In short

Inviting a supplier connects them to your organisation in the Hive so they can send you product data. You can share one or more of your Product Templates with them so they know exactly what information you need them to provide.

Before you start

You will need your supplier's email address.

If you want to share a Product Template with your supplier as part of the invitation, make sure you have at least one set up before continuing. The template tells your supplier what fields and data structure you expect their products to arrive in. If you have not yet created a template, see the article on creating a product template before continuing.

Sharing a template at the time of invitation is optional — you can always share templates with a connected supplier later.

Inviting a supplier

1. From the left-hand menu, click Companies to expand the section.
2. Click My Suppliers.
3. Click Invite on the top menu bar. The Invite Supplier dialog opens.
4. Enter your supplier's email address in the Email field.
5. Optionally, click the Select Product Templates field and select the template or templates you want to share with your supplier. These tell your supplier what product data structure you need them to use.
6. Optionally, enter a personal message in the Message field. This message will be included in the invitation email sent to your supplier.
7. Click Send.

Your supplier will receive an email invitation explaining what the Hive is and who has invited them. The email contains a link for them to sign up and join the Hive.

If your supplier is already registered in the Hive, they will receive the invitation at the email address you entered and can accept it from within their existing account.

What happens next

Once your supplier accepts the invitation and joins the Hive, the connection becomes Active and appears in your My Suppliers list.

If you shared a Product Template, your supplier will have access to it from their account. When they are ready to send you their product data, they will run a Flow from their side that shares their products with you. You will receive a notification, in-app and by email, letting you know their products are ready for you to process.

To bring your supplier's products into your catalogue, you will need a Flow set up to receive and process incoming supplier products. See the article on creating a Flow for details.

Sending an invitation does not automatically give your supplier access to your products or any other data in your organisation. It only establishes the connection and shares any templates you selected.

Supplier subscription

Your suppliers can sign up for a Supply Chain Bee subscription, which includes a free trial for the first three months. The Supply Chain Bee subscription:

• Gives suppliers immediate access to the Hive at low cost.
• Enables them to automate data exchange from their source of truth (for example, Excel or their ERP system).
• Limits product data exchange to your company only. Suppliers can upgrade to Basic Bee at any time to exchange data across their full Ecosystem.

Why invite suppliers to the Hive?

By asking your suppliers to join the Hive, you ensure:

• Effective data access controls for your product data.
• Consistent, structured data exchanged in your required format.
• A traceable, auditable record of every product data exchange.

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