The three pillars of omnichannel excellence

In an era of economic uncertainty and global supply chain disruptions, 1 fashion brands must adapt their operations and strategic vision to continue exceeding customer expectations. With shoppers spending more cautiously and trade policies creating new challenges, the key to long-term success lies in delivering a consistently outstanding experience across all channels, building a solid foundation for genuine brand loyalty. Strategic omnichannel fulfilment is critical on this journey, particularly for fashion fulfilment operations where speed, flexibility and brand experience are paramount.

We spoke with Erik Janssen Steenberg, Business Development Manager at Bleckmann, to explore how a smart omnichannel fulfilment strategy can increase resilience, boost customer satisfaction and drive sustainable growth in today’s complex retail landscape.

Pillar #1: The unified inventory advantage for robust omnichannel fulfilment

At the heart of successful omnichannel fulfilment is a robust foundation layer. This includes physical warehousing, inventory management, order processing and shipping capabilities that can serve multiple sales channels from a single, optimised network. As Erik explains, “We can fulfil both B2C and B2B orders from the same inventory, so it doesn’t need an inventory management layer within the ERP of the brand to manage B2C and B2B separately. We have that in one overview, one inventory.” This unified approach eliminates the complexity and costs of maintaining separate fulfilment partners for different channels, while ensuring consistent service levels across all touchpoints.

Of course, the most reliable and resilient fashion fulfilment operations are underpinned by advanced technology platforms – offering real-time inventory visibility, order tracking and seamless integration with a brand’s retail and e-commerce systems. This digital backbone ensures stock can be dynamically allocated and orders fulfilled from the most appropriate location, whether that’s a distribution centre, a retail store or a local hub. It also enables essential services such as click-and-collect and flexible returns.

Pillar #2: Value-added services that drive brand differentiation

Beyond core fulfilment activities, the most competitive omnichannel logistics operations are enhanced by a services pillar. This includes value-added services such as product personalisation, quality control, returns management and even renewal capabilities. These services not only help improve the customer experience but also enable brands to differentiate their offering and adapt quickly to changing consumer expectations. By integrating these services within their omnichannel fulfilment network, brands can simplify their supply chains, reduce lead times and gain greater control over the end-to-end customer journey – all while avoiding the operational complexity of managing multiple providers and maximizing the overall revenue retained.

Targeting the community-driven customer

A strong commitment to service quality is key to building customer loyalty, which is at a premium in today’s saturated retail landscape. As Erik notes, being part of a ‘brand community’ can be a key driver of customer satisfaction: “These days, it takes a lot more to make a consumer an ambassador,” he says. “The customer needs to understand what they can gain from engaging frequently with and buying frequently from a brand, and that means making them part of a community. One way to do this is through unique services.”

This shift from simple commerce to community engagement requires omnichannel fulfilment operations that can support a wide range of touchpoints. Your fashion fulfilment set-up needs to be flexible enough to deliver consistent and compelling brand experiences, whether a customer is shopping online, visiting a flagship store or attending a brand-sponsored event. In addition, your fashion fulfilment operations must be able to support a diverse variety of consumer touchpoints – from traditional e-commerce and retail to experiential spaces, pop-up events and community-building initiatives.

Key drivers behind Gymshark’s physical expansion:

• Community building: Physical spaces allow customers to connect, exercise together and participate in brand events.
• Experience over transaction: Stores serve as ‘clubhouses’ rather than just retail spaces, creating a genuine ‘vibe’ that’s impossible to replicate online.
• Brand ambassador development: Physical touchpoints help convert customers into genuine brand advocates.
  

The Gymshark model demonstrates a crucial insight: even the most successful digital-first brands recognise that true customer loyalty now requires multi-channel community engagement. Their stores aren’t just about selling products; they’re about creating experiences that turn customers into lifelong advocates. This shift reflects a broader trend: brands must build genuine communities rather than just efficient sales channels.

Pillar #3: The adaptability advantage for fashion fulfilment success

What sets an exceptional omnichannel fulfilment partner apart is the adaptability pillar – the ability to shape services around the specific needs of each brand, rather than forcing brands to fit within a predefined model. This should cover both the operational and strategic levels. For example, on the operational level, when British luxury streetwear brand Represent’s sweatshirts proved too large for Bleckmann’s standard racking system, we reconfigured our racking to accommodate the products. As Erik puts it, “It’s this kind of agility and problem-solving mindset that makes the difference between a typical third-party logistics provider and a true omnichannel partner.”

This adaptability also extends to operational automation. While some fashion fulfilment providers focus purely on automation and standardisation – with so-called ‘dark’ warehouses that prioritise efficiency for single-channel operations – a more nuanced approach is necessary to ensure omnichannel fulfilment success. “If you focus solely on automated operations targeting e-commerce, you won’t be able to support B2B shipments,” Erik adds. “At Bleckmann, we believe in providing a ‘best of both worlds’ approach, with the option to pick products for sales orders at unit and case level using automated solutions and on a pallet level.” This flexibility means that, whether a fashion brand needs to fulfil individual orders to consumers or B2B shipments to retail or wholesale partners, the same omnichannel fulfilment infrastructure and team can deliver consistently excellent results.

Meanwhile, on the strategic front, an adaptable omnichannel fulfilment partner will deliver opportunities that align with a brand’s goals. Bleckmann’s partnership with cross-border online B2B platform Global Bridge enables clients to get set up on international e-commerce marketplaces such as Macy’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, Zalando and John Lewis – helping to grow the visibility of their brand and reach shoppers on these high-value platforms. Thanks to the expertise and technology integrations available, clients benefit from a streamlined onboarding process and reduced barriers to entry.

Placing adaptability at the heart of omnichannel fulfilment

This commitment to adaptability extends beyond operations and into strategic decision-making. Advanced machine learning models, for example, can offer brands invaluable insights into where to open new locations or how to optimise stock distribution across existing stores. By analysing factors such as localised weather patterns, customer buying behaviour and emerging trends, the system can recommend, for instance, where to send additional warm coats ahead of an incoming cold snap – ensuring stock is in the right place at the right time. “Instead of trial and error, you can already hit the ground running,” Erik clarifies. “Based on the AI support that we have access to, we see that brands can achieve a profit gain of, say, two to three percent when they use this tailored solution.”

The path to omnichannel fulfilment success: Integration over isolation

With customer loyalty increasingly hard to come by, fashion and lifestyle brands that explore all the omnichannel fulfilment options at their disposal will be best positioned for success. As Erik notes, brands are increasingly asking questions such as: “When I integrate with you, which doors do you open for me? Are you already integrated with Zalando? Can I dropship via various platforms? Can I ship to the US via your customs solutions?” This reflects a growing awareness of how an effective omnichannel fulfilment strategy can unlock new growth opportunities and better service existing customers. It’s not just about having multiple channels, but about having the tools to make those channels work together seamlessly. Through unified technology, consistent service delivery and adaptable operational models, brands can achieve long-term loyalty gains.

Want to find out how Bleckmann can help your brand achieve omnichannel fulfilment success? Get in contact today for a free consultation with one of our experts!