Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. BOOT highlighted the growing contribution of its omnichannel capabilities during its fiscal first-quarter 2027 earnings call, with buy online, pick up in store (BOPIS) and ship-to-store services helping connect its digital and physical retail operations. In the first quarter, e-commerce comparable sales increased 13.4%, driven by double-digit growth on Boot Barn’s website. Management said its omnichannel capabilities remain a meaningful competitive advantage and are consistent with the company’s stores-first strategy.
A key element of this strategy is the fulfillment of online orders through Boot Barn’s physical stores. Management noted that a large portion of e-commerce orders are fulfilled from stores, which provides customers with access to a broader assortment of inventory while also supporting merchandise margins. The company also reported strong adoption of BOPIS and ship-to-store offerings. According to management, these services are helping drive store traffic, reduce fulfillment costs and enhance customer engagement by creating a more seamless shopping experience between digital and physical channels.
The importance of driving traffic into stores is particularly relevant because Boot Barn continues to view its physical locations as the central part of its customer experience. During the quarter, consolidated same-store sales increased 4.7%, while brick-and-mortar same-store sales grew 3.8%. Store comparable growth was supported by a 3% increase in average unit retail, while transactions were approximately flat.
Management also discussed how its digital brand-building initiatives are designed to generate physical-store traffic. Boot Barn's exclusive-brand websites are attracting millions of sessions, although management acknowledged that attribution between website visits and subsequent store visits is difficult to measure because these customers are not necessarily using a ship-to-store order. The company nevertheless uses these websites to introduce customers to brands and encourage them to shop at its more than 550 stores.
Overall, Boot Barn's BOPIS and broader omnichannel strategy is not simply focused on increasing online sales. Rather, the company is using digital channels to bring customers into its physical stores, where it believes the in-store experience remains central to its brand proposition.
How AEO and DECK Are Connecting Online and Physical Retail
However, Boot Barn is not alone in using digital channels to complement its physical-store strategy, with other apparel and footwear retailers pursuing similar omnichannel approaches.
American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. AEO is emphasizing both store and digital channels while directing more of its marketing toward conversion-driving tactics. Quarter-to-date, Aerie was showing strength across stores and digital, with traffic, customer counts and other operating metrics moving in a positive direction.
At American Eagle, digital performance remained stronger than stores, although store trends had improved during the peak back-to-school period. AEO is also increasing its focus on digital engagement while continuing to view stores as important destinations during major shopping periods such as back-to-school and holiday.
Deckers Outdoor Corporation DECK is similarly building growth through a combination of direct-to-consumer channels and physical retail. Deckers’ DTC business remains a major growth engine, with first-quarter DTC revenues up 13%, including 17% growth at HOKA and 6% at UGG.
At the same time, Deckers continues to expand physical retail, including global HOKA stores and UGG mono-brand locations. DECK is also investing in technology to strengthen its operating platform and data analytics, while UGG is using digital engagement and product storytelling to deepen consumer connections.
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).