Retailer delivery booking and shipping notices
Ask the recipient to confirm the booking and advance shipping notice sequence, accepted references and correction route. Build the notice from actual dispatched quantities, then check both booking confirmation and message acceptance. Cambridge China Bridge can coordinate the factory's dispatch information.
Confirm the recipient's sequence
Get the receiving site's current supplier instructions before arranging delivery. Ask whether a booking reference is needed to submit the advance shipping notice, or whether an accepted notice is needed to request a slot. Confirm submission deadlines, the arrival window and the route for amendments. Record the answer for the specific site and delivery type.
Name who books the slot, who submits the notice and who checks the recipient's response. Agree how the factory, consolidation warehouse and haulier will report changes to that person. For physical preparation, use our guide to palletised retailer deliveries. For securing responsibilities, see who secures pallets for retailer delivery.
Map references before submitting
Ask which references the recipient accepts in each field: purchase order and order line, supplier account, receiving location, booking reference, shipment identifier and carton or pallet identifier. Confirm whether the recipient expects its own product code, a barcode identifier or the supplier's code. Keep a mapping sheet showing each field and its source.
Copy accepted references exactly, including leading zeros and punctuation. Check that the booking and notice point to the same receiving site and shipment. Ask how split orders, combined orders and changed bookings should be linked. Do not substitute a freight tracking reference for a booking reference without the recipient's confirmation.
Use the goods actually dispatched
Build the final notice from the dispatch tally and packing record rather than copying the ordered quantity. Reconcile product lines, units per case, cases per pallet and the contents assigned to each handling unit. Separate goods left behind, held for inspection or reserved for a later shipment. Check the recipient's unit of measure before converting case counts into units.
If goods are repacked or consolidated after leaving China, use the final outbound packing record for the retailer delivery. Ask the warehouse to confirm changes before submission. Keep the detail in the packing list for mixed products, and use warehouse stock transfers to preserve batch history.
Check acceptance and correct rejections
Save the submitted message, its identifier and the recipient's response. Check separately for transmission, validation acceptance and booking confirmation. Do not treat a successful upload or an email sent as evidence that the recipient has accepted the notice. Give the haulier the confirmed slot and the references requested for arrival.
For a rejection, read the error against the recipient's field instructions. Check references, receiving location, product mapping, units, quantities and duplicate identifiers. Ask whether correction means editing, replacing, cancelling or resending, and whether to retain the original identifier. Follow that route, check the new response and preserve the correction history. Escalate unresolved errors before the vehicle arrives. If delivery is refused, see handling retailer delivery refusals.
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Control changes after acceptance
If the load, vehicle, delivery date or destination changes, ask the recipient which booking and notice records need updating. Reconcile the revised notice with the revised physical load. Confirm whether the slot remains valid and pass the accepted revision to the haulier and receiving contact. For delays, see our guide to missing a retailer delivery slot.
Keep a handover record linking the order, final packing list, accepted notice, confirmed booking and delivery paperwork. Record unresolved shortages separately for buyer agreement. Cambridge China Bridge's staff in China can help collect factory dispatch records; agree who owns the recipient submission and final acceptance check.
Frequently asked questions
Should I book delivery before sending the ASN?
Ask the receiving site. Confirm whether its booking needs an accepted notice or its notice needs a booking reference, then record the sequence and submission deadlines.
Which reference should I put on the ASN?
Use the reference accepted for that field by the recipient. Map order, booking, shipment and handling-unit references separately; confirm before substituting a carrier tracking reference.
Should the ASN show ordered or shipped quantities?
Build it from the goods actually dispatched for that delivery. Reconcile the final packing record and units of measure, and keep undelivered balances separate.
How do I fix a rejected ASN?
Read the rejection, correct the affected data and confirm the recipient's amendment route. Check the replacement response and booking status before arrival; avoid blind resends.