Viare solutions consultant, Jarrod Goodwin, explores how changing customer expectations are reshaping fulfilment.
Customer expectations have changed dramatically over the past few years, with fulfilment now playing a central role in purchasing decisions. Fast delivery, flexible fulfilment options, accurate inventory visibility, and seamless customer experiences are no longer considered competitive advantages; they are expected as standard. For retailers, this shift presents both a challenge and a significant opportunity.
One of these opportunities is to enable their entire fulfilment network through store-based fulfilment. By allowing orders to be fulfilled from the closest store location, businesses can reduce delivery distances, lower freight costs, and significantly improve delivery speed. This approach also enables retailers to unlock the value of existing store inventory and clearance stock, effectively expanding their online product range without requiring additional warehousing space or staffing resources.
Modern consumers increasingly expect convenience and choice throughout the checkout and delivery experience. According to Australia Post, 69% of shoppers want multiple delivery options available at checkout, while 26% expect same-day or next-day delivery when a purchase is urgent. Reliable delivery has become even more important, with 85% of Australians saying it will be the number one factor influencing trust in online retailers over the next five years.
Meeting these expectations can be difficult for retailers relying solely on traditional warehouse fulfilment models. However, fulfilment from the nearest store location provides a practical and cost-effective solution. By leveraging proximity to customers, retailers can offer faster delivery times without significantly increasing their cost to serve.
Click & Collect has also become an essential part of the retail fulfilment landscape. What was once viewed as a convenience feature is now an expectation for many shoppers. Customers increasingly want the flexibility to purchase online and collect their order in-store at a time that suits them. Retailers that fail to offer Click & Collect risk losing customers to competitors that provide more convenient fulfilment options.
Beyond customer convenience, Click & Collect delivers measurable commercial benefits for retailers. In many cases, retailers experience a 20–30% uplift in revenue through additional in-store purchases when customers collect their orders. At the same time, businesses reduce costly last-mile delivery expenses while strengthening customer loyalty and increasing repeat purchases.
Ship-from-store strategies are also gaining momentum as retailers look for ways to improve operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. Research from Starshipit shows that retailers are increasingly adopting ship-from-store models to reduce shipping costs by 35% and shorten delivery times by 32%. By using stores as local fulfilment hubs, retailers can turn their physical footprint into a competitive advantage.
Effective inventory management is at the centre of this strategy. Real-time inventory visibility across stores and online channels allows retailers to use physical stores as both sales locations and fulfilment centres. This improves stock allocation, supports more accurate demand forecasting, and reduces the risks of overstocking or short picks. Consolidating inventory across channels also helps streamline operations and minimise waste.
At the heart of this entire fulfilment ecosystem sits the Order Management System (OMS), which is essential for retailers who are scaling and require automated processes to achieve these growing expectations. An OMS is no longer just a back-end operational platform; it has become a key component of enhancing the customer experience. Today’s customers have been conditioned by services such as Amazon Prime to expect speed, transparency, and flexibility at every stage of the delivery journey. Retailers that fail to meet these expectations risk damaging both customer trust and long-term loyalty.
The consequences of poor fulfilment experiences are significant. According to Shippit, 64% of Australians say they are unlikely to shop again with a brand after a poor delivery experience. This highlights the growing importance of fulfilment as a core component of customer retention and brand reputation.
As customer expectations continue to evolve, fulfilment is becoming one of the most important differentiators in retail. Retailers that invest in flexible fulfilment models, real-time inventory visibility, and customer-centric delivery options will be better positioned to meet rising customer expectations, reduce operational costs, and drive long-term growth.
This is a partnered content series with Viare and eStar.