Reverse Logistics

Being busy with outbound fulfillment is great. But it can come with a troublesome side effect: a surge in returns. Examine reverse chain best practices, including types of racks and aisle configurations in return areas, steps such as unloading, staging, and triage, and what types of material handling vehicles support efficiency.

Whether manual, automated or somewhere in between, reverse logistics operations deliver maximum return only with an organized and efficient process. Don’t wait any longer to make your move.

While the 2023 holiday season is now officially in the rearview mirror, it is full speed ahead for the subsequent reverse logistics season.

UPS said it has entered into an agreement to acquire Los Angeles-based Happy Returns, a software and reverse logistics services provider, from PayPal.

The ongoing push towards online shopping, which was accelerated through the pandemic, was evident in the report’s findings, with 60% of U.S. consumers, and 57% globally, indicating they plan to do most of their 2023 holiday shopping online, coupled with increasingly adopting omnichannel behaviors.

Earlier this week, the Washington, D.C.-based National Retail Federation (NRF) said it has acquired the Reverse Logistics Association (RLA), a global trade association for the returns and reverse industry. A purchase price was not disclosed.

Two of the trends making an impact on reverse logistics besides the increase of e-commerce and the increased focus on customer centricity—are the circular economy and robotics. Here are some suggestions for transforming your reverse process to meet today’s pressing demands.

Retailers that don’t consider product returns their biggest source of supply may want to rethink their reverse logistics approaches for 2023.

Returns are a proverbial mess for all but the most accomplished retailers. Going forward, part of a company’s reputation and success will be a reflection of the sophistication and responsiveness of their reverse logistics strategy and processes.

An Illinois-based non-profit helps firms reduce their excess inventory while advancing their ESG initiatives by contributing to the next generation of students.

Reverse logistics can no longer be considered a standalone capability. It should be seamlessly incorporated into the end-to-end supply chain as a standard process—contributing to the delivery of a superior customer experience while being mindful of cost and sustainability impacts.

This decision comes at a time when DHL Supply Chain continues to see impressive growth, for its e-commerce business, which saw a 15% annual growth rate over the 2021 Peak Season, coupled with total national retail returns climbing 78%, to more than $761 billion, according to data issued by the National Retail Federation. And the company said that this level of growth was commensurate with what it called substantial returns volume growth, from 2020 to 2021.

GXO Logistics Inc. reported fourth quarter revenue came in at $2.3 billion, marking a 28% annual increase, when it was still part of XPO Logistics, for a new company high. Net income came in at $56 million and was up 10.8% annually, and operating income, at $63 million, was up 20.6%. Adjusted EBITDA also saw a new high, at $167 million, rising 12.6% annually. For calendar year 2021, revenue, at $7.9 billion, rose 21.5%, with operating income at $151 million.

Download this white paper discussing the top return-related challenges companies are managing right now and explains how they can use technology to manage the product returns process more profitably in the e-commerce age.

A UPS spokesman noted that the peak holiday shipping season remains intact, based on the significant—and record-breaking—number of holiday returns it is handling. As an example, for the holiday shipping season (including returns), which it defines as running from November 14-January 22, UPS said it will handle more than 60 million return packages, which represents a new record, equating to an expected increase of more than 10% over the previous record, for the company’s holiday returns, set in 2020, at around 55...