipping solutions, but by also providing the EDI 846 transaction set otherwise known as the Inventory Inquiry/Advice (INVRPT in EDIFACT). The EDI 846 is used by manufacturers and wholesalers to notify retailers and trading partners of stock and inventory levels so that the retailer doesn’t commit to sales where not enough stock is available.

For further information on how you can use B2BGateway’s EDI solutions to further automate your drop shipping requirements please call (401) 491 9595 or email Sales@B2BGateway.Net