Each year in the United States, the return of goods purchased for the holidays usually peaks on one day in early January; the volume is so significant the day has been designated National Returns Day. This year, due to an increased number of e-commerce purchases, retailers and shippers will experience National Returns Week. How National […]

One of the most expensive parts of e-commerce has taken on a whole new meaning over the last 12 months: returns. The COVID-19 pandemic led to a surge in e-commerce sales that could not have been predicted. Starting in May, monthly e-commerce sales soared beyond a normal holiday season, with no signs of slowing down. […]

Merchandise fulfillment variability has been on the rise for a number of years, due in large part to the growth of e-commerce. But all bets were off in 2020 as variability went off the charts. As you can see from the two included images charting the quarterly change in US e-commerce sales (year over year) […]

My to-do list has included one incomplete item since mid-September, one glaring blank spot where a big green checkmark belongs. That to-do item is “Start Christmas shopping.” Typically, my efforts toward buying holiday gifts for friends and family begin near the end of November, coinciding with the American Thanksgiving holiday. Rarely have I attended a […]

Most companies are familiar with the federal, state and local rules and regulations established by departments of transportation for outbound HAZMAT shipments. HAZMAT returns, on the other hand, introduce a new and much less reliable player into the game: the consumer. When a consumer needs to return items that qualify as HAZMAT, they must follow the same established rules and regulations – and those rules and regulations must be provided by the retailer accepting the return shipment.

As e-commerce returns volume continues to skyrocket alongside continued growth of online shopping, top shippers are challenging the notion of returns as a cost of doing business they must accept. In some cases, in fact, a lot can be done to counter the growth of returns from an operational perspective, and many of the world’s […]

Product recalls are a regular occurrence, making the headlines on a monthly, even weekly basis. They affect not only the consumers of potentially harmful products, but also manufacturers, retailers, transportation providers, and others throughout the supply chain. However, with a reliable technology platform and transportation network, shippers can mitigate the impact of widespread issues across […]