5 Signs It’s Time to Leave SPS Commerce and What to Expect When You Do

For many manufacturers and distributors who rely on electronic data interchange, choosing the right VAN (Value Added Network) partner plays a pivotal role in controlling costs and maintaining operational resilience. If you’re responsible for EDI as a CFO, IT director, or EDI coordinator, you may have noticed that what worked when you started with SPS Commerce isn’t as reliable or cost-effective as it once was. It can be daunting to think about switching, but recognizing the signals and understanding the real migration experience can help you take the leap with confidence.

1. Unpredictable and Rising EDI Costs

One of the most common pain points we hear is the unpredictable nature of EDI costs. If your billing with SPS Commerce fluctuates from month to month, or you find that every new trading partner or higher document volume brings a surge in fees, this is a red flag. Hidden line items and charges for features or support can make budgeting an exercise in frustration.

• Complex, unpredictable pricing structures often lead to cost overruns.
• Charges for onboarding, map changes, or access to historical data can quickly add up.
• We’ve seen companies save as much as 50-83% monthly after leaving inflexible, volume-based models for transparent, trading-partner-based plans.

2. Response Times and Support Are Holding You Hostage

For EDI, timing is everything. A delayed response to a failed transaction or an outage can mean missed orders, compliance issues, or penalties from your trading partners. If your support tickets feel like they disappear into a void, or you wait days for someone to act during a critical moment, that’s both a risk and a hidden cost.

• Fast, 24/7 support is not a luxury in EDI; it’s essential for business continuity.
• Direct access to experienced EDI engineers can resolve complex issues quickly, bypassing generic help desk queues.
• Several companies, such as Torani, migrated their entire global operation and noted reliable, immediate support that prevented any downtime.

3. Onboarding and Map Updates Stall Your Growth

Your trading network doesn’t stand still. You need to add trading partners quickly, respond to retailer document changes, or roll out a new ERP. With SPS Commerce, onboarding new partners or updating document maps can drag on, sometimes for weeks, while your customers and vendors grow impatient or error rates creep up.

• Successful supply chains depend on the agility to add partners and respond to new requirements fast.
• We’ve worked with companies who completed full migrations—trading partner connections, map changes, and all—in just 1–3 days.
• Most importantly, this rapid turnaround didn’t come at the cost of accuracy or require contacting all your trading partners individually.

4. Your EDI Operations Aren’t Scaling With Your Business

If your EDI feels like a bottleneck instead of a growth-enabler, that’s a sign you’re outgrowing your current provider. Whether you’re acquiring new brands, adding product lines, or expanding into new markets, you need flexibility and transparent pricing that scales with your growth; not a monolithic architecture that treats every change as a special project.

• Custom integrations with modern ERPs like NetSuite, SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, and Oracle should be seamless, not slow or costly.
• As your trading landscape grows more complex, platform adaptability and real-time data visibility become essential for error reduction and compliance.
• We’ve seen customers benefit from customizable EDI solutions that support both startups and high-volume enterprises without a complete system overhaul.

5. Migration Anxiety: Downtime and Data Loss Fears

We hear you: EDI migration horror stories abound. Downtime, lost documents, and the requirement to manually reconnect every trading partner create real anxiety. If SPS Commerce or any VAN makes the cost and uncertainty of switching feel overwhelming, you may feel trapped. But modern migration techniques are risk-free in the right hands, and you shouldn’t have to compromise data access, partner relationships, or day-to-day operations.

• Fast migration is possible with zero service interruptions for your partners or customers.
• No need to change EDI IDs or notify partners; transition can be completely managed behind the scenes.
• Your last 90 days of EDI data remain instantly available, and historical records are archived for up to 7 years.

What Really Happens When You Make the Switch?

The decision to leave SPS Commerce becomes a turning point for organizations we work with. Here’s what you can expect when you commit to a modern, user-centric EDI VAN solution:

• Immediate, visible cost savings: Predictable monthly pricing, often 50–83% lower, with no setup, mailbox, or surprise fees.
• Onboarding handled for you: You sign up and create your profile, and all trading partner outreach and configuration happens automatically.
• Instant access and control: The web-based BOLD Manager portal lets you monitor all document flow (inbound and outbound) across any device, anytime.
• Dedicated migration support: Most migrations are completed in less than 3 days with support available 24/7 for those inevitable curveballs.
• Integrated compliance and security: Automated validation, audit-ready reporting, and robust protocols (AS2, X12, FTP, HTTP) meet industry standards without added fees.
• Custom EDI and ERP integration: Whether it’s NetSuite, SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, Infor, or custom legacy platforms, integration is streamlined for rapid time-to-value.
• Long-term data access: Search through 90 days of live data, with 7-year archival for all compliance needs.

You can also explore our detailed BOLD VAN vs. SPS Commerce comparison to see how costs, features, and migration timelines stack up.

Case Studies: Tangible Results After Making the Move

• Razor USA migrated every trading partner in under 3 days, achieved total compliance, and saved over 500 staff hours monthly. Learn more in our Razor case study.
• Spanx saw monthly EDI spend drop by 83% and benefited from seamless access to archived documents (Spanx case study).
• Torani reduced global EDI costs by 54% with no disruption to international operations (Torani case study).
• Endust cut expenses by 50%, experienced no downtime, and gained better partner visibility (Endust case study).

Practical Steps for a True Migration Without the Pain

1. Upload your current SPS Commerce invoice at boldvan.com/upload-your-van-bill for a guaranteed price beat. This is the quickest way to understand your monthly savings.
2. Schedule a no-pressure demo (request one here) to see migration and onboarding agility, partner and ERP integration, and the transparency offered by the BOLD Manager Portal.
3. Sign up and profile setup: Your mailbox is created, and we configure connections for every trading partner without requiring you or your team to reach out manually.
4. Migration and go-live: Most customers are live in 1–3 days. Trading partners are unaware of any change, and your document workflows remain uninterrupted.
5. Ongoing monitoring and support: You can monitor every data flow with full transparency and rely on 24/7 access to our EDI engineers, so you never feel left in the dark.

Addressing Common Fears and Concerns

• Will my trading partners notice or need to change anything? No. Migration is handled on our side and requires zero involvement from your partners.
• Will I lose access to my data? No. Your last 90 days’ data is immediately accessible, and all archived data is safely retrievable for compliance and audits.
• What if an issue arises during the switch? With our dedicated EDI engineers, any hiccup is addressed in real time, day or night, minimizing risk to your business.

Proactive Steps to Ensure EDI Success After the Switch

• Audit your current VAN bill and fee structures so you have a clear baseline for cost savings.
• Inventory your EDI workflows (trading partner mapping, ERP connections, compliance requirements) so your migration covers all the bases.
• Choose a partner ready to deliver transparency, rapid execution, and ongoing support tailored specifically for SMB manufacturers and distributors.

If your experience with your current EDI provider has left you frustrated by rising costs, support ticket runarounds, or the fear of migration headaches, you’re definitely not alone. For a deeper dive into onboarding best practices and ways to avoid common migration mistakes, our guide on trading partner onboarding in EDI can help you take the next steps with clarity and confidence.

Ready to break the cycle of unpredictable EDI costs and hidden fees? We invite you to upload your SPS Commerce bill for a transparent comparison, or schedule a no-pressure demo and see what stress-free EDI migration really looks like.