Improve quality and efficiency with standards
What is PromoStandards? How does it work? Why is it important?
Suppliers have products. They come in multiple colors, sizes and have unique specifications. They have multiple pricing and discount levels. They have inventory and various quantities on hand. All this information is data. The difficulty is trying to get the data from thousands of suppliers into a format that can be transferred and used by distributors.
Traditionally, product information has been distributed by search engine companies that capture the data from the suppliers and add it to their search engines. They charge suppliers to post their product data. They also charge suppliers to give their products special prominence in their search engines. Then they charge distributors for the data. Besides the financial incentive to change this process, search engines also have errors in data. This is why the traditional method of showing products through search engines is being replaced by PromoStandards.
PromoStandards is a series of open digital specifications developed to allow the easy sharing of information between members of the promotional products supply chain. It is the means by which promotional goods manufacturers, printers’ suppliers, distributors and decorators can connect and integrate their respective computer systems in real time. The sharing of this common coding language ensures that errors from misinformation are eradicated and efficiencies in time and labor are optimized.
With PromoStandards, all the vital information required by promotional goods companies on every level of the promotional products supply chain can be shared swiftly and accurately because all systems have PromoStandards compatible code making them accessible on every level.
Using PromoStandards, suppliers can post their data to a web page that is able to be pulled by any distributor member. There is no cost for the supplier or distributor and data can now be transferred electronically. The information is back in control of the originating supplier to ensure accuracy, and distribute the up to date information.
Antera has added global search into our system to make supplier data easy to access and use in orders and quotes. PromoStandards enhances the customer experience and provides live information at the distributors fingertips. Why is it so important? Read our article outlining why the adoption of promoStandards is so critical for the success of the promotional goods industry.
Antera has integrated all PromoStandards endpoints into our processes. Receiving inventory, submitting an electronic PO, or receiving a invoices electronically are all automated. Consider how much time you can save!
Antera Software has integrated all PromoStandards endpoints into our system for daily use. Whether your need is to identify available inventory or check on new products or pricing, Antera provides a seamless method to connect with suppliers using PromoStandards. The dynamic connection that Antera has made allows distributors to take advantage of all the benefits of PromoStandards as soon as suppliers publish endpoints. Simply enter your credentials and you are connected. Distributors no longer need to generate orders and login to individual company websites.
PromoStandards currently has 8 service types (endpoints):
- Inventory
- Media Content
- Order Shipment Notification
- Order Status
- Product Data
- Product Pricing and Configuration
- Purchase Order
- Invoice
How do you sign up?
You can sign up for PromoStandards free online. There is no cost and a distributor or supplier can sign up in minutes. Once signed up you have the ability to select access to any supplier you would like to connect with. The supplier will provide you credentials to place in Antera and those will automatically connect you to the information they provide. It is that easy.
Using PromoStandards is an important part of being a successful promotional products distributor and supplier. What is also important is how your service provider implements PromoStandards.
Antera has unique ways of receiving and showcasing this information.
Antera combines 4 PromoStandards endpoints
to give you more control using technology
Product Data
Product Pricing and Configuration
Media Content
Inventory
One of the key points to the Antera system is how we use PromoStandards to make your life easier. The combination of these 4 end points provides a user the ability to view and edit pricing and select warehouses based upon available inventory.
With live information through PromoStandards, there is no need to contact the suppliers and you have instant information on pricing and product availability.
Game Changer!
Antera also has a unique feature that allows you to identify alternate vendors that sell the same product. With the touch of a button you can explore other vendors pricing and inventory to go with the best option.
Alternate products will also suggest similar products that can be substituted.
Imagine comparing prices, inventory and shipping warehouses on a single screen and make the best selections possible for your order.
Save time with automatic feed of invoices for vouching
Receiving an invoice from a vendor and vouching that invoice against the receiving and original purchase order is a critical part of business. To make sure you are recording your profitability accurately and identifying all charges, Antera provides a side by side matching of invoices with purchase orders.
Suppliers that have the PromoStandards invoice endpoint make the process easy because Antera pulls the invoice, allows the user to compare, adjust and archive the invoice all in a paper free environment.
Order Status
The ability to know the status of your supplier order is critical. How many calls are made a week to find out this information. With PromoStandards the phone calls end because Antera will automatically update the order status as it is updated by suppliers. Now you can look at a screen and see what is happening with your orders and eliminate the time spent with manually reaching out to each supplier.
Order Shipment Notification
When you receive notice that an order has been shipped and are provided the shipping details, you can now progress your order, production or billing. Shipment notifications from PromoStandards make it easy to stay on top of all of your transactions.
Purchase Orders
Antera allows you to automatically submit your purchase orders through PromoStandards. For those vendors that have the ability to receive an electronic purchase order, Antera automatically switches from “send email of purchase order” to “Submit Purchase Order”. Suppliers receive the purchase order electronically and remit back an accepted or declined status.
Automated purchase orders can dramatically speed up your processes. Also remember this dramatically improves your supplier processes including speed of deliver and accuracy of orders.
Suppliers on PromoStandards: 619
Definitions of endpoints and % of adoption
The display of current on-hand inventory is available live in Antera’s order form where products are added to an order. The display provides a quantity of each selected product as well as warehouse locations the inventory is available.
Product images from suppliers display the standard images for each product in multiple views.
As orders are shipped, live updates from the supplier can be retrieved at any time. Select the order and click on the update shipping status button. The supplier will instantly update you electronically on the current status.
As orders are updated from the supplier you can receive live updates. Select the order and click on the update order status button. The supplier will instantly update you electronically on the current status. Status updates are the latest information available from the supplier.
Product information can be queried from the suppliers to include all critical information to generate a quote or order.
Product pricing unique to the distributor can be queried from the suppliers to include all critical information to generate a quote or order.
No need to go to a vendors site to order products. Antera can automatically send purchase orders to any Promo Standards vendor in the correct format. Purchase orders are also confirmed electronically so you have confidence your order is received and being processed.
Vendor invoices can be received electronically and matched against originally accepted Purchase Orders. Antera automates this flow and can push the finished invoice into QuickBooks to eliminate duplicate data entry and invoice errors.
Updated 01/26/2021