UPS is giving e-commerce merchants greater control over their returns management with the launch of UPS Returns Manager, a free online tool that allows e-tailers to customize return shipment according to individual strategy.
UPS business customers will be able to manage return shipments without having to integrate the new tool into their own IT systems. Users can print a return shipping label directly from UPS’s tracking website, from email alerts and at UPS stores.
The platform is to launch in the USA on August 14 and in 43 additional countries on August 28.
Stu Marcus, UPS vice president of customer technology marketing, commented, “Online returns are a headache for many merchants and their customers. The UPS Returns Manager makes the process a lot easier. It’s perfect for any shipper, especially small and mid-sized merchants that lack this capability in-house. UPS is the first logistics provider to offer the ability to create a return shipment through a tracking results page.”
The service provides multiple benefits to merchant shippers, including the ability to pre-authorize returns shipments for specific amounts, a cost-effective alternative to putting a return label in every outbound package, and a returns method without needing to integrate technology.
The UPS Pulse of the Online Shopper 2017 study shows that 75% of online shoppers have shipped returns back to the retailer and many customers consider the terms of a merchant’s return policy when deciding whether to make a purchase. Data collected in 2015 and published by Invesp shows that at least 30% of e-commerce orders are returned, compared with less than 9% of sales from physical stores.
August 10, 2017