Gaining A Competitive Edge Through EDI

April 2012 Integrated Solutions For Retailers

By Bob Johns, associate editor

Retailers are using EDI to become more automated and competitive.

Electronic data interchange (EDI) has always had a place in the retail supply chain, but recent technology developments have allowed EDI to really gain a foothold in the industry. I recently had a chance to speak with Bernie Murciano, president and founder of 123EDI, to discuss the changing EDI landscape.

Why do you feel there has been such dramatic double-digit growth in EDI implementation in recent years?

Murciano: One of the most dramatic changes has been a migration to the cloud for EDI software and hosting. Retailers no longer have to allocate technical resources and staff to operating and servicing hardware and software. Entire solutions can be hosted by EDI companies with retailers accessing the software via userfriendly interfaces. Prior to 2000, many retailers were wary to allocate resources to EDI without seeing a huge ROI. Since then, retailers large and small have begun to reap the benefits of EDI through hosted services with a much smaller initial investment.

What benefits can retailers see in their supply ch