EDI is a term used for the Electronic Data Interchange – electronic communications that provides standards for exchanging data via any electronic means. By adhering to the same standard, two different companies, even in two different countries, can electronically exchange documents such as purchase orders, invoices, shipping notices, and many others.

GS1 EDI provides the global standards for electronic business messaging, including widely used  EANCOM and GS1 XML. Both standards allow rapid, efficient and accurate automatic electronic transmission of agreed business data between trading partners.
The recent annual GS1 Member Organization survey shown the constantly growing interest and actual adoption of the electronic form of business documents exchange, confirming the benefits companies can get from this form of business integration.

In Ukraine, retail is one of the most dynamic economy sectors. Retailers with broad assortments and hundreds of suppliers are seeking the ways to simplify costly processing of paper commercial documents.

Ukrainian retailers began to use electronic business communication with their suppliers in 2006 – 2007. Important role in EDI adoptions in Ukraine plays the providers of specialized communication and network services. Technically, EDI methods vary depending on the specifics of suppliers, their applications and business needs.

A vital factor and prerequisite for efficient electronic business communication is the unique identification of partners and s locations by unique Global Location Numbers. Even before the broad introduction of EDI to the market GS1 Ukraine ensured the readiness of Ukrainian companies by assigning the GLN to each new member joining the Association. Today, for thousands of Ukrainian companies the GLNs in electronic commercial documents are as usual as the bar code on their products.

According to GS1 Ukraine estimations, as for the end of 2015 the vast majority of retail chains in Ukraine supported electronic business communication with their suppliers.

EANCOM standard (2002 version) was used by about 2000 Ukrainian companies; the number of GS1 XML practical implementations in Ukraine was up to 1000.

The list of standard messages used in Ukrainian business communications continue to extend.

Besides most common messages ORDERS (Order) and INVOIC (Invoice), at the end of 2015 Ukrainian companies were using a number of standard messages for master data alignment, transport and delivery, payments, reporting and planning, suc as DESADV (Despatch Advice), INSDES (Instructions to Despatch), RECADV (Receiving Advise), RETANN (Announcement for Returns), RETINS (Instructions For Returns), IFTMIN (Transport Instructions), IFTSTA (Transport Status), ORDRSP (Order Response), PRICAT (Product/Sales catalogue), ORDRSP (Order Response), OSTRPT (Order Status Response), COMDIS (Commercial Dispute), COACSU (Commercial Account Summary), INVRPT (Inventory report), MSCONS (Metered Services Consumption Report), SLSRPT (Sales data Report).