After parting ways with Amazon last year, FedEx is now jumping deeper into ecommerce returns, much as Amazon did with Kohl’s, by adding Happy Returns bars to 2,000+ FedEx locations, including 300 inside Walmart stores. Unboxed returns will be accepted from 150 different retailers when the program launches at the end of October.
Continuing a growing trend toward making ecommerce returns more convenient and safer for shoppers in the contactless pandemic era, Staples has struck a partnership with Optoro in which the office supply giant will accept unboxed returns from other retailers that will be processed by Optoro. More retailers will come online in January.
While subscription box businesses may not experience the 20% to 30% return rates of ecommerce, they still wrestle with their share, and how they handle them can significantly impact subscriber retention. It is critical to provide efficient, hassle-free service and prompt refunds where necessary. Here are key factors to consider.
Given the increased focus on sustainability and an Instagram-fueled focus on one-of-a-kind, vintage items, the growth and revenue potential of recommerce was inevitable. To be successful with this approach, you need to ensure that the customer experience is at its best, which is challenging given the logistics. Here are some tips.
To combat the growing problem of returns, which continue to eat away at profit margins, the Retail Value Chain Federation and returns prevention software provider Newmine have created the Product Returns Council to work on solutions. Both will take part in a returns workshop at Ecommerce Operations Summit, April 14-16 in Orlando.
A day after Christmas, UPS affirmed and updated its expectation that it would process just shy of 2 million returns on Jan. 2, 2020, representing a seventh consecutive record-breaking National Returns Day. But is Dec. 26 really the day retailers and ecommerce companies need to pay attention to? You be the judge.
UPS is projecting a 26% increase on “national returns day” on Jan. 2, when 1.9 million inbound packages are expected to hit its network as Q4 ecommerce continues to balloon. Another somewhat smaller returns peak of 1.6 million packages/day will hit the week of Dec. 16; the daily average that month will be 1 million, UPS said.
What happens when your ecommerce returns are cross border? How do you manage and view all orders globally and domestically? How close are you to returns data? How nimble are you at meeting local customer expectations in terms of carriers and time to credit? Here are some things to think about as you step up your returns game.
A growing trend in reusable transport packaging has created an opportunity to add value through reverse logistics of returnable and reusable assets. Once considered a necessary cost center, this aspect of reverse logistics can actually increase efficiency while decreasing costs if handled well, a win-win for your business.
