Emily Curran - Senior Product Manger | SPS Commerce Mon, 27 Oct 2025 18:47:40 +0000 en-US hourly 1 A comprehensive overview of manufacturing business problems https://www.spscommerce.com/blog/comprehensive-overview-of-business-manufacturing-problems/ Tue, 19 Nov 2024 21:43:08 +0000 https://www.spscommerce.com/?p=726450 Manufacturing is a complex industry. When you’re working with suppliers, co-manufacturers, retailers and customers, there are dozens of areas where communication can break down and obstacles arise. That’s why SPS Commerce provides solutions to enhance collaboration for manufacturers and boost your bottom line.

Introducing Manufacturing Supply Chain, the perfect solution for brands who want to improve their supply chain collaboration with partners to increase efficiency and boost their growth.

What are the challenges that manufacturers face?

Manufacturers face a variety of challenges, including delayed production lines, frequent changes, inefficient production planning and lost sales. Inefficient supply chain operations and disruptions, coupled with poor collaboration and limited visibility, impact the manufacturing process, resulting in costly production schedule delays.

Delayed production lines

A manufacturer’s process can be delayed and, at times, halted if they are missing even a single component. One missing or malfunctioning aspect can cause production disruptions and costly stoppages for weeks afterward.

Frequent changes

Purchase orders involve intricate delivery schedules and continuous negotiations. Supply chain disruptions affect all partners, requiring strong collaboration. Frequent changes are costly and time-consuming, impacting efficiency and customer satisfaction.

Inefficient production planning

Production relies on a seamless flow of materials, and inaccurate inventory and order data can lead to incorrect planning, overstocking or understocking, and challenges with long lead times.

Lost sales

Failure to meet customer delivery expectations due to procurement and production challenges can result in customer dissatisfaction, lost business and ruined vendor relationships. Promoting strong supply chain partnerships is a critical step to ensure everything runs smoothly.

How does Manufacturing Supply Chain help avoid challenges?

SPS Commerce created Manufacturing Supply Chain as a way for manufacturing, supplier and retailer partners to improve collaboration and visibility across the supply chain.

Manufacturing Supply Chain is a comprehensive solution that enhances business processes and information exchange with suppliers and co-manufacturing partners. This guides them towards successful reliability and transparency to produce and sell goods more efficiently while enhancing their day-to-day operations.

Manufacturing Supply Chain helps customers:

  • Overcome challenges with cash flow caused by changes and delays.
  • Strengthen supplier relationships.
  • Improve inventory accuracy.
  • Reduce receiving cycle time.
  • Expose process gaps that need to be addressed.
  • Save money by capturing early payment discounts.

Why do customers choose Manufacturing Supply Chain?

At SPS Commerce, we have the people, processes, and technology to ensure we’re on top of all the current market trends and changes. We offer a comprehensive vendor onboarding program, which relieves your team of the time-consuming and stressful process.

Through our existing Supply Chain Performance Suite solution, SPS Commerce offers a unique spin on supply chain collaboration that transforms the way you work with your partners. We assess, engage, optimize, launch and monitor each aspect of your supply chain.

We also offer automated procurement processing, so you can send purchase orders (POs) and automatically import invoices and other supply chain documents to modernize operations and gain better visibility into your supply chain.

Recent layoffs across the United States require companies to do more with fewer resources, especially as they continue to grow. SPS Commerce focuses on increasing your operational efficiency to support growth amidst resource constraints.

Our integration with your ERP enables seamless implementation for standardized connectivity on the sell side. We’re the recommended partner by many major ERPs.

Ready to learn more about Manufacturing Supply Chain? We’re here to answer your questions.

]]> The importance of effective demand planning https://www.spscommerce.com/blog/importance-of-effective-demand-planning/ Tue, 19 Nov 2024 21:35:42 +0000 https://www.spscommerce.com/?p=726437 Just as an orchestra requires each instrument to work harmoniously, effective demand planning is key to a manufacturer’s ability to produce quality products efficiently. Missing one element? Challenges will arise.

What is demand planning?

Demand planning is a process that manufacturers can implement into their supply chain to predict upcoming demand for certain products. Manufacturers use this gathered information to adjust output, balance inventory levels and ensure customers receive their products when they want them.

It involves the orchestration of all resources, schedules and workflows that are necessary for manufacturing products. Each element must operate in harmony to achieve true efficiency.

The key components of demand planning

  • Demand forecasting: Anticipate customer demand to determine the necessary materials and equipment.
  • Scheduled production runs: Coordinate labor and production timelines to ensure timely delivery of products within budget.
  • Data accuracy: Ensure data is accurate to meet constantly moving targets and remain agile in the supply chain.
  • Long-term planning: Begin planning, sometimes up to a year before sales will occur. Often, manufacturers work on a 90-day rolling calendar that accounts for regular “resets.”
  • Retailer resets: Retailers typically finalize their “reset” strategies for planogram teams several months in advance. Be ready for December before September begins.

Demand planning challenges

As with any supply chain process, there are a few challenges that can arise, including inaccurate forecasting and trouble adapting to changes.

Inaccurate forecasting: Poor demand forecasting can lead to either overproduction or stockouts, disrupting the entire supply chain.

Adapting to change: Difficulty in adjusting plans to align with real-time data and market fluctuations complicates the planning process.

Strategies to improve demand planning

As the importance of demand planning becomes more evident, many brands are taking steps to prioritize the process. There are a few strategies that manufacturers can use to improve their demand planning practices.

Data-driven decision making

Relying on accurate sell-through and sell-in data allows brands to evaluate performance across key accounts and product lines. Data accuracy is essential for building trust and guiding strategic decision-making.

Leverage market insights

Access to comprehensive market and industry data helps brands identify growth opportunities and challenges, enabling them to stay ahead of competitors.

Enhance planning and forecasting

Streamlined processes, such as item setup and demand planning, remain crucial as brands move into 2025 and beyond. Developing effective forecasting skills is vital for profitability and operational efficiency.

Optimized data integration

Close collaboration between technology and business development teams is necessary for seamless data integration across internal systems. This alignment allows for quick, informed decisions on inventory management, procurement and replenishment, driving better business outcomes and supporting brand growth.

Get started with better, strategic demand planning

Demand planning is a dynamic and complex process that requires careful orchestration and constant adaptation to succeed. By leveraging data-driven strategies, market insights and effective collaboration, manufacturers can enhance their demand planning capabilities and navigate the challenges of the ever-evolving marketplace.

To learn more about how to implement demand planning into your supply chain, discover the Manufacturing Supply Chain solution from SPS Commerce.

]]> How manufacturers can eliminate the stress of frequent change https://www.spscommerce.com/blog/eliminate-the-stress-of-frequent-change/ Tue, 19 Nov 2024 21:24:08 +0000 https://www.spscommerce.com/?p=726421 Think of a house of cards. Each piece that you add to the tower plays an extremely important role in supporting the others, but the failure of one always leads to a total collapse. You can view suppliers and their relationship with manufacturing partners in a very similar way.

Suppliers play a major role in the supply chain for manufacturers, providing raw materials and different components necessary for manufacturing. However, there are plenty of challenges that can arise, often affecting their supply chain partners in a detrimental way. When these challenges arise—oops! The house of cards topples, and manufacturers don’t have what they need to make and send out their products on time.

Manufacturers depend on their suppliers’ stability, but frequent changes are the culprit of manufacturing obstacles. Luckily, there are easy ways to identify and mitigate these risks before they become overwhelming.

What’s driving frequent changes

When one supplier can’t hold up their end of the agreement, all other supply chain partners are impacted as the order changes to accommodate adjustments.

There are always changes in the supply chain that are expected, including weather-related issues or global import/export delays that slow down order fulfillment. However, there are several trends that drive increased risk for changes that affect supply chain stability.

Some factors that have increased frequent changes in the supply chain are:

COVID-19: Since 2020, the pandemic has had cascading effects on global supply chains and material availability. Whether it’s a personnel shortage or delayed freight lines, the effect of COVID-19 is still creating obstacles in the supply chain.

Geopolitical conflicts: Conflict creates disruptions that trickle down, affecting material sourcing and transportation routes.

Rapid inflation: As inflation rises, supplier costs and raw material prices increase. Some supply chain partners may need to make decisions that affect their partners upstream or downstream, such as halting production or changing the product materials.

Vendor diversification and collaboration are critical

How can we combat the negative effects of frequent supply chain changes? Vendor diversification and stronger partner collaboration are the answer.

The risk of supply chain changes is simply too important to ignore; if you’re missing a crucial manufacturing component, you can’t produce. Spend time investing in your suppliers to ensure you’re working with reliable, trustworthy partners.

It’s also crucial to diversify your vendors to have effective risk management practices. This way, if one supplier fails, you have a backup option. It can be tempting to wait until you need a new vendor, but by having another one on hand, you’ll have options when you’re missing a critical material for production, saving you the hassle of delays (and not to mention, a lot of money).

Spreading business across multiple suppliers helps manufacturers:

  • Minimize reliance on any single source.
  • Enhance supply chain resilience to better withstand unforeseen challenges.
  • Reduce vulnerability to disruptions.

Strategies for supply chain disruption mitigation

The key to mitigating supply chain disruptions and frequent changes is agility. Being agile in your supply chain processes means you always leave yourself with plenty of options when an alternative solution is needed. Some strategies for agility:

  • Regular assessment and expansion of your supplier base.
  • Implementation of vendor quality measures and monitoring systems.
  • Establishment of contingency plans for quick adaptation to supplier changes.

Additional steps manufacturers can take to enhance supplier collaboration:

Improve your data transparency and timely communication

Enhance visibility into orders and inventory. Leverage technology that can provide real-time data to better communicate with your suppliers and ensure everyone is on the same page. More transparency can also help identify potential issues faster, and you can address them before they escalate into larger problems.

Effective communication channels significantly reduce delays that are caused by misunderstandings or a lack of information.

Automate procurement processes

Automated procurement processes help you avoid reliance on manual methods like paper, email and phone-based updates, which are manual and time-consuming. By introducing automation, you can save time while avoiding delays and errors.

Automated systems ensure that order updates and inventory levels are promptly communicated, allowing faster and more accurate decision-making. Automation can also play a huge role in invoice entry and reconciliation.

Alleviate the stress of frequent changes

It’s a good time to evaluate your existing processes and learn how you can improve your agility and collaboration to strengthen your supply chain. Prioritize vendor diversification and automated procurement to boost your confidence in disruption preparedness. Remember: a resilient supply chain is the key to success.

To learn more about how to be prepared for anything in today’s volatile landscape, dive into the Manufacturing Supply Chain solution from SPS Commerce.

]]> How to combat production delays with a supply chain solution https://www.spscommerce.com/blog/how-to-combat-production-delays-with-a-supply-chain-solution/ Tue, 19 Nov 2024 18:45:07 +0000 https://www.spscommerce.com/?p=726405

No one likes waiting, especially when it comes to getting your products to your customers on time. Unfortunately, production delays are sometimes inevitable. These delays create a ripple effect, disrupting schedules and customer shipments. Missed shipments can affect customers’ deadlines, impacting revenue and their relationships with trading partners. Production delays can stem from too much downtime after an equipment breakdown or a lack of necessary materials, leading to major inefficiencies.

While these delays may be inevitable, there are still steps manufacturers can take to reduce the frequency or effects of production delays. Reducing production delays boosts productivity, customer satisfaction and savings.

What causes delayed production?

When you’re working with many partners within a multi-faceted supply chain, there are always going to be elements that are outside of your control. It’s important to understand how and why unexpected obstacles can cause production delays.

Stockouts

Missing any necessary raw materials? Expect production to halt, which leads to bottlenecks and longer lead times. When you don’t have access to every single material you need, you can’t make your product and will need to reconsider your re-ordering process and lead time.

Supplier delays and supply chain disruptions

Up to 70% of supply chain issues occur pre-shipment. Raw material shortages, transportation issues and late supplier deliveries can all have a ripple effect across all aspects of the supply chain. When this happens, rescheduling production runs can really extend the amount of time to customer delivery.

One beverage supplier uses the example of a four-week window. If they don’t have everything they need to stage and run the line, they miss their production window and are delayed an extra four weeks until their next scheduled run.

Lack of transparency and timely communication

Many manufacturers lack visibility into their orders and inventory. Without real-time data and effective communication with partners, production planning becomes a challenge. Timely updates on inventory levels and order status are crucial for avoiding bottlenecks and delays and ensuring smooth operations.

Labor shortages

Since 2020, finding skilled workers to run manufacturing equipment has been a challenge. Production often gets delayed because there aren’t enough staff to operate lines and/or machinery. Without these skilled workers, there’s no one to ensure products are able to be made.

Recently, many companies have reported plenty of job openings they have been trying to fill, further supporting the claim that there is no job shortage but merely a labor shortage.

Equipment malfunctions

Equipment malfunctions are bound to happen, especially when working with aging machinery and maintenance. Even if you have the right parts and personnel, repairs may be easier, but any lapse in production still causes delays. Of course, the sooner these repairs can be made, the better.

Poor planning and forecasting

Demand planning and forecasting isn’t a science—it’s an art. When there’s misalignment between demand forecasting and production capacity, companies may need to juggle their schedules to ensure products go out on time. A lack of planning will always catch up to manufacturers.

What are the effects of delayed production?

Delayed production is more than just an annoying setback. It can be detrimental to a business, especially when they value customer experience and vendor partnerships. It can also have a major impact on your business’s bottom line.

There are many effects of delayed production that you may not realize, including:

  • Increased costs: employee overtime, expedited shipping fees and penalties for missed deadlines.
  • Customer dissatisfaction: loss of business and damaged relationships.
  • Supply chain backlogs: cascading delays that affect the entire production and supply chain.
  • Negative impact on competitiveness: risk of losing market share to more agile competitors.
  • Damaged partner relationships: unhappy vendors may choose to halt business with your company.

How can I combat delayed production effects?

While you can’t predict the future, you can prepare for it. With strategies from your supply chain partner, you can take a few steps that lead you in a more positive direction when the next production delay occurs.

Optimize your supply chain management

Build stronger relationships with reliable suppliers to mitigate the risk of delays. Diversify your supply sources, so you have other options if the delay originates on their end.

Implement predictive maintenance

Integrate new technology for proactive maintenance to reduce equipment downtime. When you can see that equipment will need to be updated soon, you get ahead of any delays.

Stronger workforce training and flexibility

If your workers are cross-trained to adapt to production shifts, you can minimize delays. Promoting flexible employees can help when things start to go in an unexpected direction.

Automate purchasing and procurement processes

Avoid relying on paper, email and phone-based order updates, which are slow and open up room for error. When you have the right visibility into your supply chain, you can assess and pivot quickly.

Ready to get ahead of the next production delay?

By being well-prepared with a plan for procuring and managing materials, you can ensure that you have the supplies they need when you need them. Avoid production disruptions caused by material shortages and keep production costs down by mitigating the need to expedite shipments or make last-second arrangements.

Learn more about Manufacturing Supply Chain solution, the SPS Commerce solution for those involved in the manufacturing supply chain. Plus, read through the rest of the blog series for Manufacturing Supply Chain, with How manufacturers can eliminate the stress of frequent change, The importance of effective demand planning and A comprehensive overview of business manufacturing problems.

]]> Avoid these mistakes this holiday season: A guide from SPS Commerce https://www.spscommerce.com/blog/avoid-holiday-season-mistakes/ Tue, 08 Oct 2024 14:00:06 +0000 https://www.spscommerce.com/?p=722250 The holidays are a hectic time for all businesses, no matter your size or output. As sales go up, suppliers face increased channel traffic, spikes in orders and difficulty managing downstream partner challenges. Already dreading this year’s holiday rush? By selecting the right technology to avoid mistakes and help you stay ahead of these obstacles, your business can thrive during the holiday season, confidently.

Avoid these three seasonal mistakes by taking the proper steps with some help from SPS Commerce.

Mistake 1: Your team isn’t ready

Your employees are the backbone of your business. They’re the ones who handle a majority of the obstacles that a holiday rush brings. It’s more important than ever to ensure your team has everything they need to meet all seasonal expectations and deadlines efficiently. But if they aren’t well-prepared for what’s ahead, your business could struggle with a sudden influx of orders.

Equip your team with the tools and training they need to streamline order processes, optimize channels and analyze critical data. When they can leverage solutions to improve automation, item data and sell-through metrics, your employees can take the first step toward a successful holiday season and confidently handle the uptick in demand.

How we help you accelerate team readiness

With a range of solutions and product features from SPS Commerce, your team can prepare in advance, way before orders start to ramp up. These solutions can work alongside the systems you already use to help your business keep up with demand.

  • SPS Commerce Fulfillment increases the efficiency of your entire order process by making it faster and easier to manage a large volume of sales. Fulfill and invoice multiple orders at once with batch order processing, set up defaults to reduce manual keystrokes with auto-sourcing and streamline the process of acknowledging orders with quick-send and auto-send acknowledgment capabilities. These standard features help employees stay on top of increasing order volume while boosting accuracy and speed.
  • SPS Commerce Assortment ensures you can seamlessly provide and update item data for your customers, so your team receives orders with accurate product information that will reduce order processing delays.
  • SPS Commerce Analytics delivers the sell-through data your team needs to make smart supply adjustments and use prior-year performance to predict trends for the upcoming holiday season.

When you combine these solutions, SPS Commerce offers everything your employees need to stay ahead of the seasonal rush.

Mistake 2: Your partners are unprepared

Your partners (including retailers, 3PLs and warehouses) are essential to your holiday success, so lines of communication must remain clear and consistent. When your trading partners can’t get accurate data about your orders, it can lead to delays, shortages and a compromised customer experience.

Ensure your partners get accurate information, but also remember to consider their systems and best practices. When you talk with your partners, learn their equipment and onboarding processes so that you can determine the best ways to stay connected during the holidays.

How we help you keep partners prepared

With best-in-class solutions that keep data flowing between thousands of businesses, SPS Commerce can help your organization improve how it communicates with its entire partner network.

  • Fulfillment features reporting and visibility capabilities to help you monitor transactions and track documents from trading partners so you can manage and avoid any issues that may arise. It also streamlines communication to ensure a consistent, accurate flow of information so all partners know what to expect and when.
  • Assortment makes it easier to transmit accurate product information to your retailers and gives consumers accurate details about the products they’re ordering.
  • Analytics data uncovers holiday insights to help you set the right expectations with your partners for product volume, mix and more.

SPS Commerce offers the solutions that make the transfer of data smoother between partners, so holiday planning and execution can continue without roadblocks.

Mistake 3: You don’t have a “Plan B”

Here’s the best-case scenario: your product is wildly popular this holiday buying season, flying off the shelves across every channel! Woohoo! But now the downside: Your retail partners need more product to satisfy the remaining demand, and your preferred carrier is having issues meeting shipping expectations. While it’s not your fault that your shipping partner has challenges, it’s still your responsibility to come up with another option.

It’s impossible to plan for all the emerging contingencies that could come up over the holidays, but having a general backup plan in case something unexpected happens can keep your business moving forward despite unseen setbacks. First, think about some of the pain points around shipping and supply, and whether you have alternate partners or practices that you can rely on if a key element breaks down.

How we help you create “Plan B” before you need it

With products and services that give your business maximum flexibility and oversight, SPS Commerce can help you make a clear contingency plan for unexpected holiday challenges.

  • Fulfillment provides actionable insights and workflow that help you manage orders and understand which ones are ready to ship or invoice, so you can prioritize your time and create strategies to stop those problems before they start.
  • Assortment delivers a way to share item data to help you avoid errors and ensure your backup plans are feasible.
  • Analytics gives you a roadmap from prior years that can help you avoid pitfalls in supply and shipping while planning for what comes after the holidays.

By combining the capabilities of each solution from SPS Commerce, your business can stay ahead of holiday challenges. Together, our solutions form a purpose-built suite that can improve not only your holiday performance, but also your year-round efficiency.

A successful holiday season begins today! Contact SPS Commerce.

]]> What is EDI? A supplier’s guide to navigating document exchange https://www.spscommerce.com/blog/what-is-edi/ Fri, 06 Sep 2024 13:00:35 +0000 https://www.spscommerce.com/?p=719065 Congratulations on catching the interest of a buyer who wants your product! Breaking into the retail market can be daunting for emerging brands, especially if you’ve been primarily focused on direct-to-consumer (D2C) channels. As you sift through the vendor agreement, you may encounter a crucial question: “Are you EDI compliant?”

This question can be intimidating, leaving you scrambling to understand what EDI is, when you need it and how much it costs.

Feeling overwhelmed? Fear not! This blog will demystify EDI and show how it can be a game-changer for your startup, helping you scale your supply chain as you grow.

What is EDI?

Electronic data interchange, or EDI, is the electronic way to receive orders, manage inventory, communicate shipments and process invoices, replacing the manual methods many emerging brands start with. EDI speeds up getting products on shelves by allowing purchase orders (POs) to be sent electronically.

Order confirmations are also sent electronically, helping buyers understand what will be fulfilled and allow them to plan accordingly. Advanced Shipping Notices (ASNs) inform retailers when and how products will arrive, enabling distribution centers to receive shipments smoothly without manual sorting. This data integration ensures efficient operations, timely replenishments and maximized sales opportunities.

Benefits of EDI for emerging brands

You might think EDI is only for big brands with large supply chains, but that’s not the case. Even if your volume with a retailer is small, EDI is warranted.

By leveraging EDI, your brand can streamline supply chain operations, ensuring your products are always available when retailers and consumers need them. Here are some key benefits:

  • Streamlined communication: Better collaboration with your retail and distribution partners enhances communication throughout your supply chain.
  • Faster payment: EDI invoicing accelerates payment processing.
  • Maximized sales opportunities: An increased ability to seize both existing and new relationships helps boost sales.
  • Reduced costs: More efficient operations lower overall expenses.

This efficiency not only improves your workflow but also boosts your brand’s reliability and profitability in a competitive market.

How to get started with EDI

EDI solutions are more accessible than ever for emerging brands, thanks to cloud technology and full-service providers. These providers equip you with all the necessary people, processes and technology so you can confidently say “yes” to EDI—without needing to learn how to code or hire additional staff.

Simply choose a reputable full-service provider like SPS Commerce, who will prescribe the plan you need, configure the solution, validate it and manage any ongoing changes. This allows you to focus on building your brand while they handle the complexities of EDI.

Breaking into the retail market is both exciting and challenging, and EDI isn’t a big, scary thing that will cause you headaches. With the right provider, implementing EDI can simplify your operations and scale your business, allowing you to focus on what’s important—selling the products your consumers love.

]]> 4 proven strategies businesses are using to drive growth in 2024 https://www.spscommerce.com/blog/4-proven-strategies-to-drive-growth-in-2024/ Fri, 28 Jun 2024 13:00:31 +0000 https://www.spscommerce.com/?p=715028

AT A GLANCE

  • Find out four strategies including data analytics and automation.
  • See how supply chain optimization improves competitiveness.
  • Delve into customer experience as a growth driver.
  • Emphasize adopting technology for long-term success.

We recently wrapped up our IN> events for the first half of the year in Dallas and Atlanta, where we engaged with supply chain leaders to discuss industry and market insights. When we asked attendees about their biggest business priority, the answer was clear: Growth!

Growth is essential for maintaining a profitable business and enhancing your competitive advantage. However, many businesses are running lean, and resource constraints or an inability to scale operations can create costly roadblocks.

So, what are successful businesses doing to overcome these challenges? Here are four key takeaways:

Automate processes to become more efficient

Investing in technology can help you achieve leaner operations. Upgrade your systems, invest in new ones, automate manual processes and look for ways to adopt AI capabilities to help you work faster. These automation strategies can improve efficiency and free up valuable resources.

For example, Select Brands, a small appliance company, struggled to keep up with increasing order volumes. By upgrading their ERP system and automating order fulfillment, they dramatically improved processing efficiency. Now, the Select Brands team focuses on strategic initiatives and customer relationships instead of manually entering orders.

Meet changing consumer expectations

Consumer behaviors and expectations have shifted significantly. To meet consumer demand and maintain loyalty, focus on omnichannel integration, personalized experiences and sustainability.

Some of our customers are leveraging TikTok for its viral potential and setting up TikTok stores to engage the platform’s massive audience and meet the preferences of today’s social media-savvy consumers.

Other suppliers are focusing on expanding their sales across channels. By prioritizing product innovation and diversifying their channels to support new opportunities across retail and eCommerce, these companies are transforming from startup concepts into national brands.

Focus on complete inventory control

To truly see the benefits of an omnichannel strategy, you need full transparency and accuracy of your inventory—all the way through your supply chain. Retailers have been looking to reduce their stock levels following 2022’s inventory tidal wave. Many companies have worked to trim inventory and increase their demand planning capabilities to improve accuracy, declutter facilities and reduce costs.

Technology investments like inventory management systems, AI and RFID technology can be used to improve inventory visibility and accuracy. But technology isn’t always the answer. Improving data analytics and demand forecasting with existing resources can also be effective.

For example, a small meat seasonings and marinades supplier used sell-through data to recommend replenishment orders with their distributors, prevent out-of-stocks and ensure constant product availability, which means sales aren’t missed. This strategy also helps them get in the door with larger big-box retailers, like Walmart.

Consider the core competencies of your business

Is shipping a core capability for your business? Is warehouse space available in your location? Can you locate inventory and ship orders on time and cost-effectively? If not, leveraging 3PLs for warehouse optimization, inventory management and reliable order fulfillment could be a game changer in enhancing operational efficiency and reducing costs for your business.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution, but by adopting these strategies, businesses can overcome growth roadblocks and achieve their goals in 2024 and beyond. What strategies are you implementing to drive growth in your own business? Share your ideas and experiences in the comments below!

]]> All-in-one: wholesale, marketplace, and eCommerce order fulfillment  https://www.spscommerce.com/blog/all-in-one-order-fulfillment/ Thu, 18 Apr 2024 12:30:29 +0000 https://www.spscommerce.com/?p=126713

AT A GLANCE

  • Uncover why integrated order fulfillment improves efficiency.
  • Learn how automation ensures accurate and fast shipping.
  • Examine improved customer satisfaction and retention.
  • Master adoption of connected supply chain technology.

Orders come into a supplier’s business through a variety of wholesale, distributor, and direct-to-consumer sales channels, including:

  • Wholesale and distribution channels like Target, Walmart, Costco, etc.
  • eCommerce platforms such as BigCommerce, WooCommerce and Shopify
  • Marketplaces like Amazon Marketplace , Etsy, eBay, Target Plus, etc.

Integration Infographic

Suppliers don’t want to miss a single order, but it takes time to continually check all these sources. And we all know that suppliers don’t have extra time these days!

At SPS Commerce, we spend a lot of time listening to the suppliers who use our Fulfillment solution. What do they need? At the top of their list is getting time back to do the things they want to do. We help suppliers get their time back by putting all their orders in one place and making it easier for them to do business with all their partners.

One place for ALL orders

For many suppliers, workdays are filled with managing one system and process for wholesale replenishment orders (usually sent via EDI) before switching over to another process to handle eCommerce orders. Then, they go through yet another routine for marketplace orders. And let’s not forget about the phone or email orders that need to be manually processed, too. By the end, the day is nearly done, and their warehouse teams are frantically working to meet short delivery windows.

And it all starts again tomorrow.

The problem is clear: Having different systems and processes for different orders is simply too time-consuming. Luckily, all orders and channels can be managed with Fulfillment. Fulfillment is the single solution that can help you take your day back by managing any type of order from any sales channel including:

  • Wholesale/retail (Target, Costco, Walmart)
  • eCommerce/website (Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce)
  • Marketplace (Amazon Marketplace, Etsy, eBay)

Ditch the spreadsheet for order management

If your company’s single source of orders is a spreadsheet, you aren’t alone. Most suppliers use a spreadsheet system to collect, track and reference orders. It must be manually updated with data from all sales channels, and that gets clunky. But many suppliers had no choice but to use spreadsheets to combine their orders from various channels into a single document—until now.

When Fulfillment becomes your wholesale, distribution, marketplace and eCommerce order fulfillment solution, you can finally toss the spreadsheet. Everything is in one place and automatically updated, allowing for more accurate inventory counts at all times. One system, no duplicate entries and so easy to manage. That means you and your team save tons of hours and make day-to-day work easier at the same time.

Shop, book and label shipments

Suppliers with multiple sales channels need to ship quickly, cheaply and in compliance with retailer or carrier requirements. It’s not enough to see all orders in one place—suppliers need to complete every step in the order-to-cash cycle from one solution.

To save time, suppliers can shop prices, book a shipment and produce shipping labels without leaving Fulfillment. No other portals or data entry are needed. Errors are eliminated and products get to where they need to go, without delay.

As a standout feature of Fulfillment,  Carrier Service walks users through the simple process, putting them in control of shipping costs for all orders and doing it all within narrow fulfillment windows. And, they can handle everything in the same solution they use to see which orders are shipping on-time and which ones need attention.

Accurate inventory counts

Fulfillment can be integrated with an inventory management system. With system automation, order and inventory data is automatically updated with the latest order and inventory data. We also make it possible to seamlessly share your inventory level information with other systems and marketplaces.

Speaking of 3PLs, Fulfillment can forward any order to your logistics partner, with no delays, no duplicate data entry and no phone calls. 3PLs receive the order almost as soon as you do, and their shipping documents automatically appear in Fulfillment to keep your inventories and order statuses accurate. It’s automatic with the SPS Third Party Warehouse Service. Now that’s even more time saved, so you can take your business to the next level.

Ready to save more time with a single streamlined process for all your orders?
For suppliers looking for a single order fulfillment solution for wholesale, distribution, marketplace and eCommerce channels, Fulfillment is all you’ll need. Contact SPS today for a tailored solution that’s built for your business.

]]> Four Painful SAP EDI Problems You Can Overcome with Full-Service EDI https://www.spscommerce.com/blog/sap-edi-problems/ Wed, 02 Nov 2022 13:00:46 +0000 https://www.spscommerce.com/?p=436396 Far too many SAP EDI solutions fall short, leading to wasted resources and lost opportunities. But with the right SAP EDI solution, you can avoid these problems altogether.

Osborn, LLC is a leading supplier of industrial brushes. The company faced several challenges in its EDI configuration in SAP with its previous SAP EDI system. But after deploying SPS Commerce Fulfillment (EDI) for SAP, Osborn has overcome these painful issues.

Read on to find out more about the company’s SAP EDI challenges and what they learned along the way.

Managing EDI configuration in SAP takes time away from strategic priorities

Many SAP EDI solutions require significant ongoing maintenance from IT teams. For example, you may need to change EDI configuration in SAP to meet a new EDI requirement or add a new trading partner.

In contrast, full-service EDI solutions like Fulfillment handle all EDI configuration in SAP on your behalf. Since using Fulfillment, Osborn hasn’t needed to hire staff to support their EDI operations.

According to Josh Tobler, IT Director, “We don’t have any internal EDI experts. With SPS, this isn’t an issue. From adding new trading partners to troubleshooting any issues that arise, SPS has the experience to do it fast and without our direct involvement. Our partnership with SPS hasn’t just saved us time. It has freed up our resources to go after other initiatives.”

Inflexible SAP EDI creates an expensive IT burden

Making changes to your SAP system to meet your EDI needs can be difficult and costly, requiring significant resources from your IT team or external consultants. That’s why flexibility is essential to your EDI configuration in SAP, especially when your business is growing. Ideally, your EDI solution should accommodate any changes you need without requiring changes to your SAP system.

Tobler commented about the difficulties of EDI before using SPS Commerce. He stated, “(Our previous) EDI wasn’t working out well for our company. It was like pulling teeth to get anything done, and our previous provider was nickel and diming us on billing.”

SPS Fulfillment EDI for SAP empowers business users to make updates, correct, add and resend EDI data—without support from an IT department or expensive changes to SAP. What’s more, predictable pricing eliminates billing surprises that can disrupt your cash flow.

Poor scorecard performance leads to chargebacks

Retailers and distributors often scorecard their suppliers on order fulfillment performance. These scorecards include data about the accuracy and timeliness of advance ship notices (ASNs) and other supply chain documents.

Osborn partnered with SPS to help improve its scorecard performance and reduce chargebacks.

“Retailers, such as Amazon, charge us if we aren’t aligning with their requirements. These fees quickly erode our margins. With SPS, we are seeing significant improvements to our scorecard and reducing chargebacks. This news has even reached the desk of our CEO, who complimented our teams on improving our scorecards,” Tobler commented.

Unacceptable error rates damage buyer relationships

Bad data practices can result in inaccurate pricing, part numbers and descriptions. And sharing inaccurate data with trading partners leads to problems.

Before working with SPS, Osborn had to review and check orders manually to avoid errors. By using the SAP ECC integration in Fulfillment, Osborn can automatically create orders within SAP. Only orders flagged with errors or missing data need personal attention.

“Our error rates due to bad data were at 30 percent or more before SPS. Today they are under 10 percent and improving rapidly. SPS allows us to manage by exception. The SPS error rate is almost zero. Our goal is to match that with our internal systems,” Tobler explained.

Ready to revamp your SAP EDI initiatives?

If you’re tired of dealing with SAP EDI headaches like these, SPS Commerce can help. Our proven approach makes it easy to connect with trading partners and optimize transactions with your SAP system. Learn more about our SAP EDI integration, download the complete case study from Osborn, LLC or contact our team of experts.

]]> The SPS Commerce Holiday Readiness Guide https://www.spscommerce.com/blog/holiday-readiness-guide/ Wed, 10 Aug 2022 13:30:27 +0000 https://www.spscommerce.com/?p=528377 The holiday season can be a busy, hectic time for businesses of all sizes. Increased channel traffic, order spikes and your partners’ downstream challenges can be especially difficult to manage. But, by selecting the right mix of solutions to help you stay ahead of those challenges, your business can take on holiday pressure with renewed confidence.

This holiday readiness guide features three seasonal challenges you can start mitigating now, along with a few ways SPS can help.

Challenge 1: Getting your team ready

Your employees are the backbone of your business, and they’ll be handling a big portion of the holiday challenges as they arise. With talent shortages and turnover at a high point, it’s more important than ever to ensure your team has everything they need to meet seasonal expectations and do their jobs efficiently.

Equipping your team with the tools and training they’ll need to streamline order processes, optimize channels and analyze critical data is the first step toward a successful holiday season. Leveraging solutions that improve automation, item data and sell-through metrics can help your employees handle the uptick in holiday demand.

How we help you accelerate team readiness

SPS Commerce offers a range of solutions and product features to help your teams prepare as orders start to ramp up. These solutions can work alongside the systems you already use to help your business keep up with demand.

  • Our Fulfillment solution can increase the efficiency of your entire order process by making it faster and easier to manage. You can fulfill and invoice multiple orders at once with batch order processing, set up defaults to reduce manual keystrokes with auto-sourcing, and streamline the process of acknowledging orders with quick-send and auto-send acknowledgement capabilities. These standard features can help employees stay on top of increasing order volume while boosting accuracy and speed.
  • SPS Assortment ensures you can seamlessly provide and update item data for your customers, so your team receives orders with accurate product information that will reduce order processing delays.
  • SPS Analytics delivers the sell-through data your team needs to make smart supply adjustments and use prior-year performance to predict trends for the upcoming holiday season.

Combined, SPS Commerce offers everything your employees need to stay ahead of the seasonal rush.

Challenge 2: Preparing your partners

Your partners are essential to your holiday success, so keep the lines of communication clear and consistent. When your trading partners can’t get accurate data about your orders, it can lead to delays, shortages and a compromised customer experience.

Ensuring your partners get accurate information is key, but it’s also essential to consider their systems and best practices. Talking with all your partners (including retailers, 3PLs, warehouses, etc.) to understand their equipment and onboarding processes can help you determine the best ways to stay connected during the holidays.

How we help you keep partners prepared

With best-in-class solutions that keep data flowing between thousands of businesses, SPS Commerce can help your organization improve how it communicates with its entire partner network.

  • Fulfillment features reporting and visibility capabilities to help you monitor transactions and track documents sent and received by your trading partners so you can manage and avoid any issues that may arise.
  • Assortment makes it easier to transmit accurate product information to your retailers and gives consumers accurate details about the products they’re ordering.
  • Analytics data uncovers holiday insights to help you set the right expectations with your partners for product volume, mix and more.

SPS Commerce offers the solutions that make the transfer of data smoother between partners, so holiday planning and execution can continue without roadblocks.

Challenge 3: Creating a Plan B

Let’s imagine a wonderful outcome for the holiday buying season: Your product is wildly popular and flying off the shelves across every channel. Now the downside: Your retail partners need more product to satisfy the remaining demand, and your preferred carrier is having issues meeting shipping expectations.

It’s impossible to plan for all the emerging contingencies that could come up over the holidays, but having a general backup plan in case something unexpected happens can keep your business moving forward despite unseen setbacks. To start, think about some of the pain points around shipping and supply, and whether you have alternate partners or practices that you can rely on if a key element breaks down.

How we help you make a contingency plan

With products and services that give your business maximum flexibility and oversight, SPS Commerce can help you make a clear contingency plan for unexpected holiday challenges.

  • Fulfillment’s actionable insights and workflow help you manage orders and understand which ones are ready to ship or invoice, so you can prioritize your time and create strategies to stop those problems before they start.
  • Assortment delivers a way to share item data that can help you avoid errors and ensure your back-up plans are feasible.
  • Analytics gives you a roadmap from prior years that can help you avoid pitfalls in supply and shipping while planning for what comes after the holidays.

By combining the capabilities of all the solutions from SPS Commerce, your business can stay ahead of holiday challenges. Together, our solutions form a purpose-built suite that can improve not only your holiday performance, but also your year-round efficiency.

A successful holiday season starts now. Contact SPS Commerce today.

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