EDI cost guide · For consumer brands
Most brands start with a separate EDI provider because their first system had no EDI of its own. That means two subscriptions, a connector between them and, on a metered plan, a bill that rises with every purchase order, ship notice, invoice and inventory feed. EDI built into the ERP turns that into one system. On AIMS360 it is a flat monthly fee per retailer with unlimited transactions, so selling more does not raise the EDI bill.
Is an EDI provider or an ERP with built-in EDI cheaper? It depends on how the provider bills and how much you send. Metered providers charge per document, per line or per kilocharacter, so the bill grows with every order and every inventory update. AIMS360 charges a flat monthly fee per retailer with unlimited transactions and no VAN fees. Past a certain volume, the metered EDI bill on its own passes what AIMS360 charges for the ERP with EDI included.
Two models
Same retailers, same documents. What changes is how many systems sit in the middle and what you pay as volume grows.
| Standalone EDI provider | EDI built into the ERP (AIMS360) | |
|---|---|---|
| Systems you run | Your ERP or accounting system, the EDI provider, and a connector between them | One system |
| Where a purchase order lands | In the provider's portal, or as a translated file your ERP imports | Directly in AIMS360 as a sales order |
| Labels and ship notices | Built from carton data passed back through the connector | Printed and built from the pick and pack in AIMS360 |
| Inventory feeds (846) | On a metered plan, every feed is a billable document | Send as often as each retailer wants, same bill |
| Chargebacks | The provider sees the documents, your ERP sees the shipment | Posted against the invoice in the same system |
| Support | Two vendors, and the problem often sits between them | One vendor, with 24x7 emergency EDI support |
| Pricing | Often setup and a monthly fee per partner and, on metered plans, per document, line or kilocharacter, plus VAN or mapping fees | A flat monthly fee per retailer, unlimited transactions, no VAN, kilocharacter, per-document or per-line fees |
Pricing models
EDI pricing comes in a few shapes, and most quotes combine several of them.
A published example. Edict Systems lists its Web EDI rates publicly: $75 one-time setup per trading partner, $5 per partner per month, a $62 monthly subscription, then $2.10 per document in the first paid tier stepping down to $0.35 per document at high volume, plus $0.25 per document for partners not connected directly to its network. See the rate card.
Not every provider meters. Some charge a flat fee per trading partner with unlimited transactions, the same model AIMS360 uses for EDI. The difference there is what the fee buys: an EDI connection on its own, or the ERP with EDI built in.
The crossover
On a metered plan, cost follows volume. On AIMS360 it does not. So there is a volume where the metered EDI bill by itself costs more than AIMS360's ERP with EDI included, and every order after that widens the gap.
| Scenario, 10 retailers | Documents a month | Monthly EDI cost |
|---|---|---|
| Inventory feed once a day | 300 | $536.50 |
| Inventory feed four times a day | 1,200 | $1,096.50 |
| Four feeds a day, plus 200 orders | 2,000 | $1,376.50 |
On AIMS360, the inventory feeds in that table cost nothing extra, and neither do the orders. The EDI bill is the flat fee per retailer, whether you send 300 documents a month or 30,000.
Want your own crossover? Send your last three EDI invoices and your retailer list, and we will put your current EDI bill next to AIMS360 with EDI included. Get a free EDI cost comparison.
The work
Purchase orders arrive at the provider, get translated and are imported into your ERP. Carton data has to travel back for the label and the ship notice, and when the two systems disagree, the retailer's chargeback is how you find out.
In AIMS360 the purchase order lands as a sales order, the carton label and the ship notice come from the pick and pack, and the invoice comes from the shipment. Deductions post against the invoice they belong to, in chargeback management.
The honest answer
If you are replacing your ERP anyway, or your volume is growing, the case for a second system gets weaker every month.
One by one
FAQ
It depends on how the provider bills and on your volume. Metered providers charge per document, per line or per kilocharacter, so the bill rises with every order and inventory update. AIMS360 charges a flat monthly fee per retailer with unlimited transactions, so past a certain volume a metered EDI bill on its own costs more than AIMS360's ERP with EDI included.
A kilocharacter, or KC, is 1,000 characters of EDI data. Providers that bill by KC charge on the size of each document rather than the count, which is the traditional value-added network model. Larger orders with more lines produce larger documents and larger bills. AIMS360 charges no kilocharacter fees.
Common charges include setup per trading partner, a monthly fee per partner, per-document or per-line fees, kilocharacter fees, VAN mailbox or interconnect fees, and mapping or change fees when a retailer updates its requirements. Most quotes combine several of these.
No. AIMS360 EDI has no per-document, per-line, kilocharacter or VAN fees, and transactions are unlimited. Adding a retailer adds a flat monthly fee. Adding volume adds nothing.
As often as each retailer wants. Because transactions are unlimited, sending an 846 inventory feed four times a day costs the same as sending it once.
For most retailers, no. AIMS360 connects to 350+ retailers through its native EDI. The exception is a retailer that runs its vendor program on a specific network such as SPS Commerce, where AIMS360 connects to that network for that retailer and your team still works inside AIMS360.
A value-added network is a service that routes EDI documents between trading partners, much like a mailbox, and traditionally bills by mailbox, document or kilocharacter. AIMS360 charges no VAN fees.
Yes. The move runs retailer by retailer: each retailer's documents are mapped and tested on AIMS360's native EDI before live orders switch over, and 99% of AIMS360 clients are live within 90 days.
Bring your last three EDI invoices and your retailer list. We'll show you what ERP and EDI together cost on AIMS360, and where your crossover sits.
