EDI vs Web Portal: When you can afford to key orders manually

Every major retailer has its own web portal where suppliers can download orders and upload dispatch advices/invoices manually. It works for small volumes, but becomes an operational nightmare at 5+ retailers or over 30 orders/day.

Number of portals to manage

EDI integrated with ERP: 1 (EDIconnect). Retailer's manual web portal: One portal per retailer (5–15).

Separate accounts & passwords

EDI integrated with ERP: Single login. Retailer's manual web portal: Separate login for every retailer.

ERP integration

EDI integrated with ERP: Native (40+ ERPs). Retailer's manual web portal: None (manual copy-paste).

Time per order

EDI integrated with ERP: Automated. Retailer's manual web portal: 5–10 minutes manual per portal.

Centralized notifications

EDI integrated with ERP: Single dashboard. Retailer's manual web portal: Email/SMS from every portal.

Availability SLA

EDI integrated with ERP: 99.98% (EDIconnect Azure). Retailer's manual web portal: Varies per retailer.

Monthly cost

EDI integrated with ERP: From €15/month (all retailers). Retailer's manual web portal: €0 (but FTE cost: €600–1200/month).

Verdict

Retailer web portals are acceptable only if you work with 1–2 retailers and under 10 orders/day. Above that threshold, EDIconnect consolidates everything into one portal with ERP integration, eliminating operational complexity.