Reducing the cost of supermarket returns
Reducing the cost of supermarket returns
One of the consequences of customer product returns is that they can increase retail costs and with supermarkets increasing their online and in-store non-food market share, returns are becoming one of the most topical issues in the industry. This paper is relevant to the field of reverse logistics which is becoming a crucial channel within the retail supply chain, involving the integration of information, transportation, warehousing and product handling.
With liberal ‘no quibble returns guarantees’, the scale of the problem is set to rise. Typically in Europe the consumer can return any defective product through a store or direct by post (for those purchased online) to the retailer within 14 days and request a replacement or a credit. The product doesn't have to be defective and so the major consumer areas generating returns is non-food products, particularly electrical products sold in-store and online. The costs of retail returns are becoming more and more important both in terms of the profitability for retailers and the need to manage down the transportation, warehousing and handling costs associated with these large scale returns operations. A fundamental issue therefore is to understand how better to manage returns processes.
Holdaway, David
8904612f-37a8-444e-88a5-bd569a0f65bf
Cherrett, Tom
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Waterson, Ben
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September 2011
Holdaway, David
8904612f-37a8-444e-88a5-bd569a0f65bf
Cherrett, Tom
e5929951-e97c-4720-96a8-3e586f2d5f95
Waterson, Ben
60a59616-54f7-4c31-920d-975583953286
Holdaway, David, Cherrett, Tom and Waterson, Ben
(2011)
Reducing the cost of supermarket returns.
16th Annual Logistics Research Network Conference, , Southampton, United Kingdom.
07 - 09 Sep 2011.
Record type:
Conference or Workshop Item
(Paper)
Abstract
One of the consequences of customer product returns is that they can increase retail costs and with supermarkets increasing their online and in-store non-food market share, returns are becoming one of the most topical issues in the industry. This paper is relevant to the field of reverse logistics which is becoming a crucial channel within the retail supply chain, involving the integration of information, transportation, warehousing and product handling.
With liberal ‘no quibble returns guarantees’, the scale of the problem is set to rise. Typically in Europe the consumer can return any defective product through a store or direct by post (for those purchased online) to the retailer within 14 days and request a replacement or a credit. The product doesn't have to be defective and so the major consumer areas generating returns is non-food products, particularly electrical products sold in-store and online. The costs of retail returns are becoming more and more important both in terms of the profitability for retailers and the need to manage down the transportation, warehousing and handling costs associated with these large scale returns operations. A fundamental issue therefore is to understand how better to manage returns processes.
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2011 [43] Supermarket Returns LRN.pdf
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Published date: September 2011
Venue - Dates:
16th Annual Logistics Research Network Conference, , Southampton, United Kingdom, 2011-09-07 - 2011-09-09
Organisations:
Transportation Group
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Local EPrints ID: 207821
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/207821
PURE UUID: b14d99c7-fa4a-46a7-999f-0f9986246eac
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Date deposited: 12 Jan 2012 16:24
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 02:58
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Author:
David Holdaway
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