Ship from store

The term "ship from store," also known as "ship from store," has become increasingly familiar in a short time. The term is now almost common to hear for retailers, especially in the retail industry. This change in familiarity is mainly due to the influence of the Internet. The rise of the Internet and online shopping has changed the world of shipping and fulfillment. Now products are not only shipped to physical stores, but also directly to consumers. Meanwhile, online shopping is so popular that there is a sea of stores that do not even have a physical location.

People are staying home more and more, making it easier to have products come to you, which means retailers have to work harder than ever to keep up with the increasing amount of products the are being ordered. The "old-fashioned" retailers have the advantage of having ample storage in their physical stores. By using these storage areas, these retailers can ship orders locally, giving them an edge over e-commerce giants that take longer to ship. So this is also where the term Ship from Store comes from.

Ship from store benefits

This new way of shipping has a number of advantages for the retailer and overall:

• Speed: Local carriers can deliver the package quickly, sometimes even on the same day. There are even bicycle couriers employed in large cities
• Better stock distribution: One product sells like crazy in one store, but barely in another store. By moving this "dormant" stock to good-selling stores, it stays in stock for less time. This also indirectly reduces the need for sales and discounts of these products
• Reduced customs fees: Because of local ordering and delivery, there are significantly less customs fees. Only if the products come from abroad when purchasing can there be customs fees added

Ship from store and Covid-19

The Ship from Store tactic is a smart solution to the decline in physical stores in recent decades. By combining offline and online sales channels, any retailer can reach their customers faster. Only a handful of retailers have actually taken this step.

Because of the current corona crisis, many more retail chains have been forced to take steps. Since almost all physical stores are closed, another way must be used to make sales. An emergence because of this is also the Click & Collect system. Consumers can shop online and pick up orders in the store.

E-commerce is expected to account for one-third of all retail sales. This expectation was from before 2020 and the corona crisis. It can be said with certainty that this share has been increased and accelerated by Covid-19.