The Dispatch: May 2024
Doddle - Part of Blue Yonder
Technology powering collections, delivery and returns.
Should retailers charge return fees or make returns free? We explore how this debate hides the bigger problem in returns, as well as how to create happier customers through speedy refunds. Elsewhere, Royal Mail agrees to a ￡5bn takeover while being investigated by Ofcom, PostNord tests a new hybrid parcel & letterbox and Amazon trials picking up returns from doorsteps.
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Catch our returns experts on booth #6084 at Multimodal
Multimodal UK returns to NEC Birmingham from June 11-13. We’ll have one of our reverse logistics specialists at our booth to explore how you can win more business by solving retailers’ returns challenges through the entire returns journey, from initiation to processing. Just visit us on Booth #6084 to find out more.
Nearly half of retailers in the UK are now charging for returns, a figure that rises to a staggering 79% within the fashion industry. However, the debate between return fees and free returns misses the bigger picture. Neither of these strategies addresses the root causes of return headaches: slow processing, high restocking costs, and frustrated customers. The answer to this issue is a smart return solution that offers both.
Slow refunds are the final nail in the coffin of a bad returns experience. However, by providing speedy refunds through an effective returns management solution, retailers can transform returns into a weapon to recapture revenue, boost customer loyalty and increase customer lifetime value. Get started by exploring the different ways of speeding up refunds in this blog.
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Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky has offered ￡5 billion to take over Royal Mail, including its assumed debts. This offer comes as its universal service obligation is still under review – with?Ofcom opening an investigation?on the company's failure to meet delivery targets for 2023/24. In other news,?Royal Mail has also expanded its drop-off network?by adding 700+ Collect+ stores – with plans to roll out to 5,000 Collect+ stores by summer.
40% of e-commerce emissions are associated with last-mile deliveries, so improvements in this area could be hugely influential to the sustainability of the industry as a whole. Last Mile Experts' new report shows that the industry is beginning to make headway, for example with EVs and biogas vehicles now making up more an a quarter of the postal fleets for 22 operators, but much more can still be done.
PostNord Sweden is testing a new mailbox design that merges a letter slot with parcel compartments. As global letter volumes fall, this could be an innovative way to replace traditional mailboxes and provide more drop-off points for return parcel volume.?
In Florida and Texas, Amazon plans to have drivers pick up return parcels from customers' houses and bring them to its facilities for processing. If successful, this could reduce Amazon's dependency on carriers like UPS. However, if this process slows down delivery speed, it’s hard to see this initiative becoming widespread, particularly over the dedicated drop-off networks the company has recently expanded.
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