Returning Merchandise is a Walk in the Park

by RLM Staff Contributor

Reverse Logistics Magazine, March/April 2007

If your idea of a leisure activity is more likely to be a walk in the park than a jaunt across town to make a product return, then you’ll be happy to know that some of your favorite retailers are listening to you. Today’s savvy shoppers have better-than ever online access to their favorite products, including designer clothing in a wider array of styles and sizes than can be typically found in stores.

Top clothing designers know that attracting and retaining customers means providing more than just the shirt on their backs. Designers like Eddie Bauer are offering clothing lines that deliver the cachet and visual recognition of a must-have brand while meeting the lifestyle needs and preferences of the wearer.

Eddie Bauer knows that their customers value their recreation and leisure time, and don’t want to spend it searching for a size or hassling with a merchandise return. Customers have access to their favorite clothing line through the company catalog and online at EddieBauer.com. The challenge for Bauer was to find a product return solution that was convenient and that would provide excellent service and product visibility to enhance the shopping experience.

Bauer decided to partner with another company that is rising to the challenge of providing quick, easy and convenient customer solutions—the United States Postal Service. The Postal Service partnered with Eddie Bauer and third-party returns management provider Newgistics to pilot “Parcel Return Services,” a convenient method for returning merchandise that also provides workshare discounts and product tracking.

“We wanted a returns process that was self-sufficient and customer friendly,” said Bill Terry, Eddie Bauer’s Director of Transportation. “We also wanted convenience, consistency and competitive pricing. We found that with Parcel Return Services.”

Parcel Return Services are designed for high-volume shippers like Eddie Bauer. With Parcel Return Services, merchants include a pre-paid return label with the customer’s purchase or provide it by mail, fax or through their company website. If a customer chooses to make a return, they simply place the Parcel Return Services label on their package—the merchant only pays for the labels that are used. What makes the service unique is the convenience. The customer can hand the return to their letter carrier, drop it in a neighborhood collection box or take it to one of the Postal Service’s 38,000 Post Offices, Stations and Branches. “We found that making the returns process easier didn’t increase the rate of returns,” said Terry. “What did increase was customer loyalty and satisfaction with the online shopping experience.”

“We welcomed the opportunity to partner with the Postal Service and Eddie Bauer to provide their customers a streamlined and reliable first-rate returns experience,” said Ken Johnson, Newgistics’ Vice President of Corporate Development. Eddie Bauer’s implementation of parcel returns services launched in 2003.

A recent survey conducted by Harris Interactive® shows that most retail shoppers agree with Terry. Of consumers surveyed 96% of respondents said the ability to return the merchandise from home is very important, important or somewhat important to their purchasing decision. Additionally, the survey results confirm that given the option to return purchases directly from home with a pre-paid label, adults are nearly five times as likely to shop with the retailer again.

Because packages returned using Parcel Return Services can be tracked on the Eddie Bauer web site, customers feel more secure about the returns experience and have less need to contact the Eddie Bauer Call Center. “The tracking capability also helped us streamline our operations,” says Terry. “We can forecast the number of returns we will be receiving at our warehouse each day so that we can manage our staffing accordingly. This helps us keep our costs down.”

Terry encloses a Parcel Return Services label in every Eddie Bauer shipment and encourages customers to use the label provided so that their refund can be processed more quickly.

For the Eddie Bauer customer, making a product return is as easy as a walk in the park!

About Eddie Bauer: Established in 1920 in Seattle, Eddie Bauer is a specialty retailer that sells casual sportswear and accessories for the modern outdoor lifestyle. Eddie Bauer believes the Eddie Bauer brand is a nationally recognized brand that stands for high quality, innovation, style and customer service.