We’re excited to help you streamline your retailer shipments by connecting to Flexport through Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). This provides an automated way to exchange order information and ensures retailer compliance when shipping from Flexport’s network.
Once connected, Flexport can:
- Receive purchase orders from your retailers (EDI 850)
- Prepare shipments according to retailer requirements
- Attach compliant SSCC Labels
- Ship orders from Flexport’s network
- Send back Advance Ship Notices (EDI 856) to your retailers
How EDI Connections Work
Flexport integrates with your EDI provider to establish a connection between your retailers and our systems.
At a high level, the setup process includes:
- Sending us your retailer and EDI provider information along with retailer routing guide
- Reviewing retailer routing guides and compliance requirements
- Establishing the technical connection between your retailer, your EDI provider, and Flexport
- Testing order flows (POs, packing slips, labels, and shipment notices)
- Going live with production orders and monitoring your first shipments
⏳ Estimated Timeline:
- Already set up with SPS → 6–8 weeks
- New SPS account required → 10–12 weeks
- Connecting via Orderful → 12–14 weeks
Steps to Get Started
Submit the EDI Request Form
Have the merchant fill out this form with your retailer and EDI provider information.
🔑 Tip: Have your latest retailer routing guide on hand — this outlines how shipments, labels, and EDI communications should be formatted.
Confirm Your EDI Provider
- If you already work with SPS Commerce → Let your SPS account manager know you’d like to connect Flexport.
- If you use Orderful → Notify your Orderful account manager that the merchant connection will be established with Flexport.
- If you don’t have a provider yet → Learn more about SPS Commerce or Orderful to get set up.
Contracting with Your Provider
You’ll need an active contract in place with your provider (SPS or Orderful).
⚠️ Any costs or fees associated with your provider are billed directly by them.
Connection Setup & Testing
Once contracts are in place:
- Your EDI provider and Flexport will begin building the connection.
- Together we’ll validate test cases, including:
- Retailer purchase orders (EDI 850)
- Packing slips, SSCC and shipping labels
- Advance Ship Notices (EDI 856)
Go Live
Flexport and your provider will agree on a go-live date, typically on a Monday or Tuesday to ensure support. Production orders will start flowing through the EDI connection, and we’ll monitor initial shipments closely.
Preparing Your Inventory
Before go-live, please make sure the following are ready:
- ✅ Products are set up in Flexport’s system (with correct case packs, dimensions, weights, UPCs/MSKUs, etc.)
- ✅Retailer SKU is mapped accurately with Flexport SKU
- ✅ Inventory is available at your assigned storage location
- ✅ Retailer routing guides and sample POs are uploaded in your request form
- ✅ Your “ship-from” address in your retailer’s vendor portal reflects the Flexport warehouse location
Next Steps
👉 Ready to begin? Fill out the EDI Request Form.
If you’re still preparing, we suggest:
- Reviewing your retailer’s vendor portal for routing guides and requirements
- Asking your retail partners which EDI documents they need (typically 850s and 856s)
- Exploring provider options: SPS Commerce | Orderful
FAQs
Q: How long does setup take?
A: Depending on provider and retailer setup, onboarding may take 6–14 weeks.
Q: Which EDI documents can Flexport support?
A: Currently 850 (Purchase Orders) and 856 (Advance Ship Notices), with limited support for 855 (Purchase Order Acknowledgement).
Q: Do I need to pay Flexport for EDI setup?
A: Any fees related to SPS Commerce or Orderful are managed directly with your provider. Flexport will charge a $200 monthly fee per Retailer EDI connection. Eg: If you are connected with Target/Walmart/Zappos with SPS, you would be charged for 3 retailers i.e, $600.
✅ Once setup is complete, your orders will flow automatically from your retailers into Flexport, and shipments will be confirmed back via EDI — helping you streamline retail fulfillment at scale.