Revolutionizing Omnichannel Fulfillment with Retail Store Pickups

There was a time when one of India’s leading footwear brands was struggling to optimize their order fulfillment process. Despite having over 1375 retail outlets across India and a strong online presence, the brand in question was facing huge costs in inventory replication and managing inventory for different size/colour variants for the same SKUs. In addition, they were also finding it difficult to bring down their last mile delivery costs, due to warehouse locations in the outskirts of a city, far from the usual customer destinations.

At a time like this, they decided to partner with Blowhorn for day-to-day intra-city order fulfillment. And in just a few months, their inventory costs had reduced by a whopping 55%, while the average delivery time decreased from 2 days to just 3 hours! All of this was possible because of a simple, innovative solution offered by Blowhorn — retail store pickups.

In the ever-evolving world of retail, meeting customer demands efficiently is the key to success. In recent years, the concept of "retail store pickups" has emerged as a revolutionary approach to omnichannel fulfillment, and one company at the helm of this innovation is Blowhorn. This concept offers a fresh perspective on fulfilling customer orders by bypassing traditional warehousing methods and tapping into the power of retail outlets. In this blog, we are taking a closer look at how retail store pickups are transforming the commercial landscape and benefiting businesses all over India.

The Inventory Conundrum and Omnichannel Fulfillment

Warehousing rentals in India have been on the rise, increasing by over 9% from the previous year. For businesses, especially small and medium-sized ones, this surge in warehousing costs has become a significant challenge. The need to maintain large inventories across various warehouses throughout the city can be a costly and complex endeavour. Inventory carrying costs alone can account for 20-30% of total expenses, making it a formidable barrier to growth for many businesses.

What is Retail Store Pickup?

Enter retail store pickups, as pioneered by Blowhorn. This innovative approach allows businesses to dramatically reduce their dependence on expensive warehousing solutions. This is a transformative solution for integrated fulfillment, bringing together your online and retail presence.

The concept is simple but powerful: when a customer places an order on your website, your fulfillment partner automatically alerts the retail store nearest to the customer's location. If the requested SKU is available at that store, a delivery partner is dispatched to pick up the item and deliver it to the customer's doorstep within just a few hours.

Perks of Retail Store Pickups For Your Business

Reducing Warehousing Costs

By leveraging this strategy, your business can cut down their warehousing expenses significantly, enabling them to save on inventory and warehousing costs. No longer does your brand need to replicate the entire inventory across multiple warehouses in various cities. Instead, your brand’s retail outlets in a particular city can double up as distribution hubs. Through same day fulfillment partners like Blowhorn, you can then schedule multiple retail store pickups and doorstep deliveries daily from these locations, resulting in substantial cost savings.

For instance, by implementing our retail store pickup system, one of India’s top womenswear brands managed to reduce their inventory costs by an impressive 55%. Such savings can make a substantial impact on the bottom line and enable businesses to allocate resources more efficiently.

Enhancing Customer Experience

The benefits of retail store pickups aren't limited to cost savings alone. This approach also has a transformative effect on customer satisfaction. For in-store customers who can't find the right size or color for an item they desire, this fulfillment method comes to the rescue, providing superfast delivery. In addition, the chances of losing out on orders from items being out of stock reduce drastically, since the same SKUs are delivered to the customer’s doorstep in no time.

The delivery partner can source the required product from another nearby outlet of the same brand and deliver it directly to the customer's doorstep within a few hours. This seamless, quick response to customer needs enhances brand loyalty and provides a more satisfying shopping experience.

Retail Store Pickups as The Future of Intra-City Fulfillment

In a world where customer expectations continue to rise, businesses must adapt to changing fulfillment methods. Retail store pickups are leading the charge in revolutionizing omnichannel fulfillment and integrated fulfillment. By reducing warehousing expenses, improving efficiency, and elevating the customer experience with doorstep pickups and superfast delivery, this innovative approach is a game-changer for businesses in India and beyond.

Top fulfillment providers like Blowhorn are at the forefront of this movement, offering businesses the opportunity to grow faster and more economically than ever before. If you're looking to enhance your fulfillment strategy and save costs while ensuring happy customers, it's time to explore the potential of retail store pickups. Get in touch with experts like Blowhorn today to learn more about how this approach can transform your business and set you on a path to success in the dynamic world of retail.