Innovative solutions to solve your holiday returns

The parties are over, the presents unwrapped, the resolutions made. While January marks a time of renewal and reset, for the retail industry it’s an extension of the busy holiday shipping season, with millions (yes millions!) of gifts now needing to find their way back to retailers for an exchange or refund.

While this is a time-consuming effort for consumers, it can quickly become an overwhelming amount of work for retailers too. Yet the more seamless the return experience, the better the customer's experience – so it’s imperative to be able to expedite refunds and ensure visibility throughout the process. On the retail side, efficient returns can also help mitigate fraud (which, according to the Retail Council of Canada increased 22 per cent from 2020 to 2022) and improve inventory management with proper visibility around inbound merchandise.

Introducing: Open Verify

At Purolator, we’re always looking for ways to make the returns process as seamless as possible? – and our latest reverse logistics innovation to add to our portfolio of returns management solutions is a game-changer: Open Verify.

Launching in February, Open Verify is a new solution designed to make returns easy for consumers while helping retailers ensure what’s being returned is the item it’s intended to be.

Consumers first receive a return email confirmation with a barcode, which they can bring along with their item to an access point. An agent scans the code, verifies it is the correct item, and a refund is then automatically triggered. The agent then packages the item for return shipping.

It’s a win/win solution: businesses are protected from missing merchandise and loss claims due to waybill tampering, and consumers receive money back in their wallets sooner. In addition, retailers are better able to manage their inventory by having a clear view of the accurate returns en route.

Once live, Open Verify will be available at select Purolator Retail locations with plans to expand to additional locations in the future. ?

Consumers can also already visit more than 3,000 access points across Canada that offer innovative self-serve options, 24/7 access and an extensive retail network for streamlined retail returns.??

What to look for in a return solutions partner

Overall, businesses need to trust their shipping partner when managing the sometimes patchwork nature of returns. This is doubly true during peak times like the holiday season. Choose a shipping partner that will help you:??

See the big picture: Interactive dashboards can help track reasons for returns as well as trends, offering you a holistic view of your returns.

Promote operational efficiency: Automated approvals and label creation avoid manual tasks that cost time and money.

Practice sustainability: Eliminating manual waybills and pre-printed return labels saves plenty of hassle – and waste!

Offer an integrated brand experience: Landing pages and portals that are customized to your brand are a must.

Provide options for remote and field agents: Mobile-friendly and self-serve platforms make it easy for field reps to ship items back to home base or forward to the next job.

Offer customers instant refunds: Instant customer credit can go a long way to ensuring customer satisfaction.

-By Laurie Weston, General Manager B2C and E Commerce, Purolator