With the holiday rush history, UPS said Thursday it predicts a seventh consecutive record-breaking National Returns Day, as consumers send back holiday orders ranging from ill-fitting sweaters to duplicate kitchen gadgets.
On Jan. 2, consumers are expected to deposit 1.9 million returns packages into the UPS network–a 26 percent spike from last year’s peak returns day. The record returns illustrated how e-commerce continues transforming shopping patterns from years past, when consumers would rush to physical retailers the day after Christmas and stand in long lines to make returns.
UPS has responded to and helped rewrite that system by offering retailers and consumers an array of tools to make the returns process more flexible and transparent and less costly. Consumers often make purchases with returns in mind, and, according to the UPS Pulse of the Online Shopper study, 73 percent of online shoppers say the returns experience affects their likelihood to buy from a retailer again.
“For retailers, a seamless returns process is essential to keeping and growing business,” Kevin Warren, UPS chief marketing officer, said. “We proudly offer businesses of all sizes, from global players to small and medium-sized merchants, the sophisticated returns services that today’s consumers demand.”
U.S. consumers can take their UPS Returns packages to more than 36,000 UPS drop boxes for smaller packages with labels or hand them off to UPS delivery drivers, who can directly receive a return package with a label.
In addition, more than 4,800 UPS Store locations can help with full-service packing, shipping and returns needs, with more than 14,000 UPS Access Point locations, including Michaels, Advance Auto and CVS Pharmacy, accepting pre-labeled UPS packages.
Retailers can make the most of their returns process with UPS services such as UPS Returns Manager, a portal offering shippers control and visibility over their returns, while UPS print return labels can be included in outbound shipments to simplify the returns process or emailed to consumers directly from UPS.
Optoro and UPS work together to provide a streamlined reverse logistics solution that combines the latter’s operational and logistics expertise with the former’s returns optimization platform that can help maximize recovery value and reduces harmful environmental waste.