NATIONAL RETURNS DAY: ONLINE HOLIDAY SHOPPING DRIVES RECORD RETURNS
December 27 2016 - 9:35AM
- UPS to deliver 1.3 million returns packages to retailers in a
single day
- More than 5.8 million returns packages shipped by UPS in one
week
- Retailers responding to consumer demand with improved customer
experience
- Reverse logistics increasingly important to recovering $260
Billion in lost sales
ATLANTA, December 27, 2016 – This year’s record
ecommerce sales are driving another record that will help usher in
the New Year. National Returns Day, when the most UPS returns
packages are sent back to retailers, will reach a new peak on
Thursday, January 5, according to UPS (NYSE:UPS).
Holiday shoppers are projected to return 1.3 million packages
with UPS on National Returns Day and more than 5.8 million packages
during the first full week of January 2017. In 2016, shoppers
returned more than 1 million packages on National Returns Day and 5
million packages during the peak returns week.
“Online shoppers want the same level of choice, control and
convenience making their returns as they do making their
purchases,” said Teresa Finley, chief marketing officer for UPS.
“UPS helps retailers provide shoppers with a satisfying returns
experience while managing rising returns volume and the
complexities of providing a seamless omnichannel shopping
experience.”
According to the UPS Pulse of the Online Shopper™ study, online
shoppers are seeing the improvements that retailers have made to
returns programs over the last five years. Between 2012 and 2016,
consumers consistently reported fewer issues paying for returns
shipping (decreasing from 66% to 50%), paying restocking fees
(decreasing from 43% to 27%), and experiencing a delay in receiving
credits or refunds (decreasing from 41% to 27%).
“While returns can’t be eliminated, an easy to use returns
experience should be one of several retail strategies to enhance
customer loyalty and manage the cost of returns processing,”[1]
continued Finley. According to the UPS study, 70 percent of online
shoppers made an additional purchase when they returned an item to
a store and 45 percent made an additional purchase when processing
their return on the retailer’s website.
The returns process begins with including the necessary
returns paperwork or instructions for the customer to effortlessly
complete the transaction. Online shoppers report the best returns
experience includes free returns shipping (60%), a hassle-free
returns policy (51%), easy-to-print return labels (44%), timely
refunds (42%), and a return label in the box (40%).
“Retailers are continuously improving their returns programs,”
continued Finley. “The next great opportunity is to unlock the
value of these returned products through a sophisticated reverse
logistics program.” According to the National Retail Federation,
merchandise returns cost U.S. retailers more than $260 Billion in
lost sales.[2]
UPS recently formed a strategic alliance with Optoro, a
technology company that helps retailers and manufacturers manage,
process and sell returned and excess inventory. Together, the
companies provide a one-stop shop reverse logistics solution that
combines UPS’s operational and logistics expertise with Optoro’s
software platform that maximizes recovery value and reduces
environmental waste.
UPS’s portfolio of technology-driven returns services that helps
retailers deliver the experience shoppers desire includes:
- UPS Access Point™ locations offer secure,
convenient delivery and returns through more than 26,000 local
retailers, secure lockers, and The UPS Store® locations in North
America and Europe;
- UPS Print Return Labels can be included in
outbound shipments to simplify the returns process;
- UPS Electronic Return Labels can be emailed to
consumers directly from UPS to improve their returns
experience;
- UPS Returns Plus allows the merchant to send a
driver to deliver a return label and pick up the return package
from any address; and
- UPS Returns® Exchange is when a driver
simultaneously picks up the return item in exchange for the
replacement item delivery.
About UPS
UPS (NYSE: UPS) is a global leader in logistics, offering a
broad range of solutions including transporting packages and
freight; facilitating international trade, and deploying advanced
technology to more efficiently manage the world of business.
Headquartered in Atlanta, UPS serves more than 220 countries and
territories worldwide. The company can be found on the web
at ups.com® and its corporate blog can be found
at longitudes.ups.com. To get UPS news direct,
visit pressroom.ups.com/RSS or follow
@UPS_News.
[1] Percentage of online shoppers who have abandoned an online
shopping cart increased from 81% in 2012 to 92% in 2016, UPS Pulse
of the Online Shopper study, 2016
[2] National Retail Federation Annual Return Survey, 2015
Matt O’Connor
404-828-8113
matthewoconnor@ups.com
Jennifer Barbas
404-877-5528
jennifer.barabas@mslgroup.com
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