Why Ship-from-Store is changing the game for omnichannel fashion brands

Click-and-collect may be the poster child for connecting DTC with brick-and-mortar stores, but Ship-from-Store is stepping up as an equally strong way for omnichannel fashion brands to drive revenue and manage their stock.

In this blog, we unpack how Ship-from-Store works, break down the benefits and challenges, and reveal how Paul Smith achieved record-breaking peak sales with this game-changing omnichannel strategy.

Ship from Store explained: closing the gap between inventory and customers

No shade to click-and-collect—it’s a tried-and-true omnichannel strategy, generating up to 40% of total revenue for the UK retailers that offer it. But it’s not the only way fashion brands can boost sales and improve customer experience. Increasingly, shoppers want online orders fulfilled faster and more locally—and retailers are sitting on a huge opportunity: the inventory that’s sitting in stores. In fact, 73% of UK consumers want their online apparel orders shipped from the store nearest to them.

So, what exactly is Ship-from-Store? At its core, it’s an omnichannel strategy built on common sense.

Picture this: a pair of jeans is in stock just a few kilometers away, but instead of being shipped from the nearby store, it's flown in from a warehouse across the country—or even overseas.

Ship-from-Store flips that logic. By fulfilling orders from local stores whenever possible, brands can dramatically reduce delivery times, lower emissions and shipping costs, and make better use of the stock they already have.

But the value goes beyond faster deliveries. Stores often have products that are sold out online. With the right tech in place, brands can selectively surface this store inventory online when it makes commercial sense, turning in-store inventory into online sales (and happier customers!) 

The competitive edge of Ship-from-Store fulfillment

Accelerated delivery timeframes

Using store inventory for fulfillment turns physical shops into mini distribution hubs. Proximity to customers drastically reduces delivery windows, enabling brands to meet their customers’ expectations for speed without overhauling logistics networks.

Reducing inventory bottlenecks

Centralized warehouses often create blockers in the supply chain. By removing stock silos with ecommerce inventory management, brands can prevent stock shortages and maintain operational flow even during peak periods or disruptions.

Advancing sustainability

Reducing delivery distances significantly lowers carbon emissions tied to shipping. Ship-from-Store inherently supports sustainable retail by optimizing logistics to minimize environmental impact without compromising service levels.

Enhanced inventory transparency and responsiveness

Integrating store inventory into a centralized fulfillment platform delivers real-time visibility. This transparency empowers smarter stock allocation and reduces overstock.

Synergy across sales channels

Rather than competing with each other, online and offline channels become complementary assets. Ship-from-Store bridges these sales channels, supporting growth without channel cannibalization.

A blueprint for omnichannel success: how Paul Smith broke peak sales records with Ship-from-Store

Iconic fashion brand, Paul Smith, faced an all-too-common retail challenge: valuable inventory was sitting in their 36 stores across the USA and Europe stores, while online shoppers faced stockouts. To solve this, the brand implemented Ship-from-Store using Centra’s flexible ecommerce platform, Ingrid’s delivery experience integration, and expert development from Limesharp.

The rollout began with a pilot in September 2024, selecting three stores with strong operational standards, accurate stock data, and broad inventory. This strategic, data-driven approach ensured stores were ready to fulfill orders without disrupting in-store operations. Following the pilot’s success, Paul Smith expanded to 13 stores ahead of Black Friday.

Using Centra, Paul Smith managed complex regional stock allocation and scaled fulfillment seamlessly. Stores already familiar with Ingrid’s click-and-collect app adapted easily to the new workflow, minimizing training time. They also optimized operations by coordinating inventory management flow, prioritizing warehouses, and ranking stores based on fulfillment performance.

The results were nothing short of extraordinary:

• 28% revenue growth on Black Friday

• 20% of online orders fulfilled from stores

• 95% sell-through on Autumn Winter ’24

Paul Smith is now extending Ship-from-Store to more locations, scaling the brand’s future-proofed omnichannel model.

Navigating operational complexities in Ship-from-Store

Ship-from-Store might seem like a no-brainer for omnichannel brands (and on paper, it is.) But like many things that appear simple, successful execution is more complex and demands careful consideration from brands.

One of the biggest hurdles? Keeping inventory accurate in real time. Even with systems that sync stock across channels, it's hard to avoid double-selling when customers are browsing IRL and buying online simultaneously. That rapid-fire demand can throw inventory out of sync fast—leading to missed sales and frustrated shoppers.

There are also extra complications with taxes and customs when fulfilling orders from different locations, especially across regions or countries. Managing these correctly is important to avoid surprises and keep everything running smoothly.

Last-mile delivery becomes more complex and expensive when shipments come from many individual stores instead of a central warehouse. Coordinating all those small deliveries takes careful planning.

On top of this, Ship-from-Store requires store staff to take on new responsibilities. They may need extra training and space to handle packing and shipping orders without the in-store customer experience taking a hit. 

Overcoming these challenges requires a combination of a great technology stack for ecommerce, smart processes, and teamwork across different parts of the business. When it all clicks, stores can ship quickly, ease pressure on warehouses, and help customers get what they want, faster.

Maximizing value from every store location

Ship-from-Store is a game-changer for fashion brands blending ecommerce and physical retail. It unlocks faster delivery, smarter inventory management, and lower costs. But to make Ship-from-Store a solution (not a new set of problems) brands need the right technology to manage inventory smartly. That means using strategic allocation rules to prioritize warehouses based on location and stock levels, split orders when needed, and even rank stores by how well they fulfill.

Success doesn’t just depend on the right tech—it relies on store teams who are trained, prepared, and equipped to handle fulfillment without missing a beat. When people and technology work together, Ship-from-Store helps brands build a more flexible and adaptable retail operation.

Ready to elevate your omnichannel strategy? Grab The Complete Guide to Omnichannel for Growing Fashion Brands.