Product Returns

With countrywide COVID-19 guidelines in place, online retail has grown faster than expected. Data from North American retailers shows that online purchasing was up an average of 56 percent over the same period in 2019. Some have even seen a 300 percent increase during the pandemic. The sharp rise in online shopping is bound to lead…

Few retailers would argue with the notion that for years customers have held retailers to high (and increasing) expectations. Now it appears from a recent survey that a small, but significant, percentage of consumers are willing to take retail justice into their own hands when things don’t go their way. A worrisome percentage of consumers…

Consumers have come to expect flexible returns policies. In recent research, Forter found that a whopping 97 percent of consumers say that returns policies impact their likelihood to actually purchase with a retailer. This is especially true for consumers shopping for apparel and accessories; these shoppers frequently use in-store and online returns, and deem these…

With stores closed and social distancing in effect, consumers rely on online shopping now more than ever, causing e-commerce to explode by 40 percent in March. While retailers have focused on deep discounts, curbside pickup and optimized delivery, they should also hone in on a critical and lesser-known factor of customer loyalty: the returns experience.…

For many retailers, returns are an enormous operational, logistical and financial burden throughout the year — especially as carrier fees continue to increase. With the right technology and some careful planning, product returns can actually be re-imagined and turned into a revenue or efficiency opportunity. Here are four ways retailers can transform returns: Charge for…

Think about the last purchase you made online that you returned. Maybe the color wasn’t right. Perhaps you bought the wrong size. Or maybe that return is still somewhere in the abyss of your closet, holding your precious cash hostage and taking up space. Whatever the reason for your return, you likely found it disappointing…

Returns are a fact of life in retail. The downside of online retail for customers is that they don't get to see and feel the product before purchase. That’s why e-commerce has three times more returns compared to brick-and-mortar retail. In the age of free shipping, returns hit merchants harder. In part eight of this 10-part series,…

Everyone loves to say that “data is king,” pointing to Amazon.com and its “data-driven decision making.” In most cases, these well-intended but divisive statements create insecurities in most organizations. And if they’re actioned too hastily, they will slow down decision making while company leaders wait for data to give them a perfect answer. To its credit, Amazon…

In episode 237 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Steven Borelli, founder and CEO, and Carter Shae, director of finance, both of Cuts Clothing, an online men's apparel brand that's the first to accessorize the basic tee. Listen in as Borelli and Shae share why Cuts Clothing was founded, the brand's history, and how…

Walmart announced today that it's rolling out a new service called Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS) that offers selected marketplace sellers access to its supply chain capabilities, including storing, picking, packing and shipping items, as well as the handling of returns and customer service. The retail giant said in a statement emailed to Total Retail that WFS…