Comparison
EDI vs. PDF to Order, side by side.
An honest comparison. EDI still wins for a few things - we'll be direct about them.
| Criterion | Traditional EDI | PDF to Order | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup cost per trading partner | $5k–$30k | $0 | PDF to Order |
| Time to first live order | 6–12 weeks | Same afternoon | PDF to Order |
| Requires customer to have EDI | Yes | No - any customer who can email a PDF | PDF to Order |
| Monthly infrastructure fees | $200–$1,000 (VAN/AS2) | $0 (included) | PDF to Order |
| Adapting to layout changes | Re-mapping project | Automatic | PDF to Order |
| Bulk EDI-native retailers (big-box) | Native fit | Works, but EDI still preferred by their teams | EDI |
| Straight-through processing at massive volume | Excellent once mapped | Excellent, with approval queue as safety net | Tie |
| Team size needed to run it | IT + consultant | Ops person, part-time | PDF to Order |
| Audit trail | AS2 receipts | Full activity log + original document | PDF to Order |
| Compliance with retail EDI mandates (e.g. Walmart, Target) | Required | Not sufficient alone | EDI |
When EDI is still the answer
You sell into big-box retail with an EDI mandate - Walmart, Target, Kroger, Home Depot. In that case, run EDI for those partners and PDF to Order for everyone else. Most of our customers do exactly that.
When PDF to Order is the answer
You have 5 to 500 wholesale customers who email or upload POs, and you're doing manual entry today. That's our sweet spot. See the calculator.
Your PDFs become Shopify orders.
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