Shipping from stores instead of distribution centers

In 2023, PetSmart began shipping some of itsonline orders from the stores themselves instead of its seven distribution centers. Just two years later, 90% of PetSmart’s shipped orders placed online or through automatic, scheduled deliveries are now fulfilled from its 1,600-plus stores.
That’s according to Greg Fancher, PetSmart’s evp and chief information technology officer who joined the pet retailer from fashion brand Express in 2023. At the Shoptalk conference in Las Vegas, he explained to Modern Retail how the company has rapidly scaled up this program while working to overhaul older systems for handling online and in-store orders. He said shipping from stores gets products to customers faster and at a lower cost.