Definition
EDIFACT is a syntax and message standard maintained by UN/CEFACT for electronic data interchange between companies. An EDIFACT message is plain text following a strict structure: segments (such as UNH for the message header, LIN for a line item, UNT for the message trailer) contain data elements separated by defined delimiters. Because the full standard is enormous, industries work with subsets — in retail primarily EANCOM, maintained by GS1, which trims EDIFACT to retail needs and adds GS1 identifiers such as GTIN for articles and SSCC for shipping units. On top of that, every large trading partner publishes its own message implementation guideline specifying which segments it actually expects.
Why it matters
Anyone supplying large retail partners in Europe will encounter EDIFACT — retail chains, wholesalers and marketplaces treat it as the default integration standard. Amazon vendors outside North America typically connect via EDIFACT, while North American suppliers use ANSI X12. The practical benefit is reusability: once a manufacturer has made the ERP side EDIFACT-capable, each additional trading partner costs considerably less, because only the partner-specific mapping is new rather than the whole infrastructure.
How it works
The message types that matter in retail are ORDERS (purchase order), ORDRSP (order response), ORDCHG (order change), DESADV (despatch advice), RECADV (receiving advice), INVOIC (invoice), INVRPT (inventory report), SLSRPT (sales report), PRICAT (price and article catalogue) and CONTRL as the technical acknowledgement. Each partner defines an implementation guideline on top: which segments are mandatory, which code lists apply, which identifiers are used. For an Amazon vendor setup, Amazon's own EDI specification — provided through Vendor Central and varying by region and category — is the authoritative document. Practically all of the effort in an EDIFACT project sits in mapping that guideline to the fields of your own ERP.
Real-world examples
• An ORDERS message carries the order number and date in its header, and per line a LIN segment with the GTIN, a QTY segment with the ordered quantity and a PRI segment with the agreed price. • A manufacturer with an existing EANCOM connection to a drugstore chain can reuse the same EDI infrastructure for an Amazon vendor account — only the mapping to Amazon's guideline is new. • The X12 equivalents of the common EDIFACT messages: ORDERS maps to 850, ORDRSP to 855, DESADV to 856 and INVOIC to 810.
Common pitfalls
• **Treating the standard as the implementation:** "we support EDIFACT" does not mean a connection works without a project. Every partner has its own guideline, and that guideline determines the effort. • **Overlooking the subset:** in retail, EANCOM is usually what is meant, not raw EDIFACT. Mapping against the wrong reference wastes a full cycle. • **Checking master data too late:** EDIFACT assumes clean GTINs, packaging hierarchies and units of measure. Gaps only surface on the first live run. • **Mistaking CONTRL for an acceptance:** the CONTRL message confirms technical receipt only, not that the partner has accepted the business transaction.
Frequently asked
What is EDIFACT in simple terms?+
EDIFACT is a common language, defined by the United Nations, in which companies exchange business documents. Instead of sending a purchase order as a PDF, it travels as a standardised text message the recipient's system can read and post without human involvement. Each type of business event has its own message type.
What are the main EDIFACT message types?+
In retail the important ones are ORDERS (purchase order), ORDRSP (order response), ORDCHG (order change), DESADV (despatch advice), RECADV (receiving advice), INVOIC (invoice), INVRPT (inventory report), SLSRPT (sales report), PRICAT (price and article catalogue) and CONTRL as the technical acknowledgement. The full standard defines several hundred message types, most of them industry-specific.
What is the difference between EDIFACT and ANSI X12?+
Both are EDI standards covering the same business events, with different syntax and origins. EDIFACT is the UN standard and prevails in Europe and internationally; X12 comes from the American National Standards Institute and dominates North America. EDIFACT names messages with codes like ORDERS, X12 numbers them like 850.
Does Amazon use EDIFACT?+
Yes, in the vendor model. Suppliers outside North America generally connect via EDIFACT, while North American vendors use ANSI X12. Which messages and fields are actually required is set out in Amazon's EDI specification for the specific account, and varies by region and category.
What is EANCOM?+
EANCOM is the retail subset of EDIFACT maintained by GS1. It reduces the very large standard to the segments retail actually needs and adds GS1 identifiers such as GTIN for articles and SSCC for shipping units. When retail talks about EDIFACT, EANCOM is usually what is meant in practice.