Complete Guide

Ship from Store

Ship from store is a fulfillment strategy where online orders are delivered from a physical retail location instead of a centralized warehouse. A local courier picks up from the store nearest to the customer and delivers — often the same day. It is faster than warehouse shipping, cheaper for local orders, requires less packaging, and turns every store into a fulfillment center. This guide covers how it works, when it makes sense, and how to set it up.

Request a Demo

The Case for Ship from Store

Why Retailers Ship from Store

Every store you operate is already stocked with inventory and positioned close to your customers. Ship from store turns that existing infrastructure into a competitive advantage over warehouse-only fulfillment.

Faster Delivery

Orders ship from a location 5-15 miles away instead of a warehouse in another state. Same-day and next-day delivery become the default, not the exception.

Lower Delivery Cost

Local courier delivery for a 10-mile radius is often cheaper than FedEx Ground. You avoid zone-based pricing, fuel surcharges, and the per-package rates that scale with distance.

Less Packaging

When transit time drops from days to under an hour, you can eliminate insulated liners, gel packs, and heavy padding. A bakery shipping overnight needs a cold box; the same bakery delivering locally in 40 minutes needs a paper bag.

Every Store = Fulfillment Center

You already pay rent, stock inventory, and staff these locations. Ship from store turns sunk costs into fulfillment capacity without building or leasing new warehouse space.

Better Product Condition

Items spend minutes in transit instead of days. No conveyor belts, no sorting facilities, no rough handling. Fragile items, perishables, and high-value goods arrive in the condition they left the shelf.

Lower Return Risk

Faster delivery means fewer "where is my order" support tickets and fewer cancellations. Items arrive in better condition, reducing damage-related returns. If a return is needed, a courier can pick it up the same day.

Comparison

Ship from Store vs. Warehouse Fulfillment

Ship from store and warehouse fulfillment serve different strengths. Most retailers use both — ship from store for local orders and warehouse for long-distance or high-volume commodity shipping.

Ship from Store (via Getcho)Warehouse + National Carrier
Transit TimeHours — same-day or next-day2-7 business days
Fulfillment PointNearest store with available inventoryCentralized warehouse, often in a different state
Delivery Cost (local)$8-$20 via local courier$10-$30+ via FedEx/UPS (zone-based pricing)
PackagingMinimal — short transit, no sorting facilitiesFull protection — items spend days in transit
Tracking ExperienceBranded page with live GPS, driver location, 1-2 hour ETAGeneric tracking number, "out for delivery" status
Infrastructure RequiredExisting stores — no new facilities neededDedicated warehouse space, pick-and-pack operations
Best ForLocal/metro orders, perishables, fragile items, premium experienceLong-distance shipping, high-volume commodity orders

How It Works

How Ship from Store Works with Getcho

The entire process is automated. An order comes in, the platform identifies the best store to fulfill it, dispatches a courier, and tracks the delivery to completion.

  1. 1

    Customer places an order online

    The customer selects "standard shipping" or "same-day delivery" at checkout. They do not need to know the order will ship from a store — that routing happens automatically.

  2. 2

    Platform selects the optimal store

    Getcho checks inventory across your store locations and selects the nearest store that has the item in stock. If the closest store is out, it routes to the next-closest location automatically.

  3. 3

    Store receives fulfillment notification

    Staff at the selected store get a notification — via the Getcho dashboard, Slack, or a tablet — with the order details and a pickup ETA. They pick and pack the order.

  4. 4

    Courier dispatched automatically

    AI fleet matching selects the best available courier based on proximity, vehicle type, cost, and reliability. Multi-signal dispatch sends the job to multiple fleets simultaneously — the first available driver wins and arrives at the store for pickup.

  5. 5

    Customer receives branded tracking

    The customer gets a branded tracking page with a live map, driver location, and 1-2 hour delivery window. They see your brand at every touchpoint — not a third-party courier logo.

Two Models

Two Ways to Use Ship from Store

Retailers use ship from store in two distinct ways — and the most effective ones run both simultaneously on the same platform.

Visible at Checkout

Offer "same-day delivery" or "local delivery" as a checkout option. The customer knows they are getting store fulfillment, selects a time window, and pays a delivery fee. This is the premium play — higher conversion, higher average order value, and a differentiated checkout experience.

Customer sees
"Same-day delivery — select a window"
Revenue impact
Delivery fee offsets courier cost; increases AOV
Best for
Perishables, gifts, urgent orders, premium brands

Invisible to the Customer

The customer selects "standard shipping" and pays the standard rate. Behind the scenes, you route the order through a local courier from the nearest store instead of shipping from a warehouse via FedEx or UPS. The order arrives in hours instead of days. The customer gets a better experience without knowing anything changed.

Customer sees
"Standard shipping" (arrives same-day)
Cost to business
Often less than national carrier rates for local orders
Best for
Multi-store retailers, cost reduction, customer delight

When to Use It

When Ship from Store Makes Sense

Ship from store is not for every order. It works best under specific conditions — and a delivery orchestration platform automatically routes orders to ship from store only when it is the optimal fulfillment path.

Customer is near a store
When the delivery address is within the same metro area as one of your stores. The closer the store, the cheaper and faster the delivery. Beyond 20-30 miles, warehouse fulfillment with a national carrier is usually more cost-effective.
Store has the item in stock
Multi-location inventory visibility is essential. The platform checks real-time stock at each store and only routes to locations that have the item available. No inventory? It falls back to warehouse fulfillment automatically.
Product is perishable or fragile
Bakeries, florists, wineries, seafood, and specialty food businesses benefit the most. Short transit means no gel packs, no insulated boxes, no cold chain packaging — and the product arrives in perfect condition.
Speed is a competitive advantage
When your competitors ship in 3-5 days and you can deliver the same day from a local store, that is a differentiator. Ship from store turns delivery speed into a feature you can market — or keep invisible and just delight customers with unexpectedly fast arrivals.

Getting Started

How to Set Up Ship from Store

Most retailers are live with ship from store in under a day. Here is what it takes.

  1. 1

    Connect your e-commerce platform

    Integrate Shopify, Packiyo, or your custom platform via API. Orders flow in automatically with delivery address, items, and fulfillment location data.

  2. 2

    Configure store locations and delivery zones

    Add each store as a fulfillment location with its address, operating hours, and delivery radius. Getcho uses multi-location routing to match orders to the optimal store automatically.

  3. 3

    Set up branded tracking and notifications

    Upload your logo, configure SMS and email templates, and choose your notification triggers. Customers see your brand at every delivery touchpoint — pickup confirmed, driver en route, delivered.

  4. 4

    Go live

    Start fulfilling orders from stores. Monitor delivery times, costs, and success rates from the Getcho dashboard. Adjust delivery zones and routing rules as you learn which stores handle volume best.

Get Started Today

Ship from Store FAQ

Frequently asked questions about ship from store

Can't find what you're looking for? Reach out to us.

What is ship from store?
Ship from store is a fulfillment strategy where online orders are fulfilled from a physical retail store instead of a centralized warehouse. A local courier picks up the order from the store nearest to the customer and delivers it — often the same day. The customer may see "standard shipping" at checkout, but the order arrives in hours instead of days because it never enters a national carrier sorting network.
How is ship from store different from BOPIS?
BOPIS (buy online, pick up in store) requires the customer to come to the store. Ship from store delivers the order to the customer. Both fulfill from store inventory, but ship from store adds last-mile delivery. Many retailers offer both options at checkout — BOPIS for customers who want to pick up, and ship from store for customers who want delivery.
What are the cost benefits of ship from store?
Ship from store reduces fulfillment costs in three ways. First, local courier delivery is often cheaper than national carrier rates for orders within the same metro area. Second, shorter transit times mean less packaging — no gel packs, insulated liners, or heavy padding needed for perishable or fragile items. Third, fulfilling from the nearest store reduces the distance traveled, which directly reduces delivery cost.
Does ship from store require inventory visibility across locations?
Yes. Ship from store works best when your order management system knows what inventory is available at each store location. When a customer places an online order, the system needs to identify which store has the item in stock and is closest to the delivery address. Platforms like Shopify and Packiyo provide this multi-location inventory visibility.
Can ship from store work with Shopify?
Yes. Getcho integrates directly with Shopify and Shopify POS. When an online order comes in, Getcho identifies the nearest store with available inventory and dispatches a local courier for pickup and delivery. The customer receives branded tracking with a live map, ETA, and delivery confirmation — all under your brand.
What happens if the nearest store is out of stock?
If the nearest store does not have the item, the delivery orchestration platform checks the next-closest location with available inventory. If no local store has stock, the order falls back to standard warehouse fulfillment and ships via a national carrier. This routing happens automatically — no manual intervention required.
Is ship from store only for same-day delivery?
No. Ship from store can fulfill same-day, next-day, or scheduled deliveries. The speed depends on when the order is placed and the delivery window the customer selects. Same-day ship from store is common for orders placed before a cutoff time, while next-day ship from store works for orders placed in the evening or for customers who choose a specific delivery window.
Which industries benefit most from ship from store?
Multi-location retailers benefit the most because they have inventory distributed across stores that can serve as local fulfillment points. Specialty grocers, bakeries, florists, wineries, and luxury brands also benefit because their products are often perishable or fragile — shorter transit from a local store means less packaging and better product condition on arrival.
How does ship from store affect store operations?
Store staff receive a notification when an order is assigned to their location for fulfillment. They pick and pack the order, and a courier arrives for pickup — typically within 20 to 30 minutes. The operational impact is similar to fulfilling a BOPIS order, except the store hands the package to a driver instead of a customer. Most stores absorb this into existing workflows without adding headcount.
Does the customer know the order ships from a store?
That depends on how you set it up. Some retailers market ship from store as a premium same-day option at checkout. Others use it invisibly — the customer selects "standard shipping" and the order is fulfilled from a nearby store without the customer knowing. Both approaches use branded tracking pages so the customer sees your brand, not a third-party courier name.

Explore More

Related guides and services

Guide

Same-Day Delivery Guide

The complete guide to offering same-day delivery for your business.

Guide

What Is Delivery Orchestration?

How AI and multi-fleet networks automate last-mile logistics.

Service

Multi-Location Routing

Route orders to the optimal store based on inventory and proximity.

Service

Branded Tracking

White-label tracking pages with your brand on every delivery.

What business customers are saying

And their customers.

Join the best businesses in the world and start using Getcho to orchestrate all your local deliveries.

Book a demo

Last updated: