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As online retailers ship out loads of goods this season, parcel carriers already are lugging many of those purchases back on the reverse trip. Of the 800 million packages United Parcel Service Inc. expects to deliver this holiday season, more than 24 million in December alone will be shipments heading back to the sender. UPS estimated Wednesday would be the highest volume day for returns, with shipments reaching 1.5 million—even more than the projected postholiday peak of 1.3 million on Jan. 3.
Roughly a third of this season’s $123 billion in estimated online sales are expected to be returned, according to B-Stock Solutions, which runs online liquidation sites for major retailers.
The numbers are hard to ignore. According to the National Retail Federation, retailers expect ~16% of annual sales to be returned, roughly $850 billion in merchandise. According to McKinsey & Company, it’s forced retailers to spend an estimated $200 billion…
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When returned and unsold goods tie up working capital and force write-downs, they quietly erode margins, delay cash conversion, and impact financial performance every single day. Discover how finance teams are turning to technology-driven B2B resale platforms to: Improve recovery…