Accompanied by friends, a mall shopper tries on a pair of shoes that they have been looking at online. This is a phenomenon called showrooming, in which a shopper is using the store location as a trial opportunity, though they may purchase via ecommerce. Having left the store empty-handed and the shoes never making an appearance at social gatherings, the group inquires about their friend’s luck finding the perfect pair. “If the store had the color I was eyeing, I would have been able to decide,” they respond. Seeing a gift opportunity, the group does their own digital canvassing, revealing a small store chain with inventory on hand. When the shoes weren’t available for pick-up nearby (referred to as a stockout), one friend could have volunteered to make the short, 132.5-mile trip to the nearest pair. Fortunately, the retailer employs omnichannel fulfillment, allowing access to its complete chain of stores, and leverages the one outside of Denver, Colorado to get the order fulfilled. Curbside pickup and a quick trim of wrapping paper later, the perfect holiday gift is ready.

1. Customer retention: Customers are gained and retained through the flexibility to purchase and receive the product in the manner that best suits their needs. Whether shipped to their home, bought online and picked up in a store (BOPIS), or even purchased on site, this expansion of options is why businesses employing omnichannel fulfillment have seen increased sales.


2. Supply chain visibility: Visibility is achieved as a requirement to strategically access distribution centers and stores, and it can be leveraged to optimize other areas of the value chain. It will enable you to streamline your operations, forecast more accurately, and optimize every aspect of your supply chain.


3. Reduced stockouts: An efficient distribution network lowers the likelihood of inventory stockouts. To further optimize their real estate, many organizations use a singular distribution center to fulfill e-commerce orders and to replenish stores. Others ship from the warehouse to store for pickup, and still others pick orders from store inventory to pack and deliver. Whatever the method that works best for you, an omnichannel model that gives you access to inventory across all your locations will ensure higher product availability for your customers.


4. Lower costs: Cost reduction is realized during the pre-shipment process as organizations discover the best routes from shelf to consumer. Cost is decreased during the post-purchase experience, thanks to returns being accepted at a variety of points in the seller’s network.


5. Growth opportunity: These benefits can be substantial, especially for digitally native companies (those that began online) when expanding to brick-and-mortar locations. Adopting an omnichannel fulfillment strategy will enhance your market reach and customer engagement.

• Manage multiple locations from a centralized location with cloud-enabled software.


• Integrate with leading e-commerce and business systems so data flows smoothly.


• Access the carriers that best suit your needs with an in-depth portfolio of carrier support.


• Customize business logic to ensure your decision rules are accounted for.


• Process large shipping volume with sub-second shipment throughput.


• Track parcels and uncover errors with real-time tracking.


• Tap into the data from all your transactional systems to find actionable insights.