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.
The returns process shouldn’t be complicated. However, with return rates growing rapidly alongside ecommerce itself, it’s becoming harder for retailers to provide a great experience while also minding the ballooning cost.
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.
Shoppers love nothing more than convenience – well ok, maybe price trumps it – but convenience definitely sells. And when retailers offer a seamless ecommerce returns process, it plays a pivotal role in consumer’s purchasing decisions, according to an annual report from UPS.
Shoppers love try before you buy (TBYB), a growing strategy that lets them order multiple items and send most of it back. It can boost ecommerce sales but also balloon return rates. So how do you take advantage of the TBYB opportunity while escaping the potential pitfalls that can kill your margins? An expert panel explains how.
As online sales grow at double-digit rates, ecommerce returns are growing even faster, typically three to four times greater than for stores, and carry a high level of value. The opportunity is to get online returns from the store back to fulfillment centers quickly in order to maximize their value. Here’s how to make it happen.
Expanding on the success of its return bars in shopping malls, Happy Returns has created in-store kiosks where retailers can let customers do self-service returns, with a number of major chains kicking the tires as a possible launch partner. See how the solution works to solve the issues related to in-store ecommerce returns.