An electronic notification sent to a receiver before a shipment arrives, detailing contents, quantities, and packaging.
An ASN (Advance Shipment Notice) is an electronic document sent from a shipper to the receiving party — either a retailer, 3PL, or distribution center — before a shipment arrives. It details exactly what is in the shipment: SKUs, quantities per carton, carton dimensions and weights, carrier tracking information, and expected arrival time.
ASNs dramatically improve receiving efficiency: the warehouse team can prepare dock space, assign labor, and pre-configure WMS bin locations before the truck arrives. For retail compliance, ASNs (transmitted as EDI 856) are mandatory and must be sent within a specific window (often within 4 hours of carrier pickup). Missing or inaccurate ASNs trigger EDI chargebacks.
For brands shipping to their own 3PL, sending an accurate ASN is simply good practice — it speeds up receiving, reduces errors, and gets your inventory available for orders faster. Most 3PL client portals have an ASN upload tool or API endpoint.
At minimum: PO number, ship date, carrier and tracking number, total carton count, and for each carton: carton dimensions/weight, and the SKU(s), quantity, and lot numbers inside. For retail compliance, the exact fields and format are specified in the retailer's routing guide.
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