Purchasing & suppliers
Advance Shipping Notice (ASN)
By the Supply Chain Manager team · Updated October 16, 2026
An advance shipping notice (ASN) is a supplier's message, sent when goods ship, listing what is on the way, in what quantities and when it should arrive.
An ASN turns 'the PO is open' into 'these 480 units shipped today and arrive Thursday'. It lets the warehouse plan receiving labor and lets purchasing spot short shipments before the truck arrives.
ASNs are usually sent electronically, by EDI or through a supplier portal, but even an emailed packing list sent at dispatch gives most of the benefit. The point is timing: the notice arrives before the goods do. Asking key suppliers for one is often a quick win, because it costs them little and gives you days of warning about short or split shipments.
ASN example
Illustrative: a PO for 500 units gets an ASN for 420. Purchasing knows two days early that 80 units are short and can decide whether to chase the balance or cover it elsewhere.
Why ASN matters for distributors
ASNs make in-transit stock visible and receiving faster, especially when they include carton or pallet barcodes that the warehouse can scan.
Common ASN mistakes
- Receiving against the ASN without checking the physical goods.
- Ignoring ASN quantities and planning from the original PO.
Examples on this page use made-up round numbers to show the calculation. They are not benchmarks or results from real businesses.