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    Trading partner integration

    Distribution EDI and API integration

    Industrial, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, hardware, food and grocery wholesale distributors. ECOM connects your business with distributors through EDI, APIs, managed file transfer and portal automation, integrated with your ERP.

    Discuss your distribution partners Distribution industry overview

    How the exchange works

    How distributors exchange business documents

    Distributors buy from many suppliers and resell to retailers, contractors and businesses, often shipping from their own branches or directly to the customer. Each order type can change the ship-to, the labels and the invoice, so suppliers need to know which ones a distributor uses. Accurate item and inventory data also matters, because buyers often choose from what the distributor shows as available.

    Common documents with distributors
    DocumentWhat it does in this relationship
    EDI 850Purchase Order The distributor’s order, for stock at a branch or distribution center or for shipment directly to its customer.
    EDI 855Purchase Order Acknowledgment The supplier’s confirmation of items, quantities and dates, with any changes or backorders.
    EDI 856Advance Ship Notice The ship notice, with the carton or pallet details the receiving location needs.
    EDI 810Invoice The invoice, matched against the order and the shipment.
    EDI 846Inventory Inquiry/Advice Inventory available from the supplier, so the distributor can see what it can sell or drop-ship.
    EDI 832Price/Sales Catalog Item and price information that keeps the distributor’s catalog current.

    What onboarding a new distribution partner usually involves

    1. Confirm which order types you will receive, such as stock orders and direct-to-customer shipments.
    2. Map item numbers, units of measure and ship-to locations between both systems.
    3. Test each order type from order through invoice, including changes and backorders.

    Integration guides

    Distributors with an integration guide

    Guides for suppliers that trade with these 21 distributors, covering the documents exchanged and the main program rules. Each company is listed only because a guide exists. Being listed does not mean a company is an ECOM customer or partner.

    Company names and logos are trademarks of their respective owners. Listing does not imply a customer relationship with, endorsement of, or a partnership with, ECOM Specialist.

    General EDI flow

    How EDI with your trading partner typically works

    Many trading partners do not publish their EDI or API specifications. This is the general flow most buyers and suppliers follow. It describes common industry practice, not any one partner's requirements: the documents, their order and the timing vary by partner and program.

    1. 850 Purchase order

      From your trading partner

      The buyer sends the order: items, quantities, prices, ship-to and requested dates.

    2. 855 Order acknowledgment

      From you to your trading partner

      You confirm, change or reject the order, where the partner asks for it.

    3. 856 Advance ship notice

      From you to your trading partner

      You tell the buyer what is on the shipment, with the carton and label details the buyer needs to receive it.

    4. 810 Invoice

      From you to your trading partner

      You bill for what shipped, in the format the buyer's payables system expects.

    5. 997 Functional acknowledgment

      Both directions

      Each side confirms that every file it received was readable. A rejected file is corrected and resent.

    From first contact to live orders

    1. Get the specification

      Ask your trading partner for its EDI or API specification, usually through its supplier portal or onboarding contact.

    2. Choose the connection

      Agree how files move: AS2, SFTP, a VAN or an API, and how each side identifies itself.

    3. Map to your systems

      Map each document between the partner's format and your ERP, warehouse or order system.

    4. Test and certify

      Exchange test documents until the partner accepts them. Many partners require this before the first live order.

    5. Go live and monitor

      Start with live orders and watch every document, so a rejection is fixed before it becomes a late shipment or a deduction.

    Need the specification?

    Some trading partners keep their EDI and API specifications private and share them only with authorized suppliers, for security reasons. You are welcome to contact ECOM. We will see whether we can share the specification with you; each request is reviewed case by case, and sharing depends on the partner's rules. Do not send passwords or EDI identifiers with your request.

    Ask about a partner's specification Discuss trading partner onboarding

    Connecting with a distribution partner not listed here?

    ECOM connects businesses with partners of every size using their published EDI, API or file requirements.

    Talk to an EDI/API Expert Request a Demo Discuss trading partner onboarding