“You can always count on a retailer going on to incorporate a new level of integration targeting a specific business driver down the road,” Frome says. “It never really stands still. Then all of the suppliers need to make a change on their end for that handshake associated with that change to work.”

The outsourced model also means outsourcing the technology for retailers who may not have the financial wherewithal to continually refresh their platforms each time they make a change. “We keep the technology modern and upgraded so that they don’t have to be responsible for upgrading hardware or buying new systems,” Frome says.

During the course of the Boater’s World launch, SPS was able to dedicate 40 staff to the project, mostly to handle relations with vendors. “Once that spike of activity goes down, when the project is done, [the retailer doesn’t] need those 40 people anymore,” Frome says.

ASN advantages
As critical as the vendor outreach portion is to Boater’s World, the expansion of EDI capabilities also provides the ability to speed up information flow and accuracy through Advance Ship Notice information. For instance, Boater’s World warehouse and store managers receive more accurate information about merchandise that is in transit.

“It enables us to get a better feel of what’s inbound into our warehouses and have a better expectation of when to receive things,” O’Hern says. “It allows for more accurate receiving at all steps of the game.”

The SPS platform also offers a web-form option to create multiple ASNs for a single order. Based on the information entered into SPS’ online service to complete the ASN, the system can quickly print the accurate number of labels required for the entire shipment, resulting in an easier packing process.

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