Power Up Sports and Fitness Fulfillment With the 3PL Technology and Expertise Your Brand Deserves
Cut shipping costs and stay in stock during every surge with a fulfillment partner engineered for active brands.
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What sports and fitness brands need from a fulfillment partner
From kettlebells to protein powders, sports and fitness brands move fast — and their fulfillment partner needs to keep up. Here’s what to look for in a 3PL that delivers efficient logistics, real-time visibility, and reliable fulfillment through every demand surge.
Optimal shipping costs for bulky gear
Shipping larger items like kettlebells or foam rollers from a single location increases shipping costs and transit times. Partner with a fulfillment provider that distributes inventory across different countries and regions to help reduce your average shipping zone and lower shipping costs.
Real-time inventory visibility during demand spikes
Seasonal surges can deplete stock quickly. Choose a tech-forward 3PL that offers real-time inventory counts and automated reorder notifications, so you can keep shelves stocked and customers happy.
Streamline omnichannel orders with unified systems
Selling DTC, on marketplaces like Amazon, and into retailer channels can create inventory blind spots and accidental overselling. Look for a fulfillment partner that manages every order source through one full-stack fulfillment platform and supports EDI for retail dropshipping and distribution.
Fast product launches for new collections
Launches can stall when new SKUs aren’t live in the system or ready to ship. Work with a provider that enables fast SKU activation and moves product into active inventory without disrupting outbound shipping.
Timely replenishment for subscription products
Subscribers expect their protein powders or energy gels to arrive on time. Rely on a 3PL that connects to leading subscription apps and automatically ships each order at the cadence your customers expect.
Simplified bulk and B2B orders for gyms and retailers
Purchase orders requiring palletized shipments and retailer-specific packing can overwhelm workflows designed for DTC orders. Choose a fulfillment partner with support for retailer-specific packing rules, and automated, EDI-compatible processes for retail dropshipping and distribution.
ShipBob’s fulfillment solutions that sports and fitness brands care about
ShipBob helps active lifestyle brands streamline fulfillment from end to end. With distributed inventory, unified order management, and rapid SKU activation, you can scale confidently across DTC, retail, and subscription channels — without missing a rep.
Reduce shipping costs
ShipBob helps brands save on shipping by distributing inventory across dozens of fulfillment centers in the US and internationally. By storing products closer to your customers, orders travel shorter distances, which helps reduce your average shipping zone and costs.
Our zone-based pricing and Inventory Placement Program make it easy to optimize your logistics for both speed and affordability. With ShipBob, you can scale efficiently and deliver a better experience to your customers, no matter where they are.
Real-time inventory insights
Stay ahead of demand surges with ShipBob’s advanced inventory management platform. Instantly view stock levels across all fulfillment centers, track inventory velocity, and receive automated reorder notifications and replenishment recommendations.
Our technology empowers you to make proactive decisions, ensuring your products are always available when and where customers need them most.
Unified omnichannel platform
ShipBob brings all your ecommerce, marketplace, and retail orders together in one powerful full-stack fulfillment platform, eliminating the need to juggle multiple disconnected fulfillment systems. With dozens of direct integrations plus robust EDI support for retail dropshipping and distribution for major retailers (such as Dick’s Sporting Goods, REI, and Bass Pro Shop), you can seamlessly manage every order source and different inventory streams from a single dashboard.
This unified approach streamlines workflows, provides real-time visibility across channels, and empowers your team to scale efficiently as you grow.
Rapid SKU activation
With ShipBob, you can quickly create new SKUs (variants) and seamlessly move products into active inventory across our global fulfillment network. Our streamlined receiving process ensures that inventory is received, counted, and stowed efficiently, so your latest collections are ready to sell without delay.
By leveraging our intuitive dashboard and robust technology, you can launch new products faster and keep your fulfillment operations running smoothly, even during high-volume rollouts.
Automated subscription fulfillment
ShipBob seamlessly integrates with leading subscription platforms like Recharge and Ordergroove, enabling your recurring orders to be picked, packed, and shipped on time, every time. Our advanced fulfillment network and automation ensure each shipment is processed at the cadence your customers expect, so they never miss a delivery.
With real-time inventory tracking and proactive replenishment recommendations, you can deliver a reliable experience that keeps subscribers coming back. That way, you can focus on growing your brand while ShipBob handles the logistics behind every recurring order.
Types of sports and fitness products that companies fulfill with ShipBob
- Training equipment
- Resistance tools (bands, tubes, hand grips)
- Yoga and pilates accessories (mats, blocks, straps, rings)
- Cardio equipment (jump ropes, smart ropes, agility cones)
- Recovery aids (foam rollers, massage balls, kinesiology tape)
- Weights and resistance (ankle/wrist weights, exercise sliders)
- Wearable tech and accessories
- Fitness trackers and monitors (heart rate, sports watches)
- Training accessories (masks, mouthguards, face masks)
- Performance gear (compression sleeves, athletic tape)
- Apparel and accessories
- Workout clothing (shorts, leggings, tops, sports bras)
- Accessories (athletic socks, headbands, sweatbands, gloves)
- Headwear (sports hats, caps, sunglasses)
- Bags and carriers (duffel bags, running belts, hydration packs)
- Nutrition and hydration
- Supplements (pre-workout, recovery drinks, energy gels/chews)
- Nutrition (sports bars, protein products)
- Hydration (water bottles, protein shakers)
- Accessories (gym towels, hydration packs)
Success story: Spikeball cuts global shipping costs and sped delivery
Spikeball revived roundnet into a worldwide game and needed a hybrid fulfillment model to scale. They utilized ShipBob’s WMS in their owned U.S. facility while outsourcing fulfillment to ShipBob’s international fulfillment centers in Canada and Europe, which streamlined operations and brought inventory closer to fans.
The result was over $400,000 in annual shipping savings and faster delivery to key markets, all while keeping one proprietary tech stack and partner.
Success story: Pit Viper achieves higher accuracy and happier customers
Pit Viper scaled from a cult favorite to a global sunglasses brand and adopted ShipBob’s WMS for its Utah warehouse, plus outsourced ShipBob fulfillment in Canada and Australia. With multiple validation checks built into the system (using ShipBob’s WMS), order accuracy climbed to 99.7% – eliminating 2,100+ mispicks annually – which reduced re-shipments and costs.
Expanding inventory into Canada and Australia also improved customer satisfaction by getting orders to buyers in days instead of weeks.
Success story: The Protein Pancake gets faster local deliveries and curated unboxings at scale
The Protein Pancake, an Australian high-protein pancake mix brand, uses ShipBob to fulfill locally from Melbourne and from the UK, which speeds delivery to its biggest markets and reduces costs through local shipping.
By leveraging ShipBob’s Customization Suite and rules, the team automates personalized inserts and gift notes (e.g., first/second/fifth orders) to keep the brand’s authentic feel without slowing fulfillment operations. Plus, with ShipBob’s analytics for forecasting and lot tracking, the three-person team has been able to scale more efficiently, doubling order volume year over year while maintaining quality.
ShipBob services all customers benefit from
- Connectivity & integrations: ShipBob’s 50+ turnkey integrations with all major ecommerce channels and tools – including Shopify, Gorgias, Klaviyo, NetSuite, Loop, AfterShip, and more – enable you to grow your business smarter, faster, and stronger than ever before. In addition to the ShipBob App Store that lets you instantly connect your tech stack, you can also leverage ShipBob’s Develop API for custom builds.
- Transparent, cost-effective pricing: Unlike many 3PLs, ShipBob has easy-to-predict billing that makes it easy to plan for spend, without too many line items. ShipBob also negotiates rates with carriers and passes those savings on to you.
- Real-time visibility: Track shipments, orders, and inventory across locations from one dashboard. Manage one pool of inventory across sales channels and push stock levels back to your store so you don’t oversell.
- Full-stack fulfillment platform: With ShipBob, you get an all-in-one OMS, IMS, WMS, RMS, TMS, and analytics for a consolidated tech stack. ShipBob’s platform acts as a mini-ERP, being a single source of truth for your orders and inventory.
- Easy, comprehensive onboarding: We’ve onboarded thousands of ecommerce merchants and helped some of the fastest-growing brands scale effortlessly. Our implementation team sets you up for success with everything from configuring your ship options, to syncing your online store.
- Support for growth: ShipBob aims to be the last fulfillment partner you’ll need. Whether you’re shipping 1,000 orders per month or 200,000, we have you covered. With a large fulfillment network to scale into, new channels to expand into, and additional capabilities to tap into, you won’t outgrow ShipBob.
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How it works
How ShipBob goes from your online store to your customer’s door
1. Connect
Connect your store, import your products, then send us your inventory.
2. Store
We store your inventory in any combination of our fulfillment centers.
3. Ship
As soon as a customer places an order, we ship it from the nearest fulfillment center.
FAQs about sports and fitness fulfillment
Can ShipBob manage inventory spikes during peak fitness seasons or product launches?
Yes, ShipBob’s real-time full-stack fulfillment platform provides instant visibility and automated reorder notifications and replenishment recommendations, helping you stay ahead of demand surges. Our scalable network and rapid SKU creation (product variants) ensure your products are ready to ship, even during high-volume periods.
Does ShipBob support omnichannel fulfillment for sports and fitness brands?
Absolutely. ShipBob integrates with dozens of ecommerce, marketplace, and retail platforms, allowing you to manage DTC, Amazon, and retail dropshipping and distribution orders (B2B) from a single dashboard, leveraging a shared pool of inventory for all channels. This unified approach streamlines workflows and provides real-time visibility across all channels.
How does ShipBob help reduce shipping costs for sports and fitness products?
By distributing your inventory across dozens of fulfillment centers, and using the Inventory Placement Program in the U.S., ShipBob helps you reduce your average shipping zone and lower carrier fees, especially for bulky or heavy items. Our zone-based pricing helps you optimize logistics for both speed and affordability.
Can ShipBob handle subscription orders for supplements or consumables?
Yes, ShipBob integrates with leading subscription platforms like Recharge and Ordergroove to automate recurring order fulfillment and ensure timely, accurate shipments.
For consumables, ShipBob utilizes lot tracking and FEFO (First Expired, First Out) logic to manage expiration dates, ensuring compliance and reducing waste.
How does ShipBob support branded packaging and custom unboxing experiences?
ShipBob enables you to store branded packaging and marketing inserts as SKUs to be used in the packing process , as well as personalized gift notes printed on demand for brands seeking a unique unboxing experience.
Can ShipBob fulfill both DTC and B2B orders, such as shipments to gyms or retailers?
Yes, ShipBob supports both DTC and B2B fulfillment, including bulk orders, palletized freight shipments, and adherence to retailer-specific packing requirements. Our omnichannel solution leverages a shared pool of inventory for all channels, and our EDI-compliant processes and freight services let you ship B2B orders to major retailers and other wholesale partners.
Does ShipBob offer international fulfillment for sports and fitness brands?
ShipBob’s global network includes dozens of fulfillment centers across the U.S., the UK, Canada, Europe, and Australia, enabling fast and cost-effective international shipping. We can also ship to over 250 international destinations and support Delivered Duties Paid (DDP) shipping, so you can reach customers worldwide.
Are there examples of sports and fitness brands succeeding with ShipBob?
Yes, brands in the sports and fitness space such as Spikeball and Pit Viper have scaled their operations and improved fulfillment efficiency with ShipBob. These brands benefit from our technology, distributed network, and expertise in handling sports and fitness products.
Shipping costs are variable in nature, based on weight, dimensions, destination, service, and more. Request your custom quote here: https://www.shipbob.com/quote/.
INTEGRATE ALL OF YOUR TOOLS
Connect to 50+ few-click integrations from our App Store, or build directly with our developer-friendly API
Ship from 60+ global locations
We use our network of fulfillment centers to help you strategically split and manage your inventory to reduce shipping costs and transit times.
FEATURED REPORT
What are sports and fitness brands’ top priorities for shipping and fulfillment this year? Find out
There’s no question that the last several years have thrown a multitude of challenges at ecommerce brands. Despite this, brands are navigating the ever-changing landscape with plans to expand this year.
