ASN Compliance

An Advance Ship Notice – the EDI 856 transaction – tells the retailer exactly what's coming, how it's packed, and when to expect it. ASN compliance means sending that notice accurately, completely, and within the retailer's required timeframe. Most major retailers require ASNs to be transmitted within hours of shipment pickup, and the data must match the physical shipment precisely – right down to case quantities, SSCC codes, PO line items, and carrier PRO numbers.

A compliant ASN typically includes the PO number, ship date, expected delivery date, carrier name and tracking reference, item-level detail with quantities and UPCs, packaging hierarchy (items per case, cases per pallet), and SSCC-18 codes that tie to GS1-128 labels on each pallet or case. Errors in any of these fields – a mismatched quantity, a missing SSCC, a wrong UPC – can trigger chargebacks and cause receiving delays at the retailer's DC, where scanners rely on ASN data to process inbound freight.

ASN failures are among the most common and most preventable compliance violations. They usually stem from manual data entry, disconnected systems where shipping data doesn't flow to the EDI platform automatically, or timing gaps where the ASN transmits after the retailer's deadline. For shippers still generating ASNs from spreadsheets or re-keying shipment details into an EDI portal, errors are inevitable at volume.

Automating ASN generation – pulling item, quantity, and carrier data directly from the order and tendering process and transmitting via EDI at the moment of tender – eliminates the manual steps where most errors occur.