Modern EDI Integration for Suppliers: The Complete Guide

EDI still runs supplier–retailer relationships,  but today, your orders come from far more places than a single EDI connection.

Portals, marketplaces, and eCommerce sites all push data in different formats.

This guide explains how modern EDI integration software brings all those channels together, connects them to your ERP, and gives wholesale suppliers a faster, more reliable way to scale without middleware or manual work.

Built for operations — not just compliance.

What Modern EDI Means for Suppliers and Wholesale

 For suppliers, EDI is still the language retailers use to send purchase orders (850s) and receive invoices (810s). But legacy systems weren’t designed for how suppliers actually sell today.

Traditional EDI was built to meet compliance. Modern EDI is built to enable operations.

Modern EDI is less about transferring files, and more about moving data intelligently across your business.

Whether or not you’ve integrated, if you sell through big box retail stores, you’re forced to meet EDI requirements. When this is managed without a software solution, your team is left keying data by hand, reconciling countless spreadsheets, and troubleshooting mismatched documents, line by line. 

This is inevitably prone to errors and becomes an unnecessary cost. All those hours spent doing what could be handled by integrations for fractions of the cost of headcount make integration a no brainer. As margins tighten, supply chain leaders are empowering teams to take on more senior tasks while offloading entry-level data management to digital tools.  

What Is EDI Integration?

EDI integrations connect all portals to your internal systems, like ERP or financial software, so you can eliminate all the data entry from your team’s day-to-day. Instead of having to manually type out every purchase order, EDI interface integrations orchestrate an automated flow of documents between business partners. 

Traditional vs. Modern EDI 

Traditional EDI is Labor Intensive Despite its automated nature, traditional EDI still requires significant manual effort. Wholesale business employees often need to log into EDI portals, download orders, manually enter them into the ERP system, and update logistics software separately. As your EDI partnerships grow, so do your labor costs, as more time is spent on these repetitive tasks.

From kilo-character pricing models to rigid file formats, traditional EDI feels stuck in the 1990s. The worst part? For many suppliers, distributors, and manufacturers, there’s no getting around it. If you want to do business with big box retailers, EDI is still the standard.

If you sell to wholesale partners like Costco, or Rona, EDI isn’t optional—it’s required. Typically, that means using the retailer’s chosen provider.

You’re usually given two choices:

a) Pay a monthly fee to access a web portal and manually manage orders

b) Build and test your own EDI system to meet their requirements

Legacy EDI systems still do their job, but they’re disconnected from how suppliers operate today.

With modern EDI, you can stay compliant and connected by automating the full order-to-invoice workflow without replacing what already works.

Types of Modern EDI Integration

The solution you choose for EDI integration depends on your technical maturity, trading partner mix, and internal requirements. 

Integration Middleware (iPaaS)

Integration middleware solutions see the gap for growing businesses and have started to build integrations that are price-conscious. Similarly to legacy systems, they provide point-to-point integrations, meaning they pass off data directly from ERP to trading partners. While this can work, it does require technical setup and negates other channels. With point-to-point, every channel or partner requires a custom connection to your ERP. Popular middleware platforms include solutions like Cleo, MuleSoft, and Boomi. 

B2B Order Management for EDI 

An order management system built specifically for B2B, connects all your channels and partners to your existing systems in one clean workflow. It only requires one connection to your ERP to manage all orders across your supply chain. There are a lot of variations in order management systems (OMS), with some eCommerce platforms rebranding for B2B. While eCommerce is a great sales strategy, narrowing down a system built for B2B is the key to properly automating your EDI - eCommerce platforms do not have this capability. 

Key differences to consider:

If you’re a high-growth supplier, an OMS designed for B2B workflows will often deliver on ROI faster and require much less maintenance than iPaaS tools. 

A Better Approach: OrderEase

OrderEase is a modern EDI and order management platform built for how suppliers actually work. We sit between your ERP or accounting system and EDI systems—automating everything from POs to ASNs to invoices.

Most EDI platforms expect you to speak their language. You need to understand document types (850s and 856s), manage VANs, set up AS2 connections, and stay compliant with every trading partner’s specs. It’s expensive, time-consuming, and overwhelming,  especially for teams without dedicated IT staff.

The OrderEase B2B EDI Integration Platform does the translation for you.

Ready to automate EDI? Get in touch for a demo. 

We handle everything from file extraction and mapping to partner-specific compliance testing. You don’t need to know the difference between an FTP and an API—we do. All your team needs to do is validate that orders are flowing into your ERP the way you expect.

Here’s what it looks like in action:

1. Your partner (e.g., Costco) sends an 850 PO.

2. OrderEase captures the order and sends it directly to your ERP or QuickBooks.

3. Shipping info syncs to ShipStation or your logistics tool.

4. OrderEase automatically sends an ASN (856) and later the invoice (810).

You never touch a portal. Your team spends time building the business, not retyping orders.

How Modern EDI Fits Your ERP

For most suppliers, the biggest bottleneck isn’t receiving EDI orders; it’s getting them into the ERP cleanly. Modern EDI platforms integrate directly with the ERP, turning raw retailer documents into structured, usable order data.

At its core, EDI ERP integration connects trading partners (via EDI) with the systems your team uses to manage operations (your ERP).

That means a purchase order (850) from Home Depot doesn’t just show up in an inbox or an EDI portal. Instead, it’s automatically injected into your ERP without any manual keying of data. The result is a structured workflow of information from partner to platform.

With integration, there’s no more jumping between systems, rekeying data, or chasing down compliance errors. It’s about giving your team the tools to move faster with fewer mistakes.

Popular ERP Connections

• EDI Integration with QuickBooks – Automate order creation and invoicing directly within QuickBooks Online or Desktop.

• EDI Integration with NetSuite – Map retailer documents directly into NetSuite’s order and fulfillment modules.

• EDI Integration with Epicor / Prophet 21 – Standardize retailer data across your supply chain.

• EDI Integration with Sage & Acumatica – Streamline order visibility, from POs to payments.

What EDI ERP Integration Looks Like Across the Order-to-Cash Workflow

Let’s break down the full order-to-cash lifecycle for a supplier receiving a purchase order from a retailer like Home Depot:

With full integration, what once took 45–60 minutes per order can take under 5 minutes, with dramatically fewer errors.

What Improves When You Integrate EDI and ERP

1. Orders Move Faster

Manual order entry slows everything down, especially when larger retailers send in hundreds, if not thousands, of orders a week. Without integration, each one has to be downloaded and keyed into your ERP manually. With integration, the PO is sent directly into your ERP without any manual intervention.

2. Invoices Go Out On Time 

When your team has to wait for a shipment to be fulfilled before they can issue an invoice, cash gets tied up. That delay becomes a huge financial burden at scale.

An integrated setup triggers 810 invoices automatically for faster payment cycles.

3. Fewer Fulfillment Errors

Every time someone rekeys data, there’s a risk, whether it's the wrong SKU or wrong quantity. Multiply that across thousands of orders, and suddenly your error rate becomes your reputation.

Integration means the data is mapped once and flows without human intervention. It’s not just about speed, it’s about getting it right the first time.

4. Fewer Chargebacks (a Lot Fewer)

Retailers don’t mess around when it comes to compliance. Late 855s? Missing ASNs? Bad data formats? You get hit with a chargeback, and it adds up.

An integrated system ensures that all documents are sent in the right format, every time.

5. Your Team Can Breathe Again

Before integration, your ops and IT teams spent hours babysitting orders, troubleshooting EDI rejections, and putting out fires. After integration, those exceptions are flagged early, and most resolve themselves.

You don’t have to add headcount just to keep up with volume. You get to scale without breaking your team.

Wholesale & Retailer Use Cases

For wholesale suppliers, EDI is still the standard for working with major retailers — but every partner has different requirements.

Modern EDI platforms include pre-built connections with top trading partners like:
Home Depot, Lowe’s, Costco, Canadian Tire, RONA, and Ace Hardware.

Instead of custom builds, each integration is managed and tested so you can onboard faster, stay compliant, and keep every retailer workflow in sync with your ERP.

Whether you sell through retail chains, distributor portals, or B2B eCommerce, modern EDI lets you centralize every order into one unified process.

FAQs

What is wholesale EDI?
Wholesale EDI is the supplier-side use of EDI to exchange orders, invoices, and acknowledgements with retailers and distributors automatically and at scale.

How long does EDI onboarding take?
With pre-built connections, suppliers can go live in days instead of months.

Which ERPs can I connect to?
OrderEase supports QuickBooks, NetSuite, Epicor, Sage, Acumatica, and more.

What EDI documents can be automated?
850s (Purchase Orders), 855s (Acknowledgements), 810s (Invoices), and 997s (Receipts).

Do I need EDI if I already use APIs?
Yes, most major retailers still require EDI. APIs simply extend your reach to non-EDI channels like marketplaces or B2B eCommerce.

The Bottom Line

EDI isn’t going away — it’s getting smarter.
Modern EDI integration gives suppliers one connected system for every order, invoice, and retailer relationship.

It’s not about replacing EDI. It’s about modernizing it.
So your team can spend less time managing documents — and more time growing the business.

If your EDI still feels like file management, not automation — it’s time to modernize. See how OrderEase integrates EDI with your ERP. Book a demo. →