Dropship Fulfillment for Suppliers: How D2C EDI Works

Dropshipping — where the retailer takes the order and you ship directly to the consumer — is one of the fastest-growing segments in retail. Major retailers including Walmart, Target, and Amazon have all expanded their dropship programs significantly.

How Retailer Dropship Programs Work

In a typical dropship arrangement:

1. The retailer lists your products on their website
2. A consumer places an order
3. The retailer sends you an EDI 850 with the consumer’s shipping address
4. You pick, pack, and ship directly to the consumer
5. You send a 856 ASN and 810 invoice to the retailer
6. The retailer pays you and collects from the consumer

Dropship-Specific EDI Requirements

D2C orders have unique EDI characteristics:

• Ship-to address is a consumer address, not a DC
• Parcel shipping (UPS, FedEx, USPS) rather than LTL freight
• Pack slips must often be retailer-branded (no Spring Systems or supplier branding visible)
• Return address is often the retailer, not the supplier
• ASN timing is typically same-day shipment

Branded Pack Slips

Most retailer dropship programs require a branded packing slip — the consumer should see the retailer’s branding, not yours. Spring Systems generates retailer-formatted pack slips automatically for each dropship order.

The Volume Challenge

A retailer dropship program can generate hundreds or thousands of individual consumer orders per day. Manual processing at that volume isn’t feasible — automation is mandatory.

Spring Systems D2C Solution

Our D2C platform integrates directly with retailers’ dropship EDI programs. Orders flow in automatically, labels and pack slips are generated, and ASNs are sent at shipment — all without manual intervention.