EDI //
// Cin7 solutions
Cin7 EDI integration that gets you paid in full.
Retailers expect exact documents, on time, that match what left the warehouse. Fiskal connects Cin7 to SPS Commerce, Crstl, and other EDI providers so purchase orders, shipping notices, and invoices flow without manual entry, and the errors that trigger chargebacks stop at the source.
01 // The reality gap
Sending EDI is not the same as being compliant.
Your EDI provider is connected. Purchase orders arrive. Shipping notices go out.
Then the payment lands light.
The retailer deducted a chargeback. Retailer systems often apply them before anyone sends you a notice.
Large retailers such as Target and Walmart require EDI. Many brands assume the EDI platform is the problem. Others assume chargebacks are simply the cost of selling to retail. Neither is quite right.
Chargebacks follow specific, preventable failures. A late shipping notice. Quantities that do not match the shipment. Carton labels that do not match the data sent. The documents moved. The data inside them was wrong.
Integration is not validation.
02 // What is actually happening
Where EDI breaks inside a Cin7 setup
Cin7 Core connects to retailers through an EDI provider. Cin7 names SPS Commerce, Crstl, and Surpass Solutions as partners. One retail order touches several documents. Each has its own way to go wrong.
- 850 Purchase orderWhat it doesThe retailer’s order. It arrives in Cin7 as a sales order.How it goes wrongTrading partner not mapped to the right Cin7 customer. UPCs not mapped to the right SKUs. Wrong units of measure.
- 855 Order acknowledgmentWhat it doesTells the retailer the order was received, and accepted or rejected.How it goes wrongAcknowledges quantities the warehouse cannot fill.
- 856 Advance ship noticeWhat it doesTells the retailer what is in the shipment and when it arrives.How it goes wrongLate, missing, or not matching the physical shipment. Wrong quantities, SKUs, or carton IDs.
- Carton labels (SSCC)What it doesLet the retailer’s warehouse match each carton to its notice.How it goes wrongBarcodes that will not scan. Labels that do not match the notice data.
- 810 InvoiceWhat it doesBills the retailer for what was shipped.How it goes wrongLate, missing, or pulled from the wrong source.
- 997 Functional acknowledgmentWhat it doesConfirms a message was received.How it goes wrongMissing or late acknowledgments.
Some trading partners also want an inventory feed (846) so you do not oversell.
The 3PL link. If a 3PL fulfills your retail orders, the shipping notice depends on what the warehouse actually picked and packed. A notice built from verified pick and pack data has far fewer errors. That is why EDI and your 3PL connection are one chain. See 3PL and warehouse.
Two patterns show up again and again
The Double Entry Trap
Retail orders get entered by hand next to the EDI feed. Now the same order exists twice.
The Sync Killer Configuration Trap
Small naming and data rule violations pile up into failures that keep coming back.
03 // Operational cause, financial consequence
A label on a carton becomes a line in your books.
A chargeback is a penalty the retailer deducts directly from what it owes you.
On the floor, a carton label does not match the notice. In the books, the invoice says one amount. The bank says another. Someone has to explain the difference. The explanation is usually a manual journal.
- Late or wrong shipping noticeA deduction against the invoice. A short payment to explain.
- Quantities differ between order, shipment, and invoiceRevenue, receivables, and stock movement disagree three ways.
- EDI invoice built from the wrong sourceReceivables stop reconciling.
- Chargebacks coded inconsistentlyYou cannot see what each retailer really costs to serve.
A wholesale price that looked healthy on the line sheet can look very different after deductions.
04 // Strategic impact
What this costs you as the owner
Your first big purchase order from a national retailer should be good news. The order is the easy part. Compliance is the work.
Retailers also keep score. Chargebacks, rework, and errors can hit your vendor scorecard.
If you cannot isolate margin by retailer, you cannot price wholesale with confidence. Growth then depends on how much compliance your team can absorb by hand.
You end up with:
- Deductions you find after the fact
- Retail margins you cannot isolate by retailer
- A finance team reconciling short payments by hand
- Hesitation about taking the next retail account
05 // What Fiskal does
We make Cin7, your provider, and your warehouse agree
We do not replace your EDI provider. We make sure the pieces around it tell the same story.
Audit
We review your current EDI setup. We look at mappings, document timing, label data, and every point where Cin7 and your EDI provider disagree.
Align
We configure the mappings so each document draws on the right data: customers, UPCs and SKUs, units of measure, shipment and carton details. We set it up to match the requirements of each trading partner. Where a 3PL fulfills, we connect that data to the same chain.
Govern
Quarterly reviews and proactive fixes keep EDI aligned as requirements change and you add trading partners.
We do not move to the next phase until the data in the current one is sound.
Who this is for: Inventory businesses between $1M and $100M in revenue that:
- Sell to retailers with strict EDI requirements
- Use, or are choosing, an EDI provider such as SPS Commerce or Crstl
- Fulfill through their own warehouse or a 3PL
06 // Proof
Ghurka: wholesale and D2C, one connected system
Ghurka
Ghurka, the luxury leather goods maker, sells to retailers and direct to customers. Fiskal unified the two channels in Cin7, streamlined its Cin7 integrations with Shopify and QuickBooks Online, and connected SPS Commerce EDI for retailer orders.
Wholesale and D2C channels unified in Cin7. Cin7 integrations streamlined with Shopify and QuickBooks Online. SPS Commerce EDI connected for retailer orders.
Fiskal is ranked the number one Cin7 implementation expert in the United States.
07 // 5 questions
Cin7 EDI, answered
Does Cin7 support EDI?
Cin7 Core connects to retailers through third party EDI providers. Cin7 names SPS Commerce, Crstl, and Surpass Solutions. We configure the connection and the mappings.
Which EDI documents do I need?
Your retailer decides. Most start with the purchase order (850), order acknowledgment (855), advance ship notice (856), and invoice (810). Some also need an inventory feed (846) or functional acknowledgments (997).
What is an EDI chargeback?
A penalty a retailer deducts from your payment when a compliance requirement is missed. The usual causes are late or inaccurate shipping notices, label mismatches, and timing errors.
Do you replace SPS Commerce or Crstl?
No. Your provider moves the documents. We make sure the data feeding them is right.
Does EDI work with my 3PL?
Yes. The shipping notice and carton labels depend on what the warehouse packs. We connect that data to your EDI setup so they match.
08 // Related
Cin7 solutions
Integrations
Proof