Same-Day Delivery for Brick-and-Mortar Retailers: How to Boost Online Sales
By Cheryl Kahla ·
Traditional brick-and-mortar retailers have a significant advantage over online-only competitors when it comes to same-day delivery: they already have inventory positioned close to customers. Here's how to turn that advantage into a genuine competitive weapon.
The store-as-fulfilment model
Instead of thinking of your stores purely as places customers visit, consider them as local fulfilment hubs. Your physical presence in communities across the country means your inventory is already closer to customers than any centralised warehouse could be. This proximity is the foundation of viable same-day delivery.
How to implement store-based fulfilment
Enable "ship from store" in your systems
Your order management system needs to be able to route online orders to the nearest store with available stock. This requires real-time inventory visibility across all locations — a technology investment that pays dividends in fulfilment speed and stock efficiency.
Partner with an on-demand courier service
You don't need to build your own delivery fleet. Partnering with a courier service like Same Day Express gives you access to a network of professional couriers who can collect from your stores and deliver to local customers.
Set up efficient in-store pick-pack processes
Designate staff and processes for online order fulfilment. Efficient picking, packing, and handover to couriers ensures your same-day service actually delivers on its promise.
Marketing your same-day capability
Don't let your same-day delivery capability go unnoticed. Feature it prominently in your online store, on product pages, and at checkout. Use messaging like "Get it today — order before 2pm" to create urgency and drive conversions.
The competitive advantage
When customers compare you with a pure-play online retailer, your ability to offer same-day delivery from a local store is a genuine differentiator. For time-sensitive purchases, customers will choose you over a competitor who can only offer next-day delivery from a distant warehouse.
