Walmart EDI

The goal for many suppliers is to partner with Walmart. Like many major retailers and trade partners, Walmart requires its suppliers to comply with their electronic data interchange (EDI) standards and formatting. This requires Walmart suppliers to implement a compliant EDI system, or they’ll be unable to do business with Walmart. 

While many EDI solutions are extremely helpful, you need to be careful when choosing a system to ensure it will comply with Walmart’s standards. Complying with all Walmart EDI requirements is crucial to getting your brand on the digital shelves. 

If you are or want to become a Walmart supplier, keep reading to learn what’s required of you so you’re fully prepared and compliant.

What Is Walmart EDI?

As a retail supplier, there are few days as exciting as the day you become a Walmart supplier. That’s because, with their reach, they can provide the type of market presence a supplier can only dream of. There are, however, some challenges to getting started trading with Walmart.

One of these is Walmart EDI — more specifically, the retail giant’s specific EDI configuration, where sellers exchange transaction data with the retailer. This is known as Walmart EDI, and it can be a source of frustration for new suppliers. Part of the frustration comes from the fact that to become compliant with Walmart EDI, you will have to pass a series of tests that will assure the brand that your organization has the requisite software and ability to ensure a smooth EDI exchange. 

Fortunately, there are ways for a smaller operation to become Walmart EDI compliant that do not involve a great deal of expense or technical expertise.

Becoming Walmart EDI Compliant

The quickest and simplest means of becoming Walmart EDI compliant is using their web-based system that allows you to exchange transactions with the the company, thus ensuring compliance. Because you are using their system, this is the fastest and most affordable means of becoming Walmart EDI compliant for many businesses. 

However, one of the issues that many suppliers soon face is that they begin to realize the benefits of EDI and begin to explore using EDI with other customers. Once this happens, using Walmart’s system alone is no longer viable since it’s only compatible with Walmart.

By using EDI software, either in-house or hosted, you’ll be able to continue to operate with your larger customers and maintain your Walmart EDI compliance. 

As you begin to explore the option of using in-house software, you should be aware that there are numerous ways to develop EDI software. Specifically, EDI software packages can be very basic, offering only support for the entire X12 standard, or very advanced, offering pre-configured kits that allow you to become Walmart EDI compliant quickly and easily. For most business owners, the latter is significantly preferable over the former.

Expanding on Your Walmart EDI Usage

The first step of becoming Walmart EDI compliant is ensuring you satisfy the retailer’s needs. But what about your own? More precisely, is there a way to maintain your Walmart EDI compliance and become more efficient in the process? The answer is of course, yes! You can do so simply by enabling your EDI system with full integration into your back-end enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. Through full integration, any Walmart EDI orders you receive will be processed, translated, and automatically routed into your ERP system as sales orders. 

Once you are ready to ship the goods, the reverse will happen, and your ERP’s shipment slips and invoices will be translated and sent as Walmart EDI advanced ship notices and invoices.

Selecting Your Walmart EDI Package

This form of integration can be achieved with several Walmart EDI-compliant software packages. Still, you should ensure that the selected package can provide for such an option in the long run with minimal re-architecting of your Walmart EDI setup. Unfortunately, many Walmart EDI solutions would require you to completely re-engineer your EDI operations to achieve integration. This type of approach, while often less expensive in the beginning, can become very expensive in the long run since it requires a large amount of internal re-work and can also put your Walmart EDI compliance at risk.

Achieve Walmart EDI Compliance With TrueCommerce

At TrueCommerce, we believe you shouldn’t have to rely on a retailer’s EDI vendor portal, or juggle multiple portals for your customers. Our EDI solutions are designed to allow businesses to use EDI with other suppliers, retailers, and distributors while remaining compliant with each of their EDI mandates. TrueCommerce EDI Solutions allow you to integrate with Walmart, using all their specific transaction codes. We also offer Walmart-compliant EDI solutions for businesses considered Walmart Marketplace, Direct Commerce, and Store Planning suppliers. 

TrueCommerce is a globally recognized EDI and supply chain network company. With our solutions, you’ll benefit from:

• Unlimited connectivity: Connectivity is essential to our commerce-driven world. Your brand intersects with various business systems and supply chain entities. We integrate all these elements and more in connected applications with a suite of tools to help you manage everything from product information to customer orders.
• Our global trading network: You’ll be connected to our global trading network of more than 180,000 trading partner maps, including global distributors and retailers. Our network allows you to exchange data and information with partners, regardless of their system or platform. We also automatically update the EDI mapping specifications for your customers so you’re always compliant. 
• Our team of specialists: Our EDI solutions are considered a fully managed service. This means our team of EDI specialists runs your EDI system daily. Our 24/7 service desk is available to help you and your suppliers, and they monitor your processes to handle any issues before they cross your desk. 

Overall, TrueCommerce EDI Solutions will help save you time and money when managing your supply chain. We’ll provide the support and services necessary for a successful EDI integration, including the web-based EDI translator. Contact our EDI specialists today to learn more about our EDI solutions and achieving Walmart compliance.