This website uses cookies to improve your experience. By viewing our content, you are accepting the use of cookies. To find out more and change your cookie settings, please view our Privacy Policy.
Relaxed return policies create a competitive advantage for retailers but can wreak havoc on reverse logistics. Each year, consumers return hundreds of billions of dollars in merchandise, most of which can’t go back on the shelf due to diminished item condition, damaged packaging, or product obsolescence.
No matter the reason, that’s a significant amount of idle inventory taking up backroom or warehouse space. In today’s intensely competitive retail environment, this can translate to profit loss, heightening the importance of maximizing efficiency and return across all areas of the supply chain.
For finance leaders at large retailers and brands, excess and returned inventory can pose a significant drag on working capital and margin performance. With returns projected to cost U.S. retailers $850 billion annually—roughly 17% of total sales—and processing costs ranging…
San Mateo, CA and Chicago, IL, Feb. 11, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — New data from both Circana and B-Stock reveals the age of smartphones traded-in reached an all-time high during the 2025 upgrade cycle, with most devices being three generations…