Canadian Tire EDI: How to become a Supplier of Canadian Tire?

Getting listed on shelves of Canadian Tire may seem like a tedious task, but it can be split up into two phases. The first step is submitting your product for approval and the second is meeting their EDI requirements. Understanding these phases is curtailed since this process does take a bit of time and retailers have strict regulations that you must abide by. Retailers like Canadian Tire have these regulations in order to be able to work with 100s or even 1000s of suppliers like you. EDI compliancy makes it easy for them to process and organize large amounts of data.

Step 1: Submit for Product Approval

Before you get listed, you must submit your product for listing review. Retailers are always looking for new and exciting products they can offer their customer base. Below you’ll find links to product approval guidelines for Canadian Tire.

Here are a few tips to improve your chances of gaining approval:

• Include a short description of the product’s benefits
• Include photographs or illustrations of the product
• Mention relevant pricing and ordering information
• Attach patents or other documentation highlighting the product’s retail appeal
• If possible, include customer testimonials
• Don’t forget to show what your product’s packaging looks like
• Share your website and contact information

Remember, your goal is to convince Canadian Tire about how THEY will benefit by carrying your product. It also helps to show that you are passionate about your product. Furthermore, you should show that you are planning on building a lasting relationship with the company as well. Be sure to highlight ongoing marketing efforts you’ll make on the store’s behalf to support the product.

Step 2: Meet Canadian Tire’s Requirements for EDI

Canadian Tire is one of Canada’s premiere go-to shopping destinations for everything from auto parts to brand new hockey equipment eh! To be a supplier of theirs, you’ll need to exchange important business documents through a process known as EDI. EDI is a standardized method for exchanging business information and documents electronically between different organizations. It facilitates the seamless and automated exchange of structured data, such as purchase orders, invoices, shipping notices, and other business documents, without the need for manual data entry or paper-based transactions.

Retailers like Canadian Tire have their own set of unique requirements for meeting EDI compliancy. It’s important that you ensure you can meet these requirements in order to improve your chances of being chosen to stock their shelves with your products.

Setting up EDI can be complex and confusing, and if you don’t get it right, you’ll face costly chargebacks from Canadian Tire. Failure to transact business documents properly can result in you being delisted from the retailer. The first step to ensure that you’re set up for EDI success is integrating it with your ERP system using a best EDI solution provider.

How does EDI work for Canadian Tire?

1. Agreement and Setup: Canadian Tire and its supplier establish an agreement to exchange EDI documents. This agreement includes the selection of EDI standards, message types, communication protocols, and other relevant details.
2. EDI Software or Service: Canadian Tire uses EDI software or works with an EDI service provider to manage the exchange of electronic documents. The software is configured to support the agreed-upon EDI standards and document types.
3. Document Generation: Within Canadian Tire's systems, various EDI documents are generated or received. These documents can include purchase orders, invoices, advance ship notices (ASN), and more. The documents are created in a format compatible with the chosen EDI standards.
4. Translation: The EDI software or service provider translates these documents into the specific EDI format and syntax agreed upon in the EDI partnership.
5. Transmission: The translated EDI documents are securely transmitted to the supplier's systems. Canadian Tire and its supplier can use different communication methods for this transmission, including VANs, AS2, FTP.
6. Reception: The supplier's EDI system receives the transmitted documents.
7. Translation (Reception): The supplier's EDI software translates the received documents back into a format that their internal systems can understand.
8. Integration: The translated data is integrated into the supplier's internal systems. For example, purchase orders received from Canadian Tire might be automatically integrated into the supplier's order fulfillment and inventory management systems.
9. Acknowledgments: To ensure the accuracy and completeness of the data exchange, acknowledgment messages are often exchanged. These acknowledgments confirm the successful receipt and processing of EDI documents.
10. Exception Handling: Both Canadian Tire and their suppliers have processes in place to address exceptions, errors, and discrepancies in the EDI documents. Timely resolution of issues is critical to maintain smooth business operations.

What are Common EDI Documents for Canadian Tire?

Canadian Tire uses a variety of EDI documents to facilitate different aspects of their business operations. Common EDI documents exchanged by Canadian Tire and their suppliers may include:

• Purchase Order (EDI 850): This document is used by Canadian Tire to request products or goods from their suppliers. It specifies the products, quantities, prices, and delivery details for the items they wish to purchase.
• Purchase Order Acknowledgment (EDI 855): The supplier's acknowledgment of the receipt and acceptance of the purchase order. It can include information on item availability and expected delivery dates.
• Advance Ship Notice (EDI 856): Also known as an ASN, this document is sent by the supplier to inform Canadian Tire of the impending shipment. It includes details about the contents of the shipment, such as the items, quantities, and tracking information.
• Invoice (EDI 810): The supplier's invoice for the products shipped to Canadian Tire. It includes pricing information and terms of payment.
• Functional Acknowledgment (EDI 997): This is a confirmation of the receipt and processing of EDI documents. It helps ensure that the data exchange has been successful and accurate.
• Product Activity Data (EDI 852): This document provides information about sales and inventory levels of products at Canadian Tire stores. It helps suppliers manage their stock and production.
• Request for Quotation (EDI 840): Canadian Tire may use this document to request price quotes from their suppliers for specific products or services.
• Purchase Order Change (EDI 860): If there are changes or updates needed for an existing purchase order, this document is used to communicate those modifications to the supplier.
• Remittance Advice (EDI 820): This document provides information about payments made by Canadian Tire to their suppliers. It includes details of the payment amount and how it corresponds to specific invoices.
• Product Catalog (EDI 832): A catalog of products and services offered by suppliers, including descriptions, pricing, and other relevant information.

These are some of the common EDI documents that Canadian Tire may use in their business processes. The specific documents and their use cases can vary depending on Canadian Tire's requirements and agreements with their suppliers. It's essential to refer to Canadian Tire's EDI guidelines and standards to ensure that you are using the correct document types and complying with their EDI processes.

Canadian Tire EDI Integration from the Inofocn Systems Experts

Infocon Systems is a trusted EDI service provider company offering a fully managed, easy to use Cloud-based platform and B2B integration into your core business applications. Infocon System is backed by a dedicated team of experts for over 30 years and has been designing custom solutions maintaining seamless workflows to make transaction processing the most efficient.

Infocon Systems utilizes Microsoft's Azure Platform which has multiple layers of security applications featuring full emergency backup restoration and disaster recovery plans that span multiple locations across various regions, minimizing the risks. Any Trading Partner, Any Integration, Any Industry-We offer:

• 24/7 access to our EDI specialists (by phone or email)
• Fast set-up of your EDI mailbox and EDI ID (within 24 hours)
• Easy training for our popular EDI web portal (takes 30 minutes)

To know more on how we implement Canadian Tire EDI and integrate into any of their internal systems, contact our sales department at +1 888-339-0722 or email us at sales@infoconn.com