Introducing Ship from Store

Pioneered during the pandemic and proven by leaders like Matalan and Mind, the charity shop organisation, the Ship from Store model powered by ShipStation shows what’s achievable when retailers double down on omnichannel selling.

How does Ship from Store work?

At its most basic, Ship from Store lets retailers leverage their in-store inventory to capitalise on ecommerce’s momentum.

The shopper buys online like normal. Simple.

Behind the scenes, the store is notified, and a manifest is created with a carrier. All that’s left to do is for a store employee to pick and pack the product, print the shipping label and hand the item over.

Everyone wins in this scenario and it’s a strategy that works excellently for stores of every size and shape, in particular multi-store retailers, convenience stores (both franchise and grocery) and industrial / out-of-city estate retailers.

What are some of the benefits of Ship from Store?

When ShipStation is your Ship from Store engine, retailers can deliver a host of immediate and long-term benefits, including:

-Selling more product

-Accelerating delivery for online orders

-Maximising your store estate and lowering site overhead

-Enhancing customer satisfaction by controlling stock levels effectively

-Strengthening sustainability through more local fulfilment

-Simplifying your existing online retailing

Need proof?

Just ask Matalan, which through partner SHIFT Commerce, said the following about its experience with Ship from Store retailing:

“About 40 to 50% of Matalan’s online orders are coming through ShipStation to stores right now. It’s phenomenal. It’s really helped them ramp up their online capacity.”

Those numbers are nothing to scoff at, especially when you consider the rental burden of stores and the fact most stock was essentially dormant for eighteen months.

Ship from Store offers an easy-to-implement way to transform your stores into something more than just stores. And with 65% of people saying they will prefer to shop online instead of in stores, even once COVID-19 has well and truly passed, it’s important you find ways to capitalise on that momentum.