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Each eCommerce company has their own needs based on their experiences. In terms of integrations and connectivity, we'd like to talk more about EDI and how we managed to remove barriers technology wise and price wise for small and medium sized companies.
As you know, sales channels like Lowe's, Home Depot and other big players will not enable businesses to sell on their platform unless they have an EDI integration. EDI is also required to connect with large vendors like Ashley Furniture, Cymax, Aeon & more. In the very recent past, EDI integration had many barriers associated with it, like price and complexity.
4Psite simplified the EDI service, making it easy for the smaller, resource stretched retailers to have access to the major sales channels and/or top-tier suppliers for dropshipping.
In this conversation, we decided to give you a glimpse into an actual scenario, from one of our customers. It is important to emphasize that we keep undisclosed confidential data, such as our clients’ names and private information in this article. The goal here is to maintain the conversation and offer a real-life example of what can be accomplished with efficient EDI connections.
Our client has 8 active stores at the moment and they all require EDI connection. Here are a few examples: Wayfair, OverStock, Houzz, Build.com. But see, this company has another special requirement when it comes to EDI. They are not online sellers, but they actually drop ship for these marketplaces.
How do they work?
The company has a special organization: Markets > 4Psite > Drop Ship > End Customer.
4Psite captures the orders and the company dropships them for their clients' final customer. So, in their case, EDI is so important that they couldn't operate in any other way. They must provide the connection because they act as the last step before shipping the purchase to the end customer. And they should receive the orders via EDI as well. Their operation requires that data is transmitted accurately and rapidly.
4Psite is their main hub and they log into the system on an on-going basis, daily. It's imperative for them to have it all centralized, to have it all belonging in the same cloud-based system.
Another thing that accommodates their demands is our ability to integrate with QuickBooks Online, where 4Psite transmits the financial transactions they need to keep track of.
All this back and forth is only possible because 4Psite transformed EDI into an efficient connection, without complications or the client needing to do complex operations. It's simple, automated and maintains their business flowing both ways.
How does 4Psite work?
Now, let's think about your own needs. Are you selling on markets that require EDI connection? Or are you also dropshipping like our client? If it's one way or both ways, it shouldn't matter. I invite you to take a look at the infographics below for a better understanding of how information is sent and received.
Your situation and your workflow is unique, that's the first point to consider when talking about EDI. And 4Psite has the knowledge of this type of connection like no other. By sharing it, we expect to break the misconceptions about EDI being too complex and too expensive for small and medium sized ecommerce businesses, and offer the guidance you must acquire to succeed in your one of a kind business.
Expertise in the nature of EDI is one of our strongest points and regardless of the size of your company, 4Psite can walk beside you in this journey.
Yochi Erez
4Psite, CEO