Advanced shipping notice (ASN) – Frequently Asked Questions

Advanced shipping notices allow buyers, suppliers and logistics partners to see exactly what is arriving, when and how it is packed – unlocking cost savings of up to 40% at goods-in, tighter inventory control and fewer invoice disputes.

• The financial and operational benefits of ASNs.
• Why ASNs underpin modern three-way matching and compliance rules.
• How to overcome the technical hurdles that often derail ASN projects.
• Which data fields UK retailers typically mandate.

An advanced shipping notice (ASN) is an electronic pre-advice sent to the buyer, 3PL or carrier ahead of a physical shipment. It mirrors a delivery note but adds pallet, carton and SSCC label details* so warehouses can plan labour and space before the lorry arrives.

*SSCC = serial shipping container code (a GS1-128 barcode that uniquely identifies each pallet or parcel).

There are many differences between an ASN and a delivery note. If you are a buyer or a supplier it is important to understand these differences to avoid confusion when discussing fulfilment with your supply chain partners.

1. Purchase-order and line numbers (matches goods to the original PO).
2. SSCC code and pallet/case hierarchy.
3. Product GTIN or internal SKU.
4. Quantities, UoM and pack size conversions.
5. Best-before or use-by dates (FMCG & healthcare).
6. Gross/net weight and cube.
7. Despatch date, expected arrival slot and carrier SCAC.
8. Retailer-specific flags such as booking reference or consolidation centre ID.

A full glossary of EDI message elements is available in ourEDI glossary.

For buyers

• Cost-cutting – goods-in effort and dock dwell time fall by up to 40%.
• Unique identification of pallet containment allows staff to quickly identify shipments without interfering with the delivery contents for faster fulfilment through pallet SSCC scanning.
• Leaner stock is held within a warehouse or distribution centre because inbound ETAs are accurate and reliable.

For suppliers

• Higher OTIF (On-Time In-Full) scores, satisfaction rates and fewer charge-backs through accurate data and informed decisions.
• Accelerated cash flow – invoices are auto-matched to the ASN for same-day approval.
• Faster distribution – sending dispatch information ahead of the delivery for better visibility. An increase in preparation time allows the shipment to be passed through distribution centres more quickly.
• End-to-end visibility across 3PL delivery cycles.

The back-office system (BOS) doesn’t capture pallet/case assignment

Root Cause: Standard ERP sales-order screens have no packaging layers; therefore, the allocation of products into boxes and/or pallets is unknown.

Remedy: To enable the allocation process, suppliers need to utilise a portal or WMS (Warehouse Management System) integration in conjunction with a delivery note or an order received through EDI.

Small suppliers lack EDI skills

Root Cause: Manual spreadsheets and email attachments.

Remedy: Provide a web EDI portal with validation prompts.

Duplicate or mismatched references

Root Cause: No real-time validation against the original PO.

Remedy: Insert enrichment rules in the integration layer (tax, UoM, duplicate checks).

There are three approaches you can take to this:

1. Portal approach – export the confirmed order to a web portal, drag-and-drop items into cartons, then apply pallet logic and print SSCC labels.
   
2. WMS approach – capture palletisation during picking and have the WMS publish the ASN directly.
3. Automated approach – mature WMS users can script ASN and SSCC creation as part of their process, eliminating manual steps.

Yes. Because the ASN mirrors the physical shipment, finance teams can three-way-match PO/ASN/invoice automatically. If quantities or prices diverge, the invoice is held before payment, not discovered after the month-end close.

For a deeper dive into penalty avoidance, read our ASN penalty guide – Why ASNs can get you penalised, even when you think you’re compliant.

• Supports EDIFACT DESADV, Tradacoms DELHDR and REST/JSON APIs side-by-side, so you can modernise at your own pace.
• A process hooks library enriches, validates and maps data before it hits your ERP, meaning no more bespoke scripts.
• Netix Hub dashboard reveals which suppliers are late, non-compliant or missing SSCCs, so procurement can intervene early.

Learn more and compare the three Netix solutions.

Calculate your potential savings with our returns calculator or book a 20-minute demo today or speak to our solution consultants about a phased roll-out that covers both EDI-ready and manual suppliers.