Selling in-store inventory online could boost the average retailer’s sales by 20%. So says eBay Enterprise, which has launched an enhanced version of its ship-from-store solution to UK traders.
That, it says, would mean an extra £27,000 in sales every day for a £50m-turnover retailer.
Michael Kliger, managing director Europe and APAC at eBay Enterprise, said: “The results of our customer analysis show the significant cost savings and cutomer service benefits that ship-from-store can deliver for retailers. By turning their physical retail locations into virtual DCs, retailers can maximize inventory across their online and instore channels to boost sales, eliminate in-store markdowns and reduce delivery costs and times.”
eBay Enterprise says that the 30 retailers already using its ship-from-store solution have saved a collective 10m sales, worth £389m, that they would have lost in missed sales as inventory allocated for online went out of stock.
Our view: There are other solutions available, but these figures provide a useful insight into technologies that help retailers save sales, and new approaches to logistics. By selling stock online that’s located in the store, retailers can sell closer to full price, rather than discounting shop-based stock that just didn’t sell. It’s an approach that requires care, however: it’s important to have leeway to make sure that last pair of size 12 trousers just sold online isn’t already in a customer’s hands as they queue at the till.
