Amazon is opening an API for its Amazon Fulfillment Web Service, which lets online merchants outsource shipping to fulfillment centers.

Before, Fulfillment was a lengthy process full of manual steps, like pre-labeling each box before sending to Amazon, and having to manage inventory through software.

With the back-end now open, merchant computers can talk directly to Amazon computers. Shipping and tracking orders, and printing bra/ded labels can now be down automatically.

TechCrunch attributes Fulfillment's improvement to a web version of EDI, or electronic data interchange. EDI was a standard way for manufacturers to view suppliers' inventory, but it's expensive. Until now, it was available only to big corporations.