Many retailers tout the percentage of online orders fulfilled from stores. Target Corp. said in its Q4 2020 earnings that stores fulfilled 80% of online orders during the quarter when including same-day store pickup of web orders. For The Home Depot, 55% of web orders were shipped from stores during that same quarter. These retailers say fulfilling online orders from stores close to shoppers saves them money on shipping fees, gets products to shoppers more quickly and expands inventory to online shoppers beyond only what is currently stocked in an ecommerce warehouse. 

 

But for smaller retail chains with more condensed, local customer bases—and without the massive stockrooms and square footage of a Target or Home Depot store—sometimes fulfilling web orders from physical stores works better as a backup option.  

 

Texas-based athletic and lifestyle apparel and accessories retailer Tyler’s is one small chain actively working to fulfill more orders from its one warehouse instead of its six physical shops, says Justin Dermit, director of ecommerce. The retailer opened its first store in 1978 in Tyler, Texas, under the name Racquet and Jog, selling…

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