Apparel EDI software built into your ERP
Retailer-compliant EDI. No middleware tax.
Connect to major retailers with native EDI. Automate POs, ASNs, invoices, acknowledgements, and GS1-128 shipping labels inside the same platform that runs your product, inventory, orders, and warehouse execution.
Trusted by modern apparel brands that can't afford disconnected operations
TL;DR
- ✓Native retailer EDI — POs, ASNs, invoices, acknowledgements, POAs, functional acks.
- ✓GS1-128 / SSCC labels generated from the same warehouse data the ASN references.
- ✓No third-party portal, no middleware — runs directly inside Uphance.
Nordstrom · Macy's · Bloomingdale's · Saks
Retailers Uphance customers ship to, with native, compliant EDI
No third-party portal between your ERP and the retailer. No middleware contract. No rebuilt carton data.
The truck arrives at the retailer. The ASN didn't.
Your ASN was supposed to be transmitted before the shipment landed. Retailer policy says: no ASN, automatic chargeback. The middleware portal your team relies on queued the ASN but couldn't push it — there was a format mismatch nobody spotted until Monday.
The truck arrived Friday afternoon. The chargeback arrived Monday morning. Six figures, in a year, across a handful of retailers, just from compliance edge cases.
The same week, a label printed without a valid SSCC because the carton data and the label print job were running in different systems on different cadences. Two cartons got rejected at the receiving dock. A separate retailer flagged an invoice mismatch on a PO with revised quantities the middleware hadn't picked up. Each one is a small failure. Together they add up to the line item finance keeps quietly absorbing every quarter.
Retailer EDI compliance isn't a nice-to-have. It's a margin issue. And middleware makes it harder, not easier.
Retailer compliance isn't a technology problem. It's a data problem.
Nordstrom, Macy's, Saks — every major retailer has published an EDI spec, and it is unforgiving. ASN must transmit before the truck arrives. Carton label must be GS1-128 compliant with a valid SSCC. Invoice must reference the PO exactly, in the exact format, or it gets rejected. Miss any of it and the chargeback is automatic.
Most apparel brands solve this by bolting a third-party EDI middleware layer on top of their ERP. The middleware works, mostly, but creates a new problem: every document is a hand-off. POs come into the portal and get re-keyed into orders. ASN data gets reconstructed from pick-and-pack by somebody connecting dots across three screens. Acknowledgements arrive in the middleware but nobody sees them until a rejection becomes a chargeback.
Uphance runs EDI natively inside the operational platform. POs ingest directly into order management. ASNs generate from warehouse activity in real time. GS1-128 labels print from the same carton data the ASN references.
What does Uphance EDI do?
Automated document flow
POs, POAs, ASNs, invoices, acknowledgements exchanged automatically.
GS1-compliant shipping labels
GS1-128 (UCC-128) labels and SSCC generation, tied to carton data and ASN.
Carton and pack structure fidelity
Size/color matrices, prepacks, split shipments, multi-warehouse, native.
Retailer-specific compliance
Formatting, timing, label rules per retailer. ASN before arrival. Partner-specific versions.
Acknowledgement and exception monitoring
Functional acks and exceptions surface before they become chargebacks.
Global protocol support
ANSI X12 (NA), UN/EDIFACT (global), GS1 EANCOM. Onboard US, UK, EU, AU without switching.
Middleware EDI is yesterday's answer.
Twenty years ago, bolting an EDI middleware layer onto your ERP was a sensible architecture. EDI was a specialized protocol, retailers were a small slice of your business, and the cost of middleware was easier to swallow than building EDI natively.
The math has changed. Retailer compliance requirements have tightened. Chargebacks are larger and more automatic. Middleware contracts are a recurring tax. And the operational cost of every document being a hand-off between two systems has gotten harder to hide.
EDI belongs inside the operational system. Not next to it.
Middleware EDI vs Native EDI in Uphance
| Feature | Middleware EDI | Uphance EDI |
|---|---|---|
| PO ingestion | Via middleware → re-keyed | Direct into order management |
| ASN generation | Reconstructed from WMS + middleware | From warehouse activity in real time |
| ASN timing (before truck arrival) | Manual coordination | Triggered by actual ship event |
| GS1-128 / SSCC labels | Separate labeling tool | From same carton data as ASN |
| Carton-to-ASN linkage | Manual reconciliation | Automatic |
| Invoice generation | From accounting + middleware | From shipped order data |
| Functional acknowledgements | In middleware dashboard | Surfaced to ops in Uphance |
| Exception handling | Middleware portal, often missed | In the same system that runs operations |
| Per-retailer setup time | 4–8 weeks plus middleware setup | 2–6 weeks |
| Annual cost | Middleware license + per-document fees + integration | Part of Uphance |
| Compliance risk surface | Multiple systems, multiple integrations | One system |
What results do Uphance customers see?
Read the full Magnolia Pearl case study →“We needed an operations platform that unifies DTC selling, payments, taxes/duties, warehouse execution, and shipping into one reliable flow. With Uphance as our source of truth, we reduced complexity and made the business far more scalable.”
Who is this built for, and who is it not for?
Uphance EDI probably isn't for you if…
- ✗You don't sell to major retailers with EDI requirements.
- ✗You already run a deep EDI middleware stack with full in-house support.
- ✗Your EDI volume is small enough that manual retailer portals work.
Uphance EDI is built for you if…
- ✓You sell to Nordstrom, Macy's, Bloomingdale's, Saks, or similar EDI retailers.
- ✓Chargebacks from compliance edge cases are an ongoing cost.
- ✓You're paying for EDI middleware on top of your ERP.
- ✓You want ASNs and labels generated from real warehouse data, not reconstructed.
- ✓You're adding retailer partners and want a scalable way to onboard.
What does a Uphance demo look like?
45 minutes, prepped around your retailer network:
- 1Your retailer mix. Current partners, planned additions, pain points.
- 2A PO → ship cycle, end to end. Retailer PO ingested, allocated, picked, ASN transmitted, label printed.
- 3GS1-128 label generation. See the carton data, SSCC, and ASN tied together.
- 4Exception handling. What happens when an acknowledgement fails or a format mismatch surfaces.
- 5Onboarding scope. What connecting a new retailer in Uphance actually looks like.
Retailer EDI document support
| Business Function | ANSI X12 (North America) | EDIFACT (UK/EU/AU & Global) |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase Order | 850 | ORDERS |
| PO Acknowledgment | 855 | ORDRSP |
| PO Change | 860 | ORDCHG |
| Advance Ship Notice | 856 | DESADV |
| Invoice | 810 | INVOIC |
| Functional Acknowledgment | 997 | CONTRL |
GS1 label support
- ✓GS1-128 (formerly UCC-128) shipping labels
- ✓SSCC (Serial Shipping Container Code) generation
- ✓Carton-level barcode labels
- ✓Retailer-specific label formatting
- ✓Tight linkage between ASN (856/DESADV) and carton labels
Communication protocols
AS2 · SFTP · Other retailer-required protocols confirmed during discovery.
How does Uphance implementation work?
Per-retailer onboarding runs 2 to 6 weeks, dominated by the retailer's test cycle.
Discovery
Your retailer partners, compliance requirements, priorities mapped.
Tailored demo
Your retailer workflow rebuilt in Uphance with representative data.
Configuration
Document mapping, label configuration, protocol setup.
Partner onboarding + testing
Retailer test cycle runs. Certification per partner.
Go-live + hypercare
Launch per retailer. Acknowledgement monitoring active from day one.
Frequently asked questions
What does Uphance integrate with?
| EDI providers | EzCom · Rithum / DSCO · other major retailer EDI networks |
| Protocols | AS2 · SFTP |
| Standards | ANSI X12 · UN/EDIFACT · GS1 EANCOM |
| Labels | GS1-128 (UCC-128) · SSCC compliant |
Ready to see EDI without middleware?
Start with a brief discovery conversation. We'll learn how your retailer partners and EDI flow work today, assess fit, and prepare a demo around your partners, compliance needs, and priorities.