Electronic Data Interchange or EDI is yet another form of electronic marketing used by retailers. EDI allows retailers to operate their day to day business electronically. Over one-third of respondents make use of EDI with at least some of their suppliers with 88 percent using it with their major suppliers only. Most of the respondents connect with their suppliers using a direct connection. One of the areas in which retailers are most likely to see improvement is accounts payable but there are also many others.
Respondents also report using the Internet for other business purposes such as e-mail, and ordering.