• Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Supplier Directory
  • SCB YouTube
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Logout
  • My Profile
  • LOGISTICS
    • Air Cargo
    • All Logistics
    • Express/Small Shipments
    • Facility Location Planning
    • Freight Forwarding/Customs Brokerage
    • Global Gateways
    • Global Logistics
    • Last Mile Delivery
    • Logistics Outsourcing
    • LTL/Truckload Services
    • Ocean Transportation
    • Rail & Intermodal
    • Reverse Logistics
    • Service Parts Management
    • Transportation & Distribution
  • TECHNOLOGY
    • All Technology
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cloud & On-Demand Systems
    • Data Management (Big Data/IoT/Blockchain)
    • ERP & Enterprise Systems
    • Forecasting & Demand Planning
    • Global Trade Management
    • Inventory Planning/ Optimization
    • Product Lifecycle Management
    • Sales & Operations Planning
    • SC Finance & Revenue Management
    • SC Planning & Optimization
    • Sourcing/Procurement/SRM
    • Supply Chain Visibility
    • Transportation Management
  • GENERAL SCM
    • Business Strategy Alignment
    • Education & Professional Development
    • Global Supply Chain Management
    • Global Trade & Economics
    • HR & Labor Management
    • Quality & Metrics
    • Regulation & Compliance
    • SC Security & Risk Mgmt
    • Supply Chains in Crisis
    • Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility
  • WAREHOUSING
    • All Warehouse Services
    • Conveyors & Sortation
    • Lift Trucks & AGVs
    • Order Fulfillment
    • Packaging
    • RFID, Barcode, Mobility & Voice
    • Robotics
    • Warehouse Management Systems
  • INDUSTRIES
    • Aerospace & Defense
    • Apparel
    • Automotive
    • Chemicals & Energy
    • Consumer Packaged Goods
    • E-Commerce/Omni-Channel
    • Food & Beverage
    • Healthcare
    • High-Tech/Electronics
    • Industrial Manufacturing
    • Pharmaceutical/Biotech
    • Retail
  • THINK TANK
  • WEBINARS
    • On-Demand Webinars
    • Upcoming Webinars
    • Webinar Library
  • PODCASTS
  • VIDEOS
  • WHITEPAPERS
Home » Re-Commerce is Buzzword at Home Delivery World 2022

Re-Commerce is Buzzword at Home Delivery World 2022

LANDFILL RETURNS RE-COMMERCE iStock-845816364.jpg
August 31, 2022
Helen Atkinson, Senior Editor

Among the usual terms sprinkled into discussions of a supply chain industry in flux on the first day of Home Delivery World in Philadelphia, Aug. 31 — including partnerships, forecasting and excess inventory — ideas about how to more efficiently “re-commerce” returned goods into the supply chain seemed the most fresh and fruitful.

By now everyone in the business is well aware that the huge pandemic-driven boost in e-commerce has brought with it a painful counterpoint: massively increased returns. Online sales accounted for roughly 23% of the $4.583 trillion of total U.S. retail sales in 2021, according to National Retail Federation, and 16.6% of that got returned — a jump from an average return rate of 10.6% in 2020.

It doesn’t help that so many goods sold in the U.S. originate with sellers in China, even if that fact is invisible to the consumer because they’re buying through third parties such as Amazon or Etsy. “Returns to China are very costly,” said Brian Bourke, Chief Growth Officer at SEKO Logistics at a keynote presentation, “The Future of Last-Mile Delivery.” Bourke pointed to companies such as FloorFound that are tackling the particularly tricky problem of returns of big and bulky items such as furniture. If these can be processed for “re-commerce” by identifying opportunities to sell and deliver returned items more locally, the benefits include saving money, cutting waste and increasing sustainability.

Read more: Tech Aims to Minimize Soaring Cost of E-Commerce Returns

Re-commercing is set to grow in importance as retailers in the U.S. and other major markets face the unpalatable fact that they over-estimated demand for multiple product lines such as appliances and home-improvement supplies, and are stuck with a giant glut of inventory. There was an “epic disaster in forecasting,” during the COVID-19 pandemic, said Peter Goodman, Global Economics Correspondent for The New York Times, during a panel discussion, “How America’s biggest brands are tackling the supply chain crisis with sustainability & science.” As a consequence, many goods might not even make it into primary sales channels, let alone get returned. It’s increasingly unacceptable for those to end up in landfill.

Further, shifts in consumer consciousness mean that retailers are under pressure to account for how goods and materials get re-absorbed into the global supply chain. “People are paying attention to a company’s carbon footprint and other sustainability metrics,” said Farzin Shadpour, VP & MD of Supply Chain at Plug and Play LLC, an online platform that aims to connect early-stage investors, startups, and the world’s largest corporations. “Consumers want to know not just how what they buy is sourced, how it’s delivered, how it’s packaged, but also what will happen to it after they’ve used it.”

    RELATED CONTENT

    RELATED VIDEOS

    Reverse Logistics Global Supply Chain Management Supply Chains in Crisis Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility Apparel E-Commerce/Omni-Channel High-Tech/Electronics Retail
    • Related Articles

      Most Supply Chains Are Not Ready for Due Diligence Compliance

    Helen Atkinson, Senior Editor

    What Makes Supply Chain Workers Stay

    More from this author

    Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter!

    Timely, incisive articles delivered directly to your inbox.

    Popular Stories

    • A RED AND WHITE FRITOS DELIVERY TRUCK IS PARKED IN THE LOADING ZONE OF A PARKING LOT NEXT TO AN ORANGE TRAFFIC CONE.

      Climate Change Threatens a World Without Doritos

      Global Supply Chain Management
    • A CITY SCENE AT NIGHT, WITH MANY LINES OF LIGHT RISING FROM THE GROUND

      Welcome to the World of ‘Ambient’ IoT

      Data Management (Big Data/IoT/Blockchain)
    • Managing-Supply-Chains-in-the-Face-of-Climate-Disaster.jpg

      Watch: Managing Supply Chains in the Face of Climate Disaster

      Regulation & Compliance
    • A WOMAN STANDS WITH A TABLET COMPUTER IN A WAREHOUSE, SURROUNDED BY SYMBOLS FOR SHIPPING METHODS

      Podcast | Getting the Most Value From Your Supply Chain Planning System

      Technology
    • A LARGE WHITE WALMART TRACTOR TRAILER IS DRIVING ON A FREEWAY BEHIND A PICK-UP TRUCK ONE LANE OVER.

      Walmart Unveils New Sustainability and Waste Reduction Measures

      Supply Chain Planning & Optimization

    Digital Edition

    Scb may 2023 lg

    2023 Supply Chain ESG Guide

    VIEW THE LATEST ISSUE

    Case Studies

    • JLL Finds Perfect Warehouse Location, Leading to $15M Grant for Startup

    • Robots Speed Fulfillment to Help Apparel Company Scale for Growth

    • New Revenue for Cloud-Based TMS that Embeds Orderful’s Modern EDI Platform

    • Convenience Store Client Maximizes Profit and Improves Customer Service

    • A Digitally Native Footwear Brand Finds Rapid Fulfillment

    Visit Our Sponsors

    Antuit Zebra Anvyl Brother
    Cleo Data Capture E2open
    Eva Air Enveyo GAINSystems
    Generix Geodis GEP
    GreyOrange Here Holman Logistics
    Infor Inmar Kinaxis
    Locus Robotics Logility LogistiVIEW
    Lucas Systems MCA Connect MPO
    Old Dominion OneRail Overhaul
    PartnerLinQ (Visionet) Port of Virginia Ryder E-commerce by Whiplash
    Saddle Creek Logistics SAP Shyft
    Sourcemap Tecsys TGW Systems
    Verusen Workshop
    • More From SCB
      • Featured Content
      • Video Library
      • Think Tank Blog
      • SupplyChainBrain Podcast
      • Whitepapers
      • On-Demand Webinars
      • Upcoming Webinars
    • Digital Offerings
      • Digital Issue
      • Subscribe
      • Manage Your Subscription
      • Newsletters
    • Resources
      • Events Calendar
      • SCB's Great Supply Chain Partners
      • Supplier Directory
      • Case Study Showcase
      • Supply Chain Innovation Awards
      • 100 Great Partners Form
    • SCB Corporate
      • Advertise on SCB.COM
      • About Us
      • Privacy Policy
      • Contact Us
      • Data Sharing Opt-Out

    All content copyright ©2023 Keller International Publishing Corp All rights reserved. No reproduction, transmission or display is permitted without the written permissions of Keller International Publishing Corp

    Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing