Internet EDI: Blending old and new

摘要

Wal-Mart is the only U.S. retailer that sells Mary-kateandashley One, a new fragrance branded by twin teenage entertainment moguls Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. Behind the scenes, fragrance and cosmetics manufacturer Coty depends on a hybrid business-to-business system that combines new standards and old technology ― older than the Olsen twins, in fact ― to keep Wal-Mart's shelves adequately stocked with the fragrance. The old part of the technology hybrid is the data format: Coty uses the electronic data interchange standard to process orders electronically with Wal-Mart. An e-commerce staple, EDI has been around for more than 20 years as a standardized way for trading partners to transmit business documents and forms such as purchase orders, invoices and shipping notices.