When Erin Girard launched Cousin Home in 2020, she wanted to offer something timeless: “A warm, inclusive space where you can be delighted and find things you’ll keep for a long time.”
But running a shop is more than curation. It’s about getting products into customers’ hands, reliably and without headaches. As Cousin Home grew from a small online shop into a thriving brick-and-mortar store in Berkeley, California, fulfillment had to remain simple. That’s where Shopify came in.
Fulfillment and inventory—all in one place
Shopify’s built-in shipping and inventory tools make fulfillment almost automatic for Erin. Orders from both her physical and online stores flow into one system, so nothing gets missed and inventory always stays in sync. “It’s been such a win for us to be able to manage out of one inventory pool,” Erin says. “As soon as we streamlined it all into one, we really hit our stride.”
Efficient workflows for growing businesses
When an order comes in, the Cousin Home team sees the notification and pulls the item from the sales floor. They set it aside in the back room and label it with the customer’s name and order number. Packing happens in batches, using preset box sizes and product weights stored in Shopify.
Discounted shipping labels are purchased and printed directly in Shopify, and the team works through the unfulfilled orders list to make sure nothing gets missed.
Having shipping integrated within Shopify—tracking emails, notes on the order and customer, everything in one place—makes everything very simple and efficient to execute.
This seamless connection between inventory and fulfillment means Erin spends less time tracking down products or troubleshooting mistakes, and more time growing her business.
How to optimize your shipping
Erin’s advice for other growing merchants is grounded in practical systems and smart setup:
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Centralize all your orders and inventory: Run everything—online store, in-person sales, marketplaces—through Shopify. This keeps inventory accurate across channels and ensures every order flows into one system for fulfillment.
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Standardize your shipping supplies: “Get really clear on what the crux of your business is going to be, what you’re going to be shipping 80% to 90% of the time,” Erin says.
Choose a few box sizes and packing materials that fit most orders. Save these as package defaults in Shopify, along with product weights, so packaging and rates are suggested accurately. “Spending an hour upfront to set up product weights and box sizes will save you time and effort as you scale,” Erin adds.
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Keep the unfulfilled list central: Use Shopify’s unfulfilled orders list as your team’s daily guide, so nothing falls through the cracks. “The unfulfilled list is always top of mind,” Erin says. “Having the app on my phone is really helpful with the notification of how many things are in the unfulfilled tab.”
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Automate and integrate wherever you can: Let Shopify handle the repetitive work. Use shipping profiles to assign rates and methods by product or location. Set up your preferred carriers so Shopify can pick the best option for each order. Schedule pickups right from your dashboard. This keeps fulfillment fast and consistent, even as your order volume grows.
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Organize your packing area: Design your space for a single, efficient flow. This cuts down on errors and keeps your team moving. “The tape dispenser with the pull down, the packing peanut dispenser, a big shipping table to make it really easy to plop a box on it—that’ll just save you time,” Erin says.
For Erin, fulfillment is no longer a burden. “Shopify makes shipping take up as little brain space as possible.” she says. The result? More time for the rest of her business.
