by Jesta I.S. | June 10, 2021
Jesta I.S.’s podcast Taking Stock: Talking All Things Retail is about retail technology in an omnichannel world. Each episode features insightful conversations between technology leaders, retail executives and industry subject matter experts.
Episode 3 of Taking Stock features Arvind Gupta, President of Jesta I.S., with Robert Kaufman, CEO of The Parker Avery Group. Jesta I.S. is a global developer and provider of enterprise software solutions for retailers, wholesalers and brand manufacturers. The Parker Avery Group is a trusted advisor to the world’s most prominent retail and consumer goods companies.
Listen to Episode 3: Why Returns Matter – Reverse Logistics, The Customer Experience, Cost Implications >>
“Retailers and brands need to be thinking about the unfortunate side of reverse logistics,” began Robert Kaufman, CEO of The Parker Avery Group. “The more you’re selling without face-to-face interaction, the more likely there’s going to be a prevalence of returns. There’s been an immediate pivot to be able to fulfill, and maybe not as much preparation and thought went into how to handle returns and how to use that as an opportunity to really delight your customer.”
“It’s not always a positive when [a customer is] returning one of the products that they bought,” he continued. “But if you can make that a very positive, long-lasting experience, the chance of them buying from you again and/or engaging in your store and even online to buy additional or different products is greatly enhanced.”
Easy returns are great for shoppers, but they are becoming a financial liability for stores.
“Depending on the value of the product some companies like Walmart and Amazon are telling their customers who want to return certain goods to just keep them, or donate them, or destroy them if for some reason they just don’t want to have them,” Robert Kaufman explained. “The cost of getting it back from home to their distribution centre is expensive.”
The podcast episode on Why Returns Matter went on to explore:
• Brands that are now partnering to enable more convenient drop-off points
• Ways brands are accelerating refunds to their most loyal customers
• Combatting return fraud and abuse
• The growing push to make returns environmentally responsible
Tune in to Why Returns Matter – Reverse Logistics, The Customer Experience, Cost Implications here.
Interested in being a guest speaker in an episode of Taking Stock: Talking All Things Retail? Email Jesta’s Marketing Department at marketing@jestais.com.