Stord

Stord provides what it calls a cloud supply chain, combining a physical network of fulfillment and distribution centers with software that manages inventory, orders, and shipping across a brand's own warehouses and Stord's facilities alike. The idea is to give growing consumer brands the kind of fast, multi-node distribution and technology that large retailers have, without building it themselves. Its services cover direct-to-consumer and business-to-business fulfillment, freight and transportation management, parcel shipping with rate optimization, and returns, and its platform layer includes an order management system, a warehouse management system, and a post-purchase experience with branded tracking and delivery notifications. Stord positions itself as an alternative to piecing together a third-party logistics provider, a shipping app, and separate software, and increasingly frames its offering around helping independent brands compete with the delivery speed of the largest marketplaces. The company has raised substantial funding, reaching a valuation around three billion dollars, and works with a broad range of consumer brands. Stord is paid, charging for storage, fulfillment, and transportation services plus software fees, with pricing that depends on volume, the mix of services, and how much of the technology a brand uses on its own operations.