Why retailers are now prioritising ‘time’ over ‘cost’ for managing customer returns

Why retailers are now prioritising ‘time’ over ‘cost’ for managing customer returns

Retail Times publishes international & UK retail news covering products, data, tech, packaging, people, research, comment and more besides! By Stuart Greenfield, Sales Director at Advanced Supply Chain There’s an emerging trend of retailers making ‘speed’ the number one priority for reverse logistics. Emphasis is shifting from cost-first decision making, which has long influenced returns strategies. Rather than grappling with decisions about whe…

‘Time over cost’; the new strategy for customer returns

Cost-first decisions have long dominated reverse logistics. Retailers have grappled with whether to charge online shoppers for sending items back and have prioritised cost cutting in supply chains to mitigate the financial impact of returns on margins. Undoubtedly, cost remains an important factor in reverse logistics, but it’s starting to take second place to the timeliness and speed of returns processing. We’re finding that fast returns are be…