Who is eDI Instant designed for?

eDI Instant is designed for SME manufacturers and producers who are either new to EDI or have been mandated by a trading partner to set up a connection. It meets basic EDI needs without requiring a lengthy sales process, making it suited to businesses taking their first step into digital trading document exchange.

How much does eDI Instant cost?

eDI Instant is priced as a fixed annual subscription regardless of how much data is sent, replacing the hidden, volume-based Value Added Network fees found in some legacy EDI pricing models. Customers also retain access to personalised help from a dedicated customer experience and technical support team as part of the subscription.

What frustrations with EDI providers led to the creation of eDI Instant?

Research into UK businesses found many were frustrated by a slow and confusing process for finding a suitable EDI provider, with unclear pricing and lengthy delays before a trading partner connection went live. eDI Instant was created specifically to remove these barriers with online sign-up and fast, transparent setup.

Why are SME businesses adopting EDI?

SME decision-makers across sectors such as food and beverage, home furnishing, apparel, household appliances, healthcare and automotive cited several reasons for adopting EDI, including trading partner mandates, a desire for supply chain resilience and the need to meet cross-border trading requirements. Ease of integration was also a priority, particularly for businesses with international trading partners.

← All articlesEDI

eDI Instant: how to get started with EDI today

How to give your business a boost and get started with EDI. The latest product from supply chain technology provider Transalis, eDI Instant.

Transalis13 October 2021Updated 23 September 2026

How can an SME get started with EDI quickly?

eDI Instant is a self-service EDI product designed for SMEs that are new to digital trading or have been mandated to connect by a retail partner. It can be bought online without a sales process, set up within twenty four hours, and gives immediate visibility of orders, invoices and Advance Shipment Notices for a fixed annual subscription regardless of data volume.

Need to know how to get started with EDI simply and efficiently? You have come to the right place.

Transalis eDI Instant™ is the first self-service EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) product specifically designed for SMEs. This solution is perfect for businesses starting out with the digital transformation of their processes.

Its launch follows market research* highlighting widespread customer frustration at the time it can take to set up an EDI connection.

Get started with eDI Instant today

Buy EDI today without the sales spiel. Get online in as little as 24 hours!

Why should we use EDI?

Transalis launched eDI Instant as a solution specifically for SME manufacturers and producers. It meets the basic EDI needs of businesses that are new to EDI or have been mandated by a trading partner.

eDI Instant is an innovative solution, enabling fast and simple access to an EDI network.

The key principle of EDI is to make the exchange of essential trading data as frictionless as possible.

eDI Instant enables users to enjoy complete and immediate visibility of the data being processed in orders, invoices, Advance Shipment Notices (ASNs) and other key trading documents.

Easy EDI trading partner setup

The launch of eDI Instant follows new research by Transalis. The results highlighted the frustration among many UK companies regarding how to get started with EDI.

Many businesses complained of a slow and confusing process in finding a suitable EDI provider.

Some highlighted that trying to understand EDI pricing was difficult. Others described lengthy delays in connecting to their chosen partner.

These are the challenges being resolved by eDI Instant. For example, a small supplier that has the opportunity to trade with a large retailer is great news. However, the new trading partner will likely mandate an EDI connection. This is because modern retail makes the manual processing of documents unsustainable. Therefore, suppliers must have an EDI solution that complies with the retailer’s automated business processes.

How much does EDI cost?

eDI Instant is the latest in a suite of Transalis EDI products. All offer total visibility, transparency and efficiency for users. These solutions move away from a ‘legacy’ model of EDI. With other solutions, there are hidden costs relating to message volumes, known as VAN (Value Added Network) fees.

eDI Instant puts you in control to get started with EDI today.

Instead, Transalis customers enjoy certainty on budget. We offer a transparent and fixed-price annual subscription model. eDI Instant costs just £495 per annum, regardless of the data volumes being sent.

Additionally, eDI Instant customers can still receive personalised help from our dedicated customer experience and technical support teams.

Responding to SME needs

Transalis’ research focused on business decision-makers working in SMEs serving multichannel retail sectors. They included; food and beverage, home furnishing, apparel, household appliances, healthcare, computer games, and automotive. Respondent’s sales channels spanned online as well as bricks-and-mortar stores.

Their reasons for getting started with EDI included; trading partner mandates, a desire for supply chain resilience following COVID-19, and a need to comply with international requirements following Brexit.

Respondents also highlighted their priority for the simplicity and ease of EDI process integration, particularly for those with international trading partners. That’s precisely why we have created and launched eDI Instant.

* Independent research commissioned by Transalis Ltd: Is EDI addressing the challenges of 21st-century commerce?

Frequently asked questions

Who is eDI Instant designed for?: eDI Instant is designed for SME manufacturers and producers who are either new to EDI or have been mandated by a trading partner to set up a connection. It meets basic EDI needs without requiring a lengthy sales process, making it suited to businesses taking their first step into digital trading document exchange.
How much does eDI Instant cost?: eDI Instant is priced as a fixed annual subscription regardless of how much data is sent, replacing the hidden, volume-based Value Added Network fees found in some legacy EDI pricing models. Customers also retain access to personalised help from a dedicated customer experience and technical support team as part of the subscription.
What frustrations with EDI providers led to the creation of eDI Instant?: Research into UK businesses found many were frustrated by a slow and confusing process for finding a suitable EDI provider, with unclear pricing and lengthy delays before a trading partner connection went live. eDI Instant was created specifically to remove these barriers with online sign-up and fast, transparent setup.
Why are SME businesses adopting EDI?: SME decision-makers across sectors such as food and beverage, home furnishing, apparel, household appliances, healthcare and automotive cited several reasons for adopting EDI, including trading partner mandates, a desire for supply chain resilience and the need to meet cross-border trading requirements. Ease of integration was also a priority, particularly for businesses with international trading partners.

Want this working in your business?

We will look at how you trade today, and show you what moving to Transalis involves, while your business keeps trading.