Can Automating Return Fulfillment Solve the Reverse Logistics Equation?

According to a recent Shopify report, returns account for an average of 20-30% of online orders, highlighting the upward trend of returns stemming from online sales.¹ This rapid growth in merchandise returns is leaving carriers seeking ways to alleviate the mounting pressure to scale to added first-mile activity and the rising costs associated with it. The extra activity underscores areas where carriers need to recalibrate business operations and improve out of home strategies – including reducing the number of driver stops, lowering fuel costs, and meeting sustainability objectives.

Consolidating first and last mile deliveries to centralized smart lockers can have a positive effect on the return process. Carriers need to automate fulfillment options to improve business operations, help drive down the costs of processing returns, and create a competitive advantage.

Critical to realizing the efficiency gains of smart lockers is keeping the customer top of mind in the operation. Lockers offer a self-service option for customers that will be utilized if it is convenient. This convenience can be realized by locating the locker in a frequently visited location, making it available for both pick up and returns, enabling locker access 24/7, etc. Enabling such convenience drives adoption and helps to realize consolidation of first and last mile delivery activity.

Introducing Drop Box

The latest addition to the Parcel Pending by Quadient product roster is our fully integrated Drop Box with optional printer solution. This first-of-its-kind solution was developed to suit various use cases with an option for one printer to enhance our existing ability to fulfill returned merchandise through our lockers. The printer enables consumers to print authentic shipping labels from our locker at the drop off site. This means drivers no longer have to print and stick labels. Returned packages are dropped into a collection box maximizing parcel volume while minimizing the locker footprint. Our Track and Trace technology captures every step of the return process from start to pick up and can be monitored from our cloud-based locker management system.

All of our solutions are fully integrated with Quadient’s centralized locker management system. Our cloud-based system provides monitoring in real-time, delivering the information carriers need when and where it’s needed. Carriers can gain key insights from actionable data such as: the amount of time from a return request to drop off, locker availability and usage, pick up and drop off alerts, track and trace, business intelligence reports, and more.

Parcel Pending by Quadient worked closely with carriers and our retail customers in Europe, the United States and Japan to develop our unique line of Drop Box lockers. Our Drop Box lockers can be added to our existing locker systems or custom configured for new installations to automate fulfillment of returned merchandise.

Automating return fulfillment through Quadient’s advanced parcel fulfillment solution, our Drop Box with printer, can bring the operational efficiencies by:

• Eliminating the need for drivers to print labels
• Consolidating multiple stops to a single pick-up, drop-off (PUDO) point
• Shaving valuable time off first mile logistics to get drivers back on the road.

Alleviate the time-consuming manual processes of first-mile logistics and improve your bottom line. Learn more about Parcel Pending by Quadient Drop Box lockers.

Sources:

1. Dopson, Elise. Ecommerce Returns: Expert Guide to Best Practices. www.shopify.com. August 25, 2021. https://www.shopify.com/enterprise/ecommerce-returns