Target EDI Integration Guide: Requirements, Setup & ASNs

Getting a PO from Target can feel like a big win—until the compliance paperwork starts flooding in.

ASN deadlines. Barcode label specs. EDI certification tests. And the clock starts ticking long before your first box hits a truck.

Target doesn’t just expect EDI—they build your entire supplier relationship around it. Every PO, every shipment, every payment flows through their system. If you’re not set up properly, you’ll miss windows, trigger chargebacks, and burn goodwill before the buyer even sees your product on the shelf.

At CrossBridge, we’ve helped suppliers—big and small—get it right from day one. This guide breaks it down. No fluff, no jargon you don’t need. Just the requirements, the pitfalls, and what it takes to reliably ship into Target’s ecosystem without lighting money on fire.

P.S. If you don’t want the hassle of managing your EDI and wish you had a reliable partner to handle this, schedule a free strategy call and let’s see if we’re a good fit.

Let’s get started.

1. What Target Requires (and Why It’s Non-Negotiable)

Target doesn’t treat EDI as a nice-to-have—it’s the foundation of how they do business with suppliers. Whether you’re shipping pallets into a distribution center, cartons to stores, or individual orders to Target.com customers, you need to be EDI-compliant before a single shipment moves.

Here’s what that means in practice.

Core Documents You Must Exchange

At a minimum, Target requires the following EDI documents from all vendors:

EDI Code	Name	Purpose
850	Purchase Order	Target’s order to you
856	Advance Ship Notice (ASN)	Tells Target what you’re shipping and when
810	Invoice	Billing details after fulfillment
855	PO Acknowledgment (often used)	Confirms receipt or changes to a PO

Depending on your product category or fulfillment model, you might also need:

• 820 Remittance Advice (Target’s payment details)
• 860 PO Change (adjustments to orders)
• 852 Product Activity Report (for scan-based inventory programs)

Every document must be formatted to Target’s spec. They follow the ANSI X12 format, with retailer-specific mappings. This means your system (or provider) needs to use Target’s exact fields, codes, and structure, or documents will be rejected.

ASNs Are the Make-or-Break Moment

If there’s one document you cannot get wrong, it’s the 856 ASN. It must:

• Arrive before the shipment does
• Include all expected data (carton SSCC, PO, location codes, etc.)
• Be error-free

Target’s system automates receiving using ASN data. If it’s late or wrong, your cartons won’t scan, and you’ll get fined.

According to industry reports shared with suppliers, under their new Perfect Order initiative rolling out in 2025, ASN issues can trigger:

• $0.75 per carton fines (min $100), or
• 3% of shipment value if ASN is missing entirely

Physical Barcode Labels Matter, Too

Target’s receiving systems depend on SSCC labels that match what’s in your ASN. If the barcode doesn’t scan, the whole shipment slows down.

Each carton needs to be labeled correctly, with:

• SSCC-18 barcodes
• Matching data in the ASN
• Clear printing that passes scan tests

Vendors are fined per unreadable or missing label, similar to Walmart’s model. Expect $0.15–$0.75 per carton if your labels don’t meet spec.

Drop-Ship Vendors Must Still Comply

Selling through Target Plus (Marketplace)? You still need to exchange EDI documents—just through intermediaries like CommerceHub or Logicbroker.

Those platforms handle the technical mapping, but the compliance pressure is still on you:

• Orders (850) come in via the portal
• You enter fulfillment data or upload a file (converted into ASNs)
• Invoices (810) must still match the PO, or Target short-pays

If you’re small and selling through Target.com, these portals are a shortcut—but you’re still expected to be punctual, accurate, and compliant.

2. Getting Approved: Target’s Trading Partner Setup Process

Once you’re accepted as a Target vendor, you don’t start receiving orders right away. You’ll first go through a structured setup sequence to prove your EDI system works—and that it works exactly how Target wants it.

This isn’t just flipping a switch. You’ll be exchanging test documents, submitting technical details, and running every document type through a validation gauntlet before any real order goes live.

Here’s how it works.

Step 1: Get Access to Target’s Supplier Portal

Once Target approves your vendor application, you’ll be given access to their Partners Online portal, which is now integrated into Target’s broader supplier platform.

This portal is not where you transmit EDI documents (that’s system-to-system), but it’s where you:

• Complete the Supplier Intake Questionnaire (EDI readiness, payment details, etc.)
• View routing instructions and chargeback dashboards
• Access the EDI testing tools for certification

You’ll also choose your connectivity method here—AS2, SFTP, or VAN. If you’re using a third-party provider, this is when their contact info and network details get submitted to Target’s onboarding team.

Step 2: Run Through EDI Testing (Don’t Wing It)

Target requires a full test for every document type you plan to exchange. This means:

• They send a test 850 Purchase Order
• You must respond with a test 855 PO Acknowledgment, then a test 856 ASN, and finally an 810 Invoice
• Each file is checked for formatting, data accuracy, and compliance with Target’s EDI spec (which they can update at any time)

Errors are common in the first pass. Missing segment? Wrong qualifier? Mistimed document flow? You’ll be told to fix and resubmit—repeatedly if needed.

Target doesn’t manually walk you through it. You’re expected to follow their implementation guide and use their self-serve tools to troubleshoot.

CrossBridge Tip: Suppliers that rely too heavily on in-house IT for mapping tend to stall here. EDI providers with Target experience usually have prebuilt maps that pass on the first or second attempt.

Step 3: Submit Your Communication Survey

This form looks harmless, but it delays more setups than it should. It’s Target’s way of confirming how you’ll connect:

• AS2 ID
• Endpoint URLs
• Technical contact
• Certificate details (if using AS2)

Miss a field or submit outdated info, and your testing gets blocked. Target’s team won’t chase you—it’s on you to fill it out completely and accurately.

For AS2 users, you’ll also need to exchange public certificates with Target, which can take a few days depending on your IT responsiveness.

Step 4: Get Certified (Or Wait on the Sidelines)

Target doesn’t let you go live until you pass all required EDI test cases. No partial approvals.

After passing:

• You’ll receive official confirmation from Target’s EDI onboarding team
• Your EDI profile gets flagged as “certified”
• Target starts sending live 850 POs into your EDI inbox

At this point, you’re in—but under scrutiny. The first live ASNs you send are monitored closely. If they fail or show up late, you’ll get flagged and potentially hit with chargebacks immediately.

3. What Integration Actually Looks Like

Once you’re certified, the real work begins—not in the code, but in the coordination. Target’s EDI isn’t hard to connect to. What’s hard is making sure your internal systems—ERP, 3PL, shipping tools—move in sync with Target’s strict sequencing.

The goal isn’t just “send the file.” It’s “send the right data, at the right time, from the right place, without manual firefighting.”

Here’s how that actually plays out in a functioning Target supplier setup.

The EDI Chain in Motion

A typical workflow looks like this:

1. 850 PO lands in your system (via AS2, SFTP, or VAN)
2. Your ERP (e.g., NetSuite, SAP, Dynamics, or our own) creates a sales order
3. You fulfill from your own warehouse or send the PO to your 3PL
4. Once the shipment is built and staged, the ASN (856) is generated
5. Labels (with SSCC barcodes) are printed and affixed to cartons
6. Shipment is routed via Target’s TMS system (Carrier HQ)—this step is manual
7. The shipment is picked up
8. The ASN is transmitted before the truck arrives at Target’s DC
9. Target receives the shipment, scans labels, and matches them against your ASN
10. You send the 810 Invoice
11. Target responds with an 820 Remittance Advice, minus any deductions

It sounds clean. But where most suppliers trip is in the gaps between systems—especially between routing, labeling, and ASN submission.

ASN Timing Is Everything

You can have flawless data and still get fined if the ASN goes out late.

The problem? Most ERPs don’t know when a truck is actually scheduled unless your team (or 3PL) enters that info manually. Target’s routing system doesn’t feed back into your ASN generator.

That means someone needs to capture the Appointment ID or Carrier PRO number, and ensure it’s included in the ASN before it’s sent.

Many suppliers solve this by:

• Having 3PLs enter shipment details into a shared dashboard or return a file to ERP
• Building scripts or API pulls from Target’s TMS into their ASN process
• Delaying ASN transmission until routing is confirmed—but not too late

One mistake here and Target treats your ASN as missing.

Label Compliance Can’t Be an Afterthought

Your SSCC-18 carton labels need to match the ASN exactly. That includes:

• Carton numbers
• GTINs
• PO numbers
• Target location codes
• Any custom data fields (Target sometimes requires a PO barcode too)

Target’s receiving is automated. If the label doesn’t scan or match the ASN, they’ll flag the entire carton—and deduct accordingly.

Real example: one home décor vendor installed barcode scanners at their 3PL, validated each carton before loading the truck, and eliminated all label-related chargebacks. That simple layer saved them $5,000 in fines in six months.

When Multiple Channels Collide

If you’re fulfilling for both Target stores and Target Plus (Marketplace), you’ll likely need two different EDI integrations—or at least two different workflows.

• Store shipments go through your standard EDI connection (AS2/SFTP to Target directly)
• Marketplace orders route through CommerceHub or Logicbroker

Some larger suppliers segregate these channels entirely—different teams, systems, and carriers. If you try to run both through the same pipeline, expect confusion, missed deadlines, and mislabeled cartons.

System Volume & Performance

Target POs are often heavy—500+ line items isn’t unusual. Your system needs to handle:

• Large EDI file sizes (especially 856 and 810)
• Real-time document validation
• Auto-generation of nested shipment data (cartons, SKUs, quantities)

Older EDI systems struggle here. If your ASN builder takes 10 minutes to generate per shipment, you’ll fall behind. Modern systems or cloud-based providers prebuilt for Target avoid this bottleneck.

CrossBridge note: Our clients use our proprietary ERP system, built with Target’s EDI structure in mind, so ASN generation is instantaneous and aligned from day one. No delays, no mapping guesswork, no scrambling to catch up.

4. What Happens When You Get It Wrong

Target doesn’t do leniency. Their compliance system is automated, fine-tuned, and designed to penalize suppliers for even minor operational missteps, especially when it comes to EDI.

You won’t get a warning. You’ll get a chargeback. And if it keeps happening, your scorecard suffers—and so does your shelf space.

Here’s how it breaks down.

The ASN Penalty Structure (And Why It Hurts)

Under the Perfect Order initiative rolling out in 2025, Target expects 100% of shipments to arrive with a correct ASN—on time, complete, and accurate.

If you miss that bar, two things can happen:

• 3% of the shipment’s total value (COGS) charged if the ASN is missing entirely
• $0.75 per carton (minimum $100) if the ASN is late, incomplete, or inaccurate

That’s not just theoretical. A 2,000-carton shipment with a late ASN? That’s $1,500 gone, instantly. And that’s if the error is caught after the truck arrives—not while it’s en route.

Barcode Issues = Scanning Failures = More Fines

If your SSCC labels are missing, unreadable, or don’t match what’s in your ASN:

• Expect fines per bad carton
• Expect delays at the dock
• Expect calls from your buyer asking what’s going on

Most retailers charge $0.15–$0.75 per failed label, and Target’s structure is in that same range. For big-volume orders, these numbers scale fast.

One supplier we know was fined $750 on a single shipment because 1,000 cartons were scanned improperly due to a misconfigured label template. They didn’t catch it until three shipments later—total damage: nearly $3,000 in unnecessary fees.

Fill Rate and On-Time Failures Are EDI-Linked

If you ship short—or late—and your ASN doesn’t reflect that properly, Target applies fill rate penalties on top of ASN fines.

• 95% fill rate is the required threshold
• Miss it, and Target charges 1.5%–3% of COGS on the shortfall
• Ship late, and it can go up to 5%

If your EDI isn’t clean, especially if you skip the 855 PO acknowledgment or send a mismatched 810 invoice, Target assumes the shortfall is on you.

Invoice Errors Lead to Payment Deductions

Target short-pays invoices when there’s a discrepancy between what you billed (810) and what they ordered (850). If your price, quantity, or terms don’t match:

• You get paid less than you expect
• A deduction code is issued
• You may never recover the difference unless you catch and dispute it

Some suppliers eat the difference because the reconciliation effort isn’t worth the time. But over the course of a year, small price mismatches can add up to tens of thousands in unrecovered margin.

No Minimums, No Grace Period

Target doesn’t offer a grace period or minimum penalty threshold for most EDI failures. A late ASN on a $300 shipment? Still fined. A misaligned invoice on one line item? Still deducted.

This is where smaller suppliers get blindsided, assuming Target will be lenient early on. They won’t.

Compliance Isn’t Just Avoiding Fines: It’s Keeping the Relationship

Chargebacks are painful, but the bigger risk is reputation.

Suppliers with repeated compliance issues:

• Get flagged on internal scorecards
• Lose promotional opportunities
• Get passed over in reset seasons or category reviews

One of our clients, after fixing months of chargeback issues, was invited to Target’s Vendor Summit as a “low-maintenance” supplier—a signal that Target notices who gets their ops right.

6. Common Supplier Profiles (And How They Handle It)

There’s no single way to become EDI-compliant with Target, but the path you take depends heavily on your size, your internal systems, and your fulfillment model. Here’s what it looks like across three very different types of suppliers.

The ERP-Integrated Mid-Sized Supplier

Profile: 50+ SKUs, shipping into Target DCs weekly, uses NetSuite + 3PL

Setup:

This supplier receives 850s directly into their ERP, generates ASNs from shipment data, and sends invoices (810s) through a third-party EDI platform tied into NetSuite. Their 3PL gets order details via internal EDI (940/945) and returns tracking and carton data that flows into the ASN automatically.

Strengths:

• Fully automated workflow, minimal manual touchpoints
• Real-time ASN generation once routing is confirmed
• Near-zero chargebacks due to integration between systems

Where it gets tricky:

• Target’s routing tool is manual, so someone still has to enter the freight appointment into the ERP or ASN system
• When Target changes a mapping requirement (which happens), the EDI maps must be updated—unless the provider does it for you

Why it works:

This supplier invested early in automation and matched their operational flow to Target’s requirements. They don’t just “have EDI”—they’ve embedded it into fulfillment.

The Small Vendor Using Web EDI

Profile: 5-person stationery brand, Target pilot deal, no ERP

Setup:

They access a portal (e.g., Tangentia) that converts their manual data entry into Target-ready EDI documents. Each ASN is built by hand using web forms or CSV uploads. Invoices are typed in line by line. Fulfillment is from a small warehouse with printed labels.

Strengths:

• No upfront tech investment
• Works fine for small order volumes
• Web portal handles EDI mapping behind the scenes

Where it breaks:

• Manual ASN entry for 100+ SKUs is a nightmare
• Easy to mistype or miss fields → leads to $100+ fines
• No connection to warehouse data, so fulfillment and EDI are siloed

What they did to fix it:

After a first shipment triggered a chargeback, they created Excel templates for ASNs and uploaded CSVs instead of filling forms manually. It cut ASN prep time from hours to 30 minutes and eliminated late file issues.

Why it’s viable (for now):

For early-stage vendors with small order volume, web EDI is a workable stopgap—but only if internal discipline is high.

The Small Vendor Using Web EDI

Profile: 5-person stationery brand, Target pilot deal, no ERP

Setup:

They access a portal (e.g., Tangentia) that converts their manual data entry into Target-ready EDI documents. Each ASN is built by hand using web forms or CSV uploads. Invoices are typed in line by line. Fulfillment is from a small warehouse with printed labels.

Strengths:

• No upfront tech investment
• Works fine for small order volumes
• Web portal handles EDI mapping behind the scenes

Where it breaks:

• Manual ASN entry for 100+ SKUs is a nightmare
• Easy to mistype or miss fields → leads to $100+ fines
• No connection to warehouse data, so fulfillment and EDI are siloed

What they did to fix it:

After a first shipment triggered a chargeback, they created Excel templates for ASNs and uploaded CSVs instead of filling forms manually. It cut ASN prep time from hours to 30 minutes and eliminated late file issues.

Why it’s viable (for now):

For early-stage vendors with small order volume, web EDI is a workable stopgap—but only if internal discipline is high.

The Drop-Ship Vendor Through CommerceHub

Profile: DTC beauty brand fulfilling Target.com orders, ~50 per day

Setup:

Orders flow through CommerceHub, which provides a portal interface. Vendor logs in, sees 850-equivalent orders, and either inputs shipment data manually or uploads in bulk (CSV/XML). CommerceHub handles the conversion into 856 and 810 formats for Target.

Strengths:

• Quick setup—CommerceHub handles compliance
• No need to manage AS2 or Target’s internal spec changes
• Works for teams without EDI infrastructure

Where issues come up:

• Fulfillment speed still matters—if data isn’t entered before shipment goes out, Target treats the ASN as late
• Errors in CommerceHub fields → fines from Target even though vendor “used the right system”
• Limited visibility into what Target actually sees unless using audit tools

Why it works:

Target chose CommerceHub for a reason—it gives smaller vendors a way to meet EDI standards without needing internal tools. But you still need to build a reliable process around it or risk compliance penalties anyway.

Summary

No matter the size or model, every supplier ends up solving the same problems:

• Making sure ASNs are built from real shipment data, not guesses
• Making sure the system that creates the label also talks to the ASN
• Making sure no one is keying in data the morning of a truck pickup

The tech stack doesn’t matter as much as the process discipline.

That’s where most failures happen—and where most chargebacks start.

7. What Tools and Providers Actually Work

Target doesn’t lock you into one EDI provider—but not every tool is equal when it comes to staying compliant at scale. Here’s what you need to know.

Most Used EDI Providers for Target

SPS Commerce

• Frequently mentioned in Target onboarding
• Works well across both store and Target Plus models
• Pros: Pre-mapped docs, great support
• Cons: Higher cost, monthly fees scale with volume

OpenText (formerly GXS)

• Still used by many legacy suppliers
• Strong if you already have IBM Sterling or in-house EDI staff
• Pros: Enterprise-grade
• Cons: Heavy for small teams

CommerceHub & Logicbroker (Drop-ship only)

• Required for Target Plus
• Portal-based, API capable, no need for in-house EDI
• Cons: Still your responsibility to enter timely data

TrueCommerce, eZCom, Tangentia

• Good for small to mid-size vendors
• Many offer WebEDI with CSV upload
• Solid option for testing the waters before full automation

WebEDI vs Full Automation

Use Case	Best Tool Type
<100 orders/month	WebEDI (Tangentia, Lingo, etc.)
100–500 orders/month	Mid-tier EDI provider with ERP plug-ins
>500 orders/month	Full automation via AS2/FTP + ERP integration

But don’t wait too long to automate. WebEDI becomes a bottleneck fast—especially when ASN complexity rises.

8. Need a Partner Who’s Already Done This?

At CrossBridge, we don’t just “help with EDI.”

We handle the entire setup—communicating directly with EDI providers, managing testing, fixing failed ASNs, and making sure your labels pass the scan test the first time.

Behind that, we run a custom-built ERP system already configured to Target’s requirements. Most of our clients don’t need to build anything from scratch—we just plug them in.

And it doesn’t stop at EDI. We also manage:

• Accounting and tax filing
• ERP setup & management
• Inventory & warehouse operations
• Supply chain & day-to-day logistics

We handle all the backend operations suppliers need to work reliably and compliantly with the biggest retailers, so your leadership can finally focus on the business itself, not get trapped inside the day-to-day grind.

If you want one team that understands Target’s system—and connects your operations to it without the usual chaos—schedule a strategy call.

We’ll walk you through the fastest, cleanest way to get compliant and stay that way.