While much is being written about expected holiday sales, the flip side of retail returns is also an interesting business, with consumers returning about $264bn worth of merchandise, or almost 9 percent of total sales, according to industry estimates. But, what happens to all that unwanted or defective merchandise that doesn't make it back on the retailer shelf?
Glen Margolis, chief executive officer of Steelwedge, describes the planning challenges that companies are facing as they cope with increasingly complex demand and supply networks.
Choice Logistics has enhanced its presence in Japan, through a new partnership with a Japanese logistics provider that focuses on time-critical delivery.
When it comes to e-waste recycling, most electronics retailers aren't just struggling; they're downright failing. At least according to the Electronics TakeBack Coalition, which took the industry to task in a recent report.
One of the first analyses of laws banning disposal of electronic waste (e-waste) in municipal landfills has found that state e-waste recycling bans have been mostly ineffective, although California's Cell Phone Recycling Act had a positive impact. However, e-waste recycling rates remain "dismally low," and many demographic groups remain unaware of their alternatives for properly disposing of e-waste, according to the study presented at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.
What would you do if you knew your business was going to face a loss of as much as nine percent of bottom line sales? Hopefully, you would try to avoid calamity by putting steps in place to manage the situation with a customer-friendly returns management program.