Retail TouchPoints

DECEMBER 25, 2024

During the pandemic, ecommerce returns majorly impacted retailers profit margins. As customers return to in-store shopping, retailers are continuing to face an increase in returns from online and in-store sales. This holiday season, consumers who frequently make returns may be in for a surprise.

Returns 157

Returns Wholesale Management Shipping 157

Retail TouchPoints

MARCH 11, 2021

The dramatic increase in ecommerce volume triggered by the pandemic increased many retailers’ topline revenues, but many are finding it difficult to contain the costs of new types of order fulfillment such as BOPIS, ship-from-store and curbside pickup, according to a report from Incisiv , commissioned by Manhattan Associates Inc.

Fulfillment 317

Fulfillment Inventory Management Returns Point of Sale 317

Inside Retail

MARCH 2, 2025

Smart warehousing and automation technologies offer a path forward, enabling local brands to streamline operations, reduce delays, and improve fulfilment speed. Ferags role in fashion retail innovation To remain competitive, Australian fashion brands need scalable fulfilment strategies that support both in-store and e-commerce operations.

Fashion 237

Fashion Fast Fashion Fulfillment Returns 237

Retail TouchPoints

FEBRUARY 6, 2025

First Step: Expanding the Online Offering Part of the reason for that low number was the fact that the companys website only featured a subset of products and minimal fulfillment capabilities. Not only are they leaders in AI technology, but they also understand retail and the importance of a seamless customer experience.

Kiosk 249

Kiosk Fulfillment Customer Experience Planning 249

Retail TouchPoints

FEBRUARY 14, 2025

Results from Retail TouchPoints annual Omnichannel & Fulfillment Survey show that most respondents conduct business through an average of three different channels and for 35% of them, marketplaces are critical to building brand awareness and driving business growth.

Fulfillment 210

Fulfillment Shipping Advertising Management 210

Retail TouchPoints

MARCH 6, 2024

Retail’s busiest returns period may be in the rearview mirror until next year, but rising ecommerce order volumes have caused returns management to become an aspect of ecommerce and omnichannel business that warrants a dedicated year-round strategy. Returns are a major cost of doing retail business of any kind, but especially online.

Customer Experience 283

Customer Experience Returns Shipping Consumer 283

Retail TouchPoints

MAY 17, 2024

As stores try to balance protecting profit margins while delivering a unified customer experience, the escalating cost of returns has reached a breaking point. returns reached a staggering $743 billion in 2023, representing over 14.5% Immersive experiences. According to the NRF, U.S.

Returns 273

Returns Fulfillment Inventory Management Apparel 273

Retail TouchPoints

FEBRUARY 1, 2021

The landscape of commerce and delivering customer experience changed dramatically over the past year, as millions of shoppers found health, safety, social distance and remote work taking center stage in their daily lives. So what are the customer experience and commerce trends that will continue, or become more fully realized, in 2021?

Customer Experience 320

Customer Experience Checkout Consumer Marketing 320

Retail TouchPoints

APRIL 29, 2022

Ecommerce returns are the new reality for retailers, but their rapid rise doesn’t have to crush conversion rates and profitability. Consider how returns are central to the customer experience and can create a competitive advantage, differentiate a brand and increase customer lifetime value.

Returns 307

Returns Merchant Services Drop-Shipping Shipping 307

Retail TouchPoints

AUGUST 16, 2021

Returns provide brands and retailers the opportunity to delight their customers. market saw over $400B in returns in 2020. If this dollar value were a proxy for revenues, the returns channel would be the second largest global retailer behind Walmart. That is a significant amount of capital tied up in the returns channel!

Returns 335

Returns Drop-Shipping Consumer Management 335

Inside Retail

JUNE 8, 2021

With stores shut, customers flooded the company’s support team with questions about product fit, delivery delays and return policies. Meanwhile, the launch of a virtual sales channel – where customers can video chat with a sales assistant before making a purchase – created new pain points, even if it did drive revenue. “We

Customer Experience 246

Customer Experience Fulfillment Returns Shipping 246

Retail TouchPoints

JANUARY 29, 2024

Store-based fulfillment of customer orders got an enormous boost during the COVID pandemic, when both curbside pickup and delivery offerings became survival tactics for so many retailers. Want to find out more about how retailers are meeting omnichannel and fulfillment challenges?

Fulfillment 284

Fulfillment Drop-Shipping Customer Retention Shipping 284

Retail TouchPoints

JUNE 14, 2024

Kohl’s has added brands including Carhartt, Hanes and Levi’s to its newly christened in-store returns service, The Return Drop @ Kohl’s. The retailer has partnered with Inmar Post-Purchase Solutions and Narvar to provide shoppers with package-free, label-free returns in its 1,100+ stores nationwide.

Returns 299

Returns Customer Experience Shopping ATS 299

Retail TouchPoints

FEBRUARY 20, 2025

At these stores, customers can book appointments with Ikea experts while they design, quote and order Ikea products, and Ikea can arrange for delivery or schedule orders for pickup. The retailer opened eight of these stores during its FY 2024, which ended Aug. Other major developments from Ikeas FY 2024, which ended Aug.

Planning 208

Planning Fulfillment Location Payment Services 208

Retail TouchPoints

SEPTEMBER 3, 2020

Returns are a cost of doing business for any retailer. In the wake of COVID-19, returns are receiving serious (and necessary) attention for several key reasons: Retailers are spending more processing returns in stores. For retailers struggling to avoid bankruptcy or emerge from it, a growing returns quagmire could be deadly.

Returns 332

Returns Merchant Services Shipping Department Stores 332

Retail TouchPoints

SEPTEMBER 27, 2023

Simon Properties is partnering with Dropit to bring omnichannel inventory management and fulfillment capabilities to its facilities. Dropit layers AI technology into existing fulfillment systems to empower merchants to use real-time data that powers dynamic decision-making to balance inventory, optimize sourcing and streamline returns.

Returns 260

Returns Merchant Services Fulfillment Inventory Management 260

Retail TouchPoints

NOVEMBER 8, 2022

In 2021, returns cost retailers a whopping $761 billion , or almost 17% of total U.S. This year the powerful combination of the special sale dates in Q4 (like Target, Amazon and Walmart holding October Black Friday events) and an increase in ecommerce holiday shopping means that this upward trend for returns will continue.

Returns 301

Returns Markdowns Inventory Management Customer Experience 301

Inside Retail

NOVEMBER 14, 2024

Research shows that a lousy customer experience will deter 76 per cent of customers from returning to shop on your platform. So, it is critical to optimise service and customer experience online. They trust your business to fulfil their purchases on time and in full – and for returns to be convenient.

Fulfillment 130

Fulfillment Returns Customer Experience Management 130

Retail TouchPoints

JULY 26, 2023

Burgeoning demands for exemplary customer service and lightning-fast order fulfillment leave unprepared retailers scrambling for their share of the market. Data-heavy, complex operations hamper efforts to deliver positive customer service interactions, address errors and fulfill orders accurately.

Fulfillment 240

Fulfillment Drop-Shipping Shipping Customer Retention 240

Retail TouchPoints

JANUARY 13, 2021

From there, the firm surveyed 530 consumers and leveraged a team of five UX designers to give each retailer a score out of 100 in seven relevant categories: overall experience, search, shop, cart, buy, fulfillment and returns. Nordstrom Puts Ecommerce First Without Jettisoning Brick-and-Mortar.

Customer Experience 309

Customer Experience Fulfillment Returns Consumer 309

Retail TouchPoints

DECEMBER 5, 2024

Associates have to be omnichannel fulfillment specialists. the fulfillment scenarios really are endless. And process returns of stuff people don’t want! They need to keep track of what’s new, what’s unique to their location and what just went on sale. And don’t forget that they need to sell stuff!

Payment Services 270

Payment Services Loss Prevention Fulfillment Shipping 270

Retail TouchPoints

JANUARY 20, 2025

From mountains of packaging to returned products that may contain hazardous materials, management of returned, damaged or expired products becomes increasingly complex and voluminous during the holidays and post-holiday season. The holiday season brings a surge in shopping, both in-store and online.

Management 307

Management Returns Department Stores Merchandise Store 307

Retail TouchPoints

MAY 2, 2023

It’s meant to be quite simple for a shopper, but as an ecommerce retailer, you know it’s not that easy — especially if the customer changes their mind and wants to return said magical shipment back to your shop. What happens next, by way of return experience, most certainly impacts whether they will purchase from your business again.

Customer Retention 273

Customer Retention Returns Merchant Services Shipping 273

Retail TouchPoints

FEBRUARY 15, 2023

Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) brands are constantly stuck between creating indelible customer experiences and turning profits on those relationships. Vital metrics like Average Order Value (AOV), Return On Ad Spend (ROAS) and Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) can be derived from shared semantic data definitions.

Customer Experience 272

Customer Experience Promotions Returns Fulfillment 272

Retail TouchPoints

MARCH 24, 2021

With returns of online purchases rising 148% in 2020 based on year-over-year comparisons, according to the National Retail Federation , retailers are seeking to improve the shopper’s experience while also streamlining the many elements involved in processing returns.

Returns 257

Returns Fulfillment Management Consumer 257

Retail TouchPoints

SEPTEMBER 14, 2023

The problems with getting products to people quickly and cheaply are well-known: consumers want fast fulfillment, which is costly to provide, but they don’t want to pay high (or really any) shipping fees. Even Amazon , the trendsetter in fast fulfillment, isn’t immune to higher labor costs.

Fulfillment 273

Fulfillment Shipping Supply Chain Management Consumer 273

Retail TouchPoints

AUGUST 10, 2020

Although public health officials say it’s unlikely COVID-19 infections can be spread by surfaces or physical objects, retailers are being cautious about how they handle returned merchandise. They are instituting disinfection processes and quarantine periods that keep those items from returning to stock for a varying number of days.

Returns 296

Returns Beauty and Health Shipping Customer Experience 296

Retail TouchPoints

JANUARY 3, 2024

Long viewed as a necessary evil, the retail returns process is emerging as an unexpected avenue for growth and customer engagement. In the rapidly expanding ecommerce market, projected to reach $3 billion in 2023, a significant 20% to 30% of online purchases end up being returned. Speed-to-restock is key in the returns cycle.

Returns 274

Returns Drop-Shipping Customer Experience Customer Retention 274

Retail TouchPoints

FEBRUARY 26, 2025

North American retail and ecommerce businesses now lose a total of $3 for every dollar of fraud they experience, and as mentioned earlier, most customers wont return to a site after a fraud experience. Fraudulent returns also are an issue, costing U.S. retailers up to $35 billion in 2023.

Payment Services 232

Payment Services Returns Accounting Shipping 232

Retail TouchPoints

NOVEMBER 18, 2020

Mall operator Simon is launching a program that will allow consumers to quickly drop off returns from approximately two dozen brands at participating locations. Consumers who are in close proximity to a participating Simon property will see the return option in the online returns portal powered by Narvar for its participating retailers.

Returns 261

Returns Location Consumer Customer Experience 261

Retail TouchPoints

MARCH 14, 2023

Returns are, like it or not, as much a part of retail operations as the sales themselves. The exact return rate varies among different verticals and individual retailers, but online sales consistently generate higher levels of returns compared to brick-and-mortar. That means you’re out of business.

Returns 260

Returns Markdowns Fulfillment Consumer 260

Retail TouchPoints

NOVEMBER 18, 2020

However, this creates a new challenge in maintaining an optimal customer experience, particularly in touch-sensitive retailing segments like grocery. One way Kroger has simultaneously improved the customer experience and safety is through an emphasis on friction-reducing technologies.

Customer Experience 270

Customer Experience Kiosk Clienteling Fulfillment 270

Retail TouchPoints

DECEMBER 16, 2022

The National Retail Federation (NRF) and Appriss Retail projected that the 2022 returns rate will remain at 16.5%, nearly even with the 16.6% Additionally, the online return rate fell from 20.8% Every $1 billion in sales incurs $165 million in merchandise returns for the average retailer, according to the report. NRF expects $3.66

Returns 284

Returns Home Furnishings Department Stores Customer Experience 284

Retail TouchPoints

NOVEMBER 21, 2023

GoodwillFinds — the online ecommerce platform of the 120 -year-old nonprofit Goodwill — has teamed up with return assurance platform Seel to better “compete with other digital resale websites” by offering returns. The return assurance allows them to make a seamless, hassle-free return within seven days.

Returns 261

Returns Shipping Customer Experience Shopping 261

Retail TouchPoints

NOVEMBER 13, 2024

Customers that create larger “hauls” get additional discounts: 5% off orders of $50 or more and 10% off orders of $75 and up.

Drop-Shipping 279

Drop-Shipping Checkout Shipping Returns 279

Retail TouchPoints

APRIL 3, 2024

For anyone who has made a purchase online, returns are part of the standard online buying process — so much so that, according to a recent U.S. Consumer Study , 85% of consumers check a company’s returns policy before even making a purchase when shopping online, and 68% of U.S. consumers and retain repeat customers.

Returns 246

Returns Drop-Shipping Shipping Consumer 246

Retail TouchPoints

FEBRUARY 25, 2025

Clean, validated address data is an essential business asset that drives a smoother customer experience, reduces operational costs and minimizes errors. With high-quality address data, retailers avoid the financial burden of undeliverable mail, unnecessary returns and address correction fees.

Merchant Services 175

Merchant Services Payment Services Supply Chain Management Shipping 175