Product Returns

While retailers have been grappling with reverse logistics challenges for years, the current global supply chain disruption and ensuing logistics chaos are shining a spotlight on the issue. The pandemic shifted consumer spending away from service-based expenditures (e.g., restaurants, travel) and towards the purchase of goods. As a result, the e-commerce market skyrocketed — and…

For most retailers, the beginning of the year almost always kicks off with slowed sales and a surge of product returns. When inventory is returned in mass quantities, businesses can be left with a holiday hangover — not to mention a large pile of items that usually end up being thrown out or liquidated for…

“Retailers expect more than $761 billion in merchandise sold last year to be returned by consumers.” That's a billion with a "B," and it’s according to the NRF’s Consumer Returns in the Retail Industry 2021 report. Retail returns account for nearly 6 billion pounds of landfill waste and 16 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions…

In this episode of Retail Right Now, Total Retail's Melissa Campanelli and Kristina Stidham discuss an article recently published by Total Retail, “E-Commerce Returns Are at an Inflection Point. It's Time for VIP Policies,” authored by Andria Tay, global director of marketing and communications at Narvar. The retail industry is at a crossroads with product…

The retail industry is at a crossroads with product returns, which need to be managed more thoughtfully to lighten the burden on operations and the bottom line, ease the environmental impact, and build customer loyalty. The National Retail Federation (NRF) found returns cost retailers $101 billion during the 2020 holidays. For the holiday season just behind…

Retail job openings reached a staggering 1.3 million in August — the same month employees voluntarily left their jobs at record rates (4.3 million). As the 2021 holiday season approached, retailers scrambled to fill hundreds of thousands of vacant roles by offering higher wages and signing bonuses. However, while they made it through the holiday…

A record number of cargo ships are backed up in U.S. ports. There aren’t enough dock workers or truck drivers to distribute every new shipment. The global supply chain is strapped. All of these issues combined are leading to a significant amount of out-of-stock inventory and frustrated customers. Retailers are scrambling to prepare for a…

In this episode of Total Retail Tech Insights, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews David Morin, senior director of retail and client strategy at Narvar, the post-purchase customer engagement platform. Listen in as Morin discusses his current role and career background, Narvar's business offerings and partners, and some of the trends he's seen over the last year-plus…

Product returns are a necessary evil for retailers; shoppers won’t buy without them, but shipping and return-to-stock costs have a major impact on revenue. Experts estimate the average return costs a retailer between 15 percent to 30 percent of the original purchase price, and cumulatively, returns cost retailers $550 billion every year. In our new…

In this episode of Retail Right Now, Total Retail's Marie Albiges and Kristina Stidham discuss an article recently published by Total Retail titled, “The Retail Reverse Logistics Reckoning: Brands Cast Eyes to Returns Amid the E-Commerce Swell,” authored by Jeff Cashman, chief operating officer at GreyOrange. While retailers' supply chains were primarily focused on getting goods…