Freight Reverse - November Happenings

Welcome to the 8th edition of Freight Reverse, a monthly review of RLA activities, RLA member news, and market updates.

I’m your host, Cathy Roberson, Research Manager for RLA.

The holiday season is upon us, and that means gift-giving and returns. Are you prepared? Join us tomorrow for for the webinar, How to Reduce Holiday Returns, with Chuck Johnston, goTRG, Jason MacIver, Dell, and Brad Harris, Walmart. Register here .

One of the great benefits of being an RLA member is the learning and sharing of knowledge among the community. RLA members can participate in a number of monthly committees:

• Consumer Products
• Wireless & Mobility
• Recycling & Sustainability
• Service, Parts & Warranty
• Europe
• Standards
• Women in Reverse Logistics

FYI: The Service, Parts & Warranty Committee has scheduled its year-end review and 2024 outlook webinar for Dec 13. RLA members can register here to attend.

Annual Conference

As part of our efforts as a learning organization, we host an annual conference in Las Vegas, which is coming up in February - networking, great sessions, the startup competition, and more…Come join us and find out why we’re a top 10 logistics association according to Supply Chain Digital .

Returns Index

The survey closes Dec 31, so if you haven’t weighed in yet, please do so. Results will be compiled and shared with the RLA community in January. Thanks!

Reverse Logistics in the News

• NRF podcast - How reverse logistics makes the retail cycle go around – features our Tony Sciarrotta on where returned items go and how retailers are finding new ways to resell
• Morning Brew - The ‘reverse logistics’ industry is booming – Yeah, we all know that, but it seems the world still needs to be reminded. “A “reverse logistics” industry has sprung up in recent years to take advantage of the more than $300 billion in returns Americans make every holiday season.” Not quite true. Reverse logistics has been around for a long time; just ask Tony. ??
• Amazon has integrated returns management platform ReturnGo with its Multi-Channel Fulfillment service, allowing third-party sellers to automate and streamline their reverse logistics.
• Supply & Demand Chain Executive – An interesting article by Kibo Commerce on how reverse logistics changes the e-commerce sustainable business model
• Marketplace - Will retailers risk rolling back the generous return policies shoppers love? - Free and relatively frictionless returns encourage us to spend online without restraint, yet they eat away at corporate profits. Tony Sciarrotta with the Reverse Logistics Association said retailers feel sort of stuck.
• Congratulations to circular platform Supercircle , which secured $7 million in a pre-Series A financing round. The company's textile and footwear recycling platform manages reverse logistics and waste disposal for various fashion and home textile brands.

That’s it for now. Be sure to hit subscribe to ensure you receive it in your inbox. Do you have news to share or an idea for the newsletter? Email me at [email protected] .