Three steps, ten minutes, full visibility into your supplier orders.
Your Connected+ suppliers can do more than you might think. Here's how to get the most out of them:
Search with live inventory. See what's actually in stock before you commit.
Send an ePO. Your PO lands in the supplier's system as a confirmed order with one click.
Track orders in real time. Order status flows into your Production Report automatically.
All three are already in your commonsku account. This guide walks you through each one.
Your 10-Minute Connected+ Checklist
Three steps to get the most from your Connected+ suppliers
Search Connected+ Suppliers for Your Next Product
Live inventory, current pricing, and real-time decoration options, right in your product search. ~3 min
Send an ePO Instead of Emailing the PO
Your electronic purchase order goes directly into the supplier's system. Instant inventory allocation. ~3 min
Check the PS Column on Your Production Report
Real-time order status, factory order numbers, and ship dates, pulled live from your supplier. ~2 min
The result: source with live data, order electronically, track automatically, all inside one platform.
PromoStandards gives you live inventory counts, current pricing, and real-time decoration options, directly inside commonsku's product search.
Next time you're building a presentation or sales order, open the product search. Your Connected+ suppliers appear at the top of the search screen. No separate database, no new tab.
Search like you normally would. The difference is what comes back: live inventory counts from the warehouse right now, current pricing pulled from the supplier's system, and real-time decoration options. If it shows 500 units available, those 500 units exist.
Not sure which suppliers are Connected+?
Open your Suppliers tab. They're listed at the top under the Connected+ category. Their Connected Workflow icons show which PromoStandards features they support. (Full details in the help docs.)
One more thing: for Connected+ hard goods suppliers, decoration charges auto-populate into your order. Setup fees, run charges, artwork costs all flow in from the supplier's pricing. Fewer corrections downstream, fewer surprises when the bill arrives.
With Connected+ suppliers, your PO goes directly into the supplier's system electronically. Inventory gets allocated the moment you click send.
Once you've built your order, go to the Purchase Orders tab and click Actions → Create POs. For Connected+ suppliers, you'll see a "Send to Supplier" button instead of the usual email option. Click it.
Your ePO lands directly in the supplier's system as a structured, confirmed order. Inventory gets allocated immediately. Every detail (decoration methods, locations, quantities, shipping) carries over exactly as you built it, so the supplier is working from the same data you are.
You get quicker confirmation. The supplier gets a clean order. Everyone moves on.
Before you click send: ePOs can't be regenerated after submission. If you need to make changes, contact the supplier directly to cancel and resubmit.
Apparel note: some apparel suppliers only accept blank, undecorated ePOs. Check your supplier's Connected Workflow icons in the Suppliers tab, or see the ePO help article for the full breakdown.
The PS column on your Production Report shows real-time order status pulled directly from the supplier, updated automatically.
Now open your Production Report (Production tab → Production). Look for the PS column, which stands for PromoStandards.
For any order placed with a Connected+ supplier, click the icon in that column. You'll see the live status of your purchase order pulled directly from the supplier's system: the PromoStandards status (where the order actually is in their workflow), your factory order number, the expected ship date, and shipping details once it's on its way.
When your client asks where their order is, you already know. At a glance you can see which orders are confirmed, which are in production, and which have shipped. You can tell your client before they have to ask. (More on Order Status and Shipment Notifications.)
One Connected Workflow, Three Steps
Each step feeds the next, closing the loop between you and your suppliers.
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Step 1
Real-time inventory, pricing, and decoration options from your Connected+ suppliers
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Step 2
ePOs land directly in the supplier's system with instant inventory allocation
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Step 3
Live order status, ship dates, and tracking, right in your Production Report
commonsku already manages your POs. Connected+ makes the supplier connection automatic. Live data in, electronic orders out, real-time tracking back.
Check which suppliers you're connected to. Open your Suppliers tab. Connected+ suppliers are listed at the top. Click any supplier's name to see their Connected Workflow icons, which show exactly which PromoStandards features they support (inventory, ePOs, order status, shipment notifications).
Get set up with suppliers you're missing. If you work with a Connected+ supplier but don't see PromoStandards data flowing yet, they may need to add your credentials. Check the PromoStandards supplier contacts page for who to reach out to, or email support@commonsku.com and we'll help sort it out.
Try it on your next order. Pick one Connected+ supplier on your next project. Search their products with live inventory, send the ePO, then check the PS column the next day. Once you see the data flowing, you'll want to do it for every Connected+ order going forward.
Want the deeper dive on how PromoStandards powers all of this? Read our PromoStandards myth-busting post.
Have questions about getting Connected+ set up? Reach out to your CSM or email support@commonsku.com.
New to commonsku? See how the platform works.