Businesses that want to sell in US national retailers will require Universal Product Codes (UPCs) for their items, and they must be able to receive orders via Electronic Data Interchange (EDI).
Both UPCs and EDI are required for doing business with large US retailers such as Target, Walmart, Amazon, and many others
The full setup process isn’t difficult, but it’s detailed, takes 2-6 weeks, and there’s some cost. Here’s an outline of key steps:
All UPC numbers are assigned by GS1 – the Global Standards Organization. Their website is very helpful and includes complete information about applying for and being assigned UPCs.
Each product variation requires a unique UPC – so if you sell 3 flavors in 3 sizes, you will need 9 UPCs. Pricings starts at 10 codes for $250 with a $50 renewal fee.
Get great information and your product UPC codes from GS1 – https://www.gs1us.org/upcs-barcodes-prefixes/get-a-barcode
Once you have UPC codes for your items, you need to be able to receive customer orders via EDI.
EDI is a way to exchange digital information with other businesses. For example, purchase orders, invoices, shipping notices and other documents are sent via EDI.
SPS Commerce provides a solid EDI portal for many companies and they have great support for starting up.
Here’s an introduction on getting started with EDI using SPS commerce: https://www.spscommerce.com/edi-guide/
We’ve been through both processes before, seen the ups and downs, and we can help you with getting set up, running smooth and growing your business.
Contact us to learn more. Do it right with Pyrabyte.