***
title: Vendor enrichment
subtitle: Automate vendor payment research with AI-powered enrichment
description: Reduce manual vendor research with AI-powered enrichment that scans invoices and searches the web for vendor payment acceptance info and contact information
og:description: Reduce manual vendor research with AI-powered enrichment that scans invoices and searches the web for vendor payment acceptance info and contact information
keywords: embedded payments, vendor enrichment, payment automation, invoice scanning, vendor payments, payment acceptance, virtual cards, payables automation
icon: magnifying-glass-dollar
slug: guides/pay-out-vendor-enrichment-overview
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Vendor enrichment uses AI to gather vendor payment acceptance info and contact information, reducing the manual research needed to pay vendors using the payment methods they accept. The enrichment pipeline progressively fills in vendor details through up to two stages: invoice scanning and web search.
Vendor enrichment is an opt-in feature. Contact Payabli to enable it for your organization.
## How enrichment works
When you trigger enrichment for a vendor, the system runs one or more stages based on the scope you request. Each stage attempts to find the vendor's contact information and what payment methods they accept.
### Invoice scanning
The invoice scan stage extracts vendor details from a PDF invoice, including:
* Vendor name, address, phone, and email
* Payment portal URLs
* Whether the vendor accepts cards, ACH, or checks
* Invoice number, amount due, and due date
### Web search
The web search stage searches official websites, business directories, and bill pay platforms to find:
* Phone numbers, emails, and addresses
* Payment portal URLs
* Whether the vendor accepts cards, ACH, or checks
### Stage ordering
When you request both stages, invoice scan always runs first. If the vendor becomes payout-ready after the scan, web search is skipped. When both stages run, invoice scan results are passed to web search as context so it can skip redundant searches.
## Enrichment status
After enrichment, the vendor record includes status fields that reflect the current state. You can read these fields from the [get vendor](/api-reference/pay-out/vendor/get-vendor) endpoint.
| Status | Meaning |
| -------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `not_enriched` | No enrichment has been attempted. |
| `partially_enriched` | Some fields are populated, but the vendor doesn't yet have enough payment acceptance info to be payout-ready. |
| `fully_enriched` | The vendor has all required payment acceptance info and is payout-ready. |
| `fallback_applied` | Enrichment retries exhausted and a fallback payment method was applied. |
The `EnrichedBy` field indicates which method resolved the vendor's payment acceptance info: `invoice_scan`, `web_search`, `vendor_network` (inherited from an already-enriched vendor in Payabli's network), or `manual`.
## Ways to trigger enrichment
### Payabli Portal
You can enrich a vendor directly from the vendor record in the Payabli Portal. This is a single-click action that triggers the enrichment pipeline without any API integration.
### API
There are three ways to trigger enrichment through the API:
1. **Enrich an existing vendor** — Use the [enrich vendor](/api-reference/pay-out/vendor/enrich-vendor) endpoint to run invoice scan, web search, or both on a vendor that already exists.
2. **Upload an invoice during vendor creation** — Attach a PDF to the [create vendor](/api-reference/pay-out/vendor/create-vendor) request. The invoice is scanned and extracted details are merged into the vendor record.
3. **Upload an invoice during bill creation** — Attach a PDF to the [create bill](/api-reference/pay-out/bill/add-bill) request. The invoice is scanned and extracted details populate both the vendor and the bill.
For API implementation details, see [Enrich vendors with the API](/guides/pay-out-developer-vendor-enrichment-integrate).
## Apply modes
The enrich vendor endpoint supports two modes through the `applyEnrichmentData` parameter:
* **Automatic** (`true`, the default) — Extracted data is written directly to the vendor record. Only empty fields are populated and existing values are never overwritten. The extracted data is also returned in the response.
* **Review mode** (`false`) — Extracted data is returned in the response without modifying the vendor. Use this for UI flows where users review and confirm changes before applying them with the [update vendor](/api-reference/pay-out/vendor/update-vendor) endpoint.
In both modes, `enrichmentData` in the response contains the raw extraction results.
## Vendor network
Payabli maintains a network of vendors that have already been enriched. When you trigger enrichment, the system first checks whether the vendor already exists in this network. If a match is found, the vendor's payment acceptance info is populated immediately without running AI processing. In this case, the enrich endpoint returns a status of `completed_from_network`.
## Related resources
See these related resources to help you get the most out of Payabli.
* **[Enrich vendors with the API](/guides/pay-out-developer-vendor-enrichment-integrate)** - Use the API to enrich vendors with payment acceptance info and contact information
* **[Manage vendors with the API](/guides/pay-out-developer-vendors-manage)** - Learn how to add and manage vendors with the Payabli API
* **[Manage vendors in the UI](/guides/pay-out-portal-vendors-manage)** - Learn how to add and manage vendors in the Payabli UI