Since brands alter their organisations and stores to fit in with these times, the demand for faster, more efficient delivery methods has taken centre stage. As consumers expect quick order fulfilment and seamless online shopping experiences, ship-from-store has become a game-changer. At Packaly, we are focused on pioneering sustainable delivery solutions, and we're excited to guide retailers through the process of getting ship-from-store ready to enhance their operations.

Understanding the Benefits of Ship-from-Store

Ship-from-store presents a range of advantages for retail chains and brands, including streamlined logistics, maximised inventory usage, and an improved customer experience. By using existing store stock for B2C online deliveries, businesses can significantly reduce delivery times and enhance customer satisfaction.

Now, what do you need and where do you get started?

1. Effective In-Store Stock Management

Efficient ship-from-store operations start with clear in-store stock management. Retailers must strategise to optimise stock levels across their various store locations. Implementing real-time inventory tracking systems ensures accurate stock visibility and enables better decision-making in stock allocation. Next to this, it’s important for retailers to have the right stock available at the right time. Ship-from-Store is powered by the products you have in your local stores, so availability plays a crucial role.

2. Displaying your stock online, a complete customer journey

For a seamless ship-from-store process, it's necessary to synchronise your online platforms with in-store inventory. Platforms like Shopify or Hybris play a crucial role in the strategy for Ship-from-Store and enable you to connect all the dots. This integration ensures that customers browsing online have real-time visibility into product availability, reducing the likelihood of out-of-stock disappointments and cross selling products via either home delivery or pick-from-store-options

3.Creating an efficient pick and pack rhythm

Establishing efficient pick-up strategies and packing stations within stores is key. Utilising time slots for order processing helps manage the influx of orders effectively, ensuring timely packing and preparation for shipment. Imagine for example a timeline where the first 60 minutes of the day, you process the orders that came in overnight and at 14:00 doing another round just in time for the delivery rider picking up the parcels at 16:00. In this way, you have a same-day and next- day stream combined for maximum route efficiency and sustainable miles. 

4. Using an OMS system for order management clarity

The Order Management System (OMS) plays an important role in the success of ship-from-store operations. Integrating these systems across multiple store locations and online platforms enables a strong omni-channel strategy, ensuring a smooth flow of information and order processing and keeping track of your actual order stream. Large retailers focus on implementing an OMS system across their complete network to keep track of product and order tracking, but smaller retailers also have the ability to work from an e-commerce system like Shopify or WooCommerce.

5. Connecting all systems and workflows together

The integration of diverse software and systems can present challenges. However, ensuring these systems communicate seamlessly is vital. Overcoming issues where systems do not communicate properly guarantees a unified workflow, enabling retailers to harness the full potential of ship-from-store capabilities. Connecting working flows, timelines and your physical operations in a strong working document and creating a playbook for Ship-from-Store makes your stores ready to enable Ship-from-Store.

Conclusion

In conclusion, implementing ship-from-store operations is a strategic move that holds immense potential for retail chains and brands. By following the step-by-step guide outlined above, businesses can optimise their in-store stock management, streamline operations, and provide a superior customer experience.

At Packaly, we're dedicated to supporting retail chains in this transformative journey. Explore our sustainable delivery solutions and leverage our Packaly Dashboard to get started inside your retail location to unlock the full potential of ship-from-store operations.

Get in contact with the team to learn more about ship-from-store and how our clients got this up and running.