Company Spotlight: ShipStation

Andrew Norman, Managing Director, ShipStation International

“ShipStation is a web-based order and delivery management system, that helps retailers efficiently process orders from multiple channels, with multiple couriers.” 

What does your company do and tell us how Ship from Store adds to this?

ShipStation is a multichannel, order management and delivery management platform that helps merchants manage orders from marketplaces, websites, social channels and brick and mortar stores, orchestrating the fastest, safest, cheapest or greenest fulfilment options for the consumer.  ShipStation helps merchants scale their business by empowering their people and streamlining business processes, giving merchants the confidence and headspace to focus on growing their business. In the recent lockdown we further added to this offering by introducing Ship from Store to help those retailers who had a physical store estate to use these stores as part of their fulfilment network.

What retailer need do you fulfil?

Merchants are using more and more technologies to reach and delight consumers. We power the back of the business, unifying systems and automating processes. ShipStation connects to over 250 platforms including places where merchants want to sell such as marketplaces, ecommerce platforms, and enterprise resource planning (ERP),  along with multiple fulfilment options. We provide intuitive pick, pack and despatch capability and the choice of multiple carriers for merchants that fulfil themselves.  For merchants that have distributed inventory, ShipStation offers drop ship and 3PL capability. We simplify shipping international orders by automating the creation of all required cross border documentation. Including automation of all those confusing “incoterms” required when sending products to customers abroad!

We have also branched out to help those with a physical presence to make the most of this during the pandemic with Ship from Store. Customers can now order online and have their items delivered locally from the nearest shop, helping our customers with more stock options than centralised warehouses as well as reducing their carbon footprint with nationwide deliveries.

How has Ship from Store helped others in the past?

We help retailers of all shapes and sizes. From a single store to multinational brands. Two successful cases are Matalan and Mind. After a meeting of the minds, Matalan decided to experiment with a fulfil-from-store distribution model.

With hundreds of retail locations spread across Great Britain, the concept of converting empty retail stores into mini distribution centers was a no-brainer. As a budget retailer, margins are key to Matalan’s business success. With this new process, they would not only save money on postage by shipping parcels from the closest retail location, but they were also able to capitalise on selling the inventory already stocked in-store.

Ship from Store from ShipStation was exactly the software Matalan needed in order to make this happen.

How would you describe your vision?

We’re a team of shipping and software experts who are committed to helping entrepreneurs effortlessly move their ideas, dreams, and innovations around the globe.

Which retailers do you work with?

Our service can be used right the way up from single platform sellers right the way up to enterprise level.

How would you describe your growth, what have been the main points in your expansion and what has been key to your success?

ShipStation was the original eBay shipping app, turning 10 years old in 2021. We’ve grown up with marketplaces, so understand the opportunities and challenges of selling on multiple channels in multiple countries. Our mission is to help every merchant, everywhere providing access to our platform at an affordable price. This is backed up by a team of experts that is available 24/7 and motivated to make merchants successful.

What challenges are you addressing for multichannel retailers who aim to meet peak season demands?

There’s no one size fits all for deliveries when dealing with the various product sizes and values available online, and so having different options is key to getting it right this Christmas. Having integrations with multiple carriers through the holidays has become more and more crucial and is the best way to make sure that your customers are getting the service levels they expect when doing their shopping online. ShipStation brings together the different marketplaces customers are selling on and pulls the order into one simple to use platform with multiple carrier integrations to make sure the process from order to fulfilment is as smooth as possible for both the business and the customer.

What do you see as challenges for the retailers and suppliers over the coming years? How are you prepared to meet those challenges?

ecommerce is accelerating at an exponential rate. Merchants want to reach more customers, so look to sell in as many relevant channels and countries as possible. Selling across multiple channels in multiple countries brings complexity and challenges, from processing and fulfilling orders accurately and on time, to managing returns. Consumers are more expectant and less loyal than ever before, making order fulfilment a critical part of the overall online buying experience. Delivery should be a point of difference and ShipStation can help merchants deliver a great experience to their customers, driving recommendations and repeat business. 

Find out how Matalan shipped over 1 million orders during pandemic with Fulfil-from-Store in our exclusive case study.