The Retail Operations Guide: EDI 850, 855, 856, and 810 Explained

Introduction

If you plan to sell to big-box retailers (Walmart, Target) or digital giants (Amazon Vendor Central), EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) is not optional—it's the price of admission. The "Big 4" documents form the backbone of automated retail supply chains.

1. EDI 850: Purchase Order (PO)

Direction: Retailer -> Supplier The 850 is the trigger. It tells the supplier what items are being ordered, the quantity, and the shipping destination.

X12 Sample (850)

Copy
1ISA*00*          *00*          *ZZ*RetailerID     *ZZ*SupplierID     *250828*1000*U*00401*000000001*0*P*>~
2GS*PO*RetailerID*SupplierID*20250828*1000*1*X*004010~
3ST*850*0001~
4BEG*00*NE*4500123456**20250828~
5PO1*1*100*EA*12.99**VN*VENDOR123*UP*123456789012~
6CTT*1~
7SE*5*0001~
8GE*1*1~
9IEA*1*000000001~

2. EDI 855: Purchase Order Acknowledgment (POA)

Direction: Supplier -> Retailer The supplier confirms they can fulfill the order. They can "Accept," "Reject," or "Accept with Changes" (e.g., if price or quantity differs).

X12 Sample (855)

Copy
1ST*855*0002~
2BAK*00*AC*4500123456*20250828~
3PO1*1*100*EA*12.99**VN*VENDOR123~
4ACK*IA*100*EA~  (IA = Item Accepted)
5SE*5*0002~

3. EDI 856: Advance Ship Notice (ASN)

Direction: Supplier -> Retailer The most complex and critical document. The ASN must arrive before the truck. It details exactly what is in every carton and on every pallet (SSCC-18 labels). Note: Amazon detects discrepancies between the ASN and the physical receipt to issue chargebacks.

X12 Sample (856)

Copy
1ST*856*0003~
2BSN*00*SHIP12345*20250830*1200*0001~
3HL*1**S~ (Shipment Level)
4HL*2*1*O~ (Order Level)
5PRF*4500123456~
6HL*3*2*P~ (Pack/Carton Level)
7MAN*GM*00001234567890123456~ (SSCC-18 Label ID)
8HL*4*3*I~ (Item Level)
9LIN**UP*123456789012~
10SN1**10*EA~
11SE*10*0003~

4. EDI 810: Invoice

Direction: Supplier -> Retailer The digital bill. It replaces paper invoices. Major retailers use "3-Way Matching" (PO + ASN/Receipt + Invoice) to approve payments automatically.

X12 Sample (810)

Copy
1ST*810*0004~
2BIG*20250830*INV98765*20250828*4500123456~
3IT1*1*100*EA*12.99**UP*123456789012~
4TDS*129900~ (Total Amount: $1299.00)
5SE*5*0004~

Conclusion

Mastering these four documents automates 90% of your Order-to-Cash cycle. Failure to implement them correctly often results in "Chargebacks" (fines) from retailers, which can eat up 2-5% of your revenue.