Do I need EDI to sell to a major retailer?

Almost always, yes. National retailers and grocery distributors mandate EDI in their supplier agreements and will not onboard a vendor without it. Some smaller chains accept a supplier portal for low volumes, but a portal means rekeying every order by hand, and most retailers charge a fee for vendors who stay on one.

The requirement usually arrives with the first purchase order, long after the negotiation, which leaves a brand a few weeks to stand up a capability that traditionally takes a few months.

More on Retail EDI, or browse every commerce operations answer.