What Is an Advance Shipment Notice (ASN)?

Advance Shipment Notice is an electronic notice sent before delivery describing the shipment's orders, cartons, items, quantities, and logistics identifiers. It is most often exchanged by suppliers and carriers with retailers or distribution centres to communicate what is arriving, how it is packed, and which purchase order lines are being fulfilled.

An Advance Shipment Notice (ASN) is typically formatted as an EDI 856 message or in modern API/JSON alternatives. It provides receiving teams the carton- and pallet-level detail they need to prepare receiving space, staff, and systems for incoming product. Core information in an ASN includes the sender and receiver identifiers, purchase order references, carton and pallet identifiers (SSCC), item identifiers (GTIN or SKU), quantities per carton, gross and net weights, and expected arrival date/time.

Why Retailers Use An ASN

Retailers and fulfilment centres use ASNs to reduce receiving time, improve inventory accuracy, and speed putaway. When an ASN matches the physical delivery, receiving teams can perform a quick scan-based verification instead of full-line counting. ASNs enable cross-dock planning, advanced allocation of shelf or bulk space, and faster order flow into replenishment systems.

What The ASN Typically Contains

• Header Information: Sender and receiver IDs, shipment reference, purchase order numbers, and carrier details.
• Logistics Identifiers: SSCC (serial shipping container code) for pallets, carton IDs, and trailer numbers.
• Item Details: Item identifiers (GTIN/SKU), descriptions, quantities per carton and per pallet, and unit of measure.
• Weights And Dimensions: Gross weight, net weight, pallet/carton dimensions for warehouse space planning.
• Timing: Expected ship date, expected delivery date/time window, and transit details.

How An ASN Is Delivered And Processed

Historically ASNs are sent as EDI 856 transactions over VANs or AS2 connections. Many retailers still require EDI. Increasingly, vendors use API-based ASNs or upload structured XML/CSV files via vendor portals. On receipt, the retailer's WMS or ERP ingests the ASN and creates a pre-receipt or appointment. The WMS maps ASN carton SSCCs to expected PO lines so receiving staff can scan cartons and confirm matches.

How An ASN Affects Receiving Workflow

With a correct ASN, receiving moves from manual counting to scan-and-verify. Typical workflow improvements include pre-assigning dock appointments based on ASN volume, staging product at the proper putaway locations flagged by the WMS, and triggering automated putaway or replenishment tasks once ASN verification completes. Discrepancies between ASN and physical shipment generate exceptions for immediate resolution.

Common Challenges And How To Avoid Them

• Inaccurate Carton-Level Data: Mismatch between carton SSCCs and item quantities causes exceptions—use strict packing checks and barcode validation at the ship dock.
• Timing Mismatches: Late or early ASNs reduce their value—standardize cut-off times and time-zone handling with trading partners.
• Format Differences: EDI, API, and portal formats vary—agree on required segments and sample files in advance.
• Missing Identifiers: Absent GTINs or PO references force manual matching—require GTIN/SKU and PO on all ASNs.

Who Sends And Who Receives The ASN

Typically the supplier or the party responsible for packing the goods (which may be the supplier, consolidator, or 3PL) sends the ASN to the retailer, brand, or distribution centre that will receive the goods. Carriers receive ASN data as well for visibility but are usually not the authoritative receivers for ASN matching unless they act as the shipper.

Practical Example

A footwear vendor ships a mixed pallet to a national retailer. Before the truck departs, the vendor transmits an ASN listing the PO number, pallet SSCC, three carton SSCCs, GTINs for each SKU inside each carton, quantities per carton, and the expected arrival date. The retailer's WMS creates a scheduled receipt. When the truck arrives, receivers scan the pallet SSCC and the three carton SSCCs; the system confirms carton contents against the ASN, posts the receipt, and releases putaway tasks automatically. Because the ASN was accurate, receiving took 12 minutes instead of 45.

Best Practices For Retailers And Suppliers

• Define A Minimum ASN Specification: Agree on required fields (PO, SSCC, GTIN, quantities, weights, ETA) and validation rules.
• Test With Samples: Exchange test ASNs and validate them in the receiver's sandbox environment before live trading.
• Use Barcode Standards: SSCCs and GTINs encoded in GS1 barcodes reduce scanning errors.
• Automate Exception Handling: Route ASN/receipt mismatches to a dedicated team with SLA targets for resolution.

In short, the Advance Shipment Notice is a structured pre-delivery message that reduces receiving time, increases inventory accuracy, and enables better dock and labour planning. For retailers the ASN is a core operational message—when formatted and exchanged correctly it turns receiving from a bottleneck into a predictable, scan-driven process.