Retail Vendor Compliance
Every retailer enforces its own EDI rules, and a single late ASN or bad label becomes a chargeback. Find the requirements for each major retailer and what it takes to stay compliant.
What is retail vendor compliance?
Retail vendor compliance is the set of rules a retailer requires its suppliers to follow when trading electronically: which EDI documents to send, in what format, by when, and with what label and packing accuracy. Meeting them keeps a supplier in good standing; missing them triggers chargebacks deducted straight from the supplier's payment.
The rules cluster around a few documents. The 856 advance ship notice and its SSCC-18 carton labels are the most common source of deductions, followed by the 810 invoice matching the order, the 855 acknowledgment returning on time, and OTIF delivery performance. Each retailer publishes its own routing guide and fine schedule, so being compliant with one does not make you compliant with another. See the EDI document types reference for how the transactions fit together, or read what each retailer requires below. Vendor compliance software automates the documents and timing that cause most deductions, so you stay compliant across every retailer and every order channel, not just EDI.
Compliance by retailer
The required transactions, chargeback triggers, and setup steps for each major retailer's EDI program.
Albertsons
Navigate Albertsons' EDI compliance for grocery and CPG suppliers
ALDI
EDI compliance for ALDI's strict supplier requirements
Amazon
Navigate Amazon's Vendor Central EDI requirements
BJ's Wholesale Club
EDI compliance for BJ's Wholesale Club suppliers
Costco
Meet Costco's supplier EDI and compliance standards
CVS Health
EDI compliance for CVS Health suppliers across pharmacy and retail
Dollar General
Meet Dollar General's EDI requirements for one of the fastest-growing US retailers
ECRS
EDI compliance for suppliers selling to ECRS-connected natural food co-ops and independent grocers
Erewhon
Erewhon EDI and vendor invoice compliance for suppliers
H-E-B
Meet H-E-B's supplier EDI and compliance standards
Kroger
Comply with Kroger's EDI standards for grocery and CPG suppliers
Living Naturally
EDI compliance for Living Naturally suppliers in the North American natural health sector
Lowe's
Navigate Lowe's vendor EDI compliance and delivery requirements
McKesson
Trade EDI with the largest pharmaceutical distributor in the US
Meijer
EDI compliance for Meijer suppliers in the Midwest
PCC Community Markets
EDI compliance for PCC Community Markets suppliers in the Pacific Northwest
Publix
EDI compliance guide for Publix Super Markets suppliers
Sam's Club
Navigate Sam's Club EDI and supplier compliance requirements
Sprouts Farmers Market
EDI compliance for natural and organic suppliers at Sprouts
Target
Navigate Target's EDI and vendor compliance with confidence
The Home Depot
Meet Home Depot's EDI and OTIF supplier requirements
Trader Joe's
Meet Trader Joe's supplier EDI and ordering requirements
Walmart
Meet Walmart's EDI compliance requirements without the complexity
Wegmans
EDI compliance for Wegmans Food Markets suppliers
Whole Foods Market
EDI compliance for Whole Foods Market suppliers
UK retailers
UK supermarkets and high-street chains trade in EDIFACT (usually the GS1 EANCOM subset) and the older TRADACOMS standard. Here are the messages, onboarding steps and labelling rules for each.
Asda
How Asda's TrueCommerce supplier platform works, and the TRADACOMS files suppliers exchange
Boots
Boots' TRADACOMS setup over OpenText TRADANET, and how retail and pharmacy suppliers differ
Co-op
Co-op's TRADACOMS V9 requirements, ASN cut-offs and SSCC pallet labels, from its own supplier guidelines
Marks & Spencer
Marks & Spencer's EDI setup over OpenText, and why the ASN drives payment
Morrisons
Morrisons' move from TRADACOMS to EDIFACT D96A, and what suppliers need for ASNs
Ocado
Ocado's TRADACOMS order and invoice files, and the documents that stay off EDI
Sainsbury's
What Sainsbury's expects from supplier EDI, from TRADACOMS orders to EDIFACT price catalogues
Tesco
The EDIFACT and TRADACOMS messages Tesco trades, and what its depots expect on the pallet
Waitrose
Waitrose's TRADACOMS order and invoice files, its testing steps, and the switch to EDI invoicing
Frequently asked questions
Retail vendor compliance is the set of rules a retailer requires its suppliers to follow when trading electronically: which EDI documents to send, in what format, by when, and with what label and packing accuracy. Meeting them keeps a supplier in good standing; missing them triggers chargebacks deducted from the supplier's payment.
Non-compliance is enforced financially through chargebacks, deductions a retailer takes from a supplier's invoice for a late or missing ASN, a label that does not scan, an inaccurate invoice, or an OTIF miss. Each retailer publishes its own fine schedule, and the deductions add up quickly across many shipments.
Most retailers require the 850 purchase order, 855 acknowledgment, 856 advance ship notice, 810 invoice, and 997 functional acknowledgment, with the 856 ASN and its SSCC-18 labels being the most common source of chargebacks. Some add 860 changes, 846 inventory, or grocery-specific 875 and 880 documents.
Get the retailer's EDI specification or routing guide, map your order and shipment data to the exact transactions and segments it requires, and test in the retailer's certification process before going live. Each retailer is different, so being compliant with one does not make you compliant with another.
Yes. Vendor compliance software automates the work that causes most deductions: validating orders against your catalog, generating compliant ASNs with correct SSCC-18 labels, acknowledging orders inside each retailer's window, and matching invoices to the purchase order. OrderSync handles this across EDI, PDF, and email orders so every channel stays compliant, not just the EDI ones.
EDI Guides
Transaction-by-transaction guides for the 850, 856, 810, and every document retailers require.
EDI ROI Calculator
See what manual order processing and chargebacks are costing you, and what automation saves.
EDI Inspector
Paste or upload an EDI file and get a human-readable breakdown in seconds.