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.