REI pilots direct shipping with select brands
The new program means brands can ship directly to customers when they order on REI.com.
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REI’s stock rooms just got deeper. The retail giant announced last week that it will be enabling select brands to ship orders directly to customers, making it easier for customers to get the right products, colors, and sizes through REI.com.
The new shipping program is starting with Ecco, Danner, and Salomon, and REI expects to add more products over the next year. Orders fulfilled directly from brand partners can only be shipped to home addresses.
“This functionality opens up so many doors for our customers and gives them access to new sizes and styles of products that we could not stock previously,” Chief Digital Officer Curtis Kopf said in the announcement. “Now it will be easier to support our customers when they are asking for extended sizes, new styles, or additional colors.”
REI is using DSCO, a drop ship distributed inventory platform that has also partnered with Nordstrom and Kohl’s.
Salomon U.S. Footwear Commercial Manager Lance Taylor said that while drop shipping has been a standard practice for some brick-and-mortar retailers for years, the brand is excited to pilot the project with REI.
“We have been live for one week now and we are super happy with the results already!” Taylor said.
