THE BCMPA – the Association for Contract Manufacturing, Packing, Fulfilment & Logistics – has highlighted the importance of providing a ‘simple and trouble-free’ process for returning unwanted items bought online.
As well as designing packaging to be able to cope with a potential two-way journey, the BCMPA revealed that the returns process brings challenges when the products arrive back at base. The organisation said third-party fulfilment houses need to offer more than the normal logistics warehousing facilities, with returns handling requiring dedicated space and a team of trained staff. The returned products need to be sorted according to the individual customer instructions and then returned to stock, re-used in different packs or recycled.
“E-commerce packaging has to fulfil many different requirements,” explained BCMPA chief executive Rodney Steel. “It must be specifically designed to protect products while, particularly for higher value items, still having the wow factor when opened by the customer. Just as important, consumers expect the process of returning unwanted items to be simple and trouble-free.”
The BCMPA added that its recently updated website and search facility specifically includes members with expertise in reverse logistics and returns handling, as well as other contract packing, manufacturing and logistics services essential to providing an effective e-Commerce operation.
“BCMPA members have been playing a vital role in the smooth running of e-commerce fulfilment and the consequential returns handling,” Rodney Steel added. “Importantly, in a world where any consumer dissatisfaction can be quickly and widely shared on social media, this ensures that the brand owner’s reputation remains intact.”
