What is an ASN?

Jul 21 2022




Have you ever heard of a ASN? It is an important GS1 electronic document that stands for “Advance Shipping Notice.”

The Advance Shipping Notice (ASN) lists the details of a forthcoming delivery of goods to efficiently share traceability data. This is how the seller communicates to the buyer that the items purchased are en route via an automatic message.

The ASN may contain information that displays product descriptions, delivery date, country of origin, physical description, type of packaging, transportation/logistics information, and/or a tracking number.

Using an ASN is very beneficial for your food distribution business.


This information was taken from a GS1 case study on using Advance Shipping Notices to improve stock visibility and efficiency.

Learn more about GS1 standards at www.gs1.org

necs entrée software for food distributors logo

NECS began in 1987 with the sole mission to produce top quality software for food distributors. Distributors who run their operations with our Windows based entrée software are more profitable and operate more efficiently on reduced staffs. We have an enthusiastic user base who readily recommend entrée to other wholesale food distributors.