Login
EDI 888
Item Maintenance
What is an EDI 888?
EDI 888, also known as an Item Maintenance document, is an electronic data interchange transaction set that carries details about a specific product or products. Much like how product information management provides consistency across digital channels, EDI 888 makes it easy to alert trading partners to new product details, as well as changes to existing products.
EDI 888 documents follow the x12 format set by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), a not-for-profit organization that regulates EDI formats in the U.S.
What are the Essential Components of EDI 888?
EDI 888 documents can include a variety of information relating to a new or existing product or product set. Some common elements found on EDI 888 include:
- Product identifiers, such as SKUs or UPCs
- Product descriptions
- Size and weight measurements
- Appearance and feature details
- Packaging information
How do I Use EDI 888?
EDI 888 is a transaction code used by a supplier, manufacturer, broker, or agent, to communicate with their consumer goods partners. Creation of EDI 888 is usually triggered by the launch of a new product, or changes to an existing product. The supplier sends EDI 888 to all their applicable partners to alert them of the changes. EDI 888 can also be used to let partners know about product discontinuation, or temporary withdrawal (such as production pauses caused by a recall).
After receiving the new details, partners like retailers and EDI-enabled third-party logistics (3PL) providers can update product information in their internal systems. Recipients of EDI 888 usually respond with an EDI 997 Functional Acknowledgement transaction.
EDI 888 can address many types of product changes, including size, color and new or updated features. However, EDI 888 cannot be used to tell partners about a product price change; for this, suppliers should use EDI 879 Price Change transaction set instead.
Sportsman’s Supply Inc.
TrueCommerce EDI Buyer’s Guide
What are the Benefits of EDI 888?
EDI 888 enables supply chain partners to sync their product information, providing valuable consistency across orders and channels. This helps prevent retailer dissatisfaction, 3PL space constraints, order confusion, chargebacks, and other trading partner issues. It also improves the shipping and receiving processes by ensuring that stores or warehouses can easily identify the products.
Automating EDI 888 saves valuable time, allowing team members to focus on other important business strategies. Also, by eliminating manual data entry, this approach reduces errors which can lead to further confusion about product details. Thanks to security protocols like SOC compliance, encryption and other protections, EDI 888 offers a better way to keep business details safe and confidential than paper, email, or faxed Item Maintenance documents.
