Earlier this week, I talked about  Product Returns: The Top Six Reasons For Online Returns.  Today I wanted to continue where I left off and share some additional information that came from the Supply Chain Consortium’s Distribution Center Operations Report:

-  More than half the survey respondants request feedback from customers on their return process and most do not feel good about what they learned.

-  Less than half of the companies surveyed required preapproval for a return

-  Retail companies are likely to pay for return transportation, while manufacturer returns are more likely to expect the customers to pay.

-  Nearly 60% of all companies issued refunds or credits within 24 hours.

-  The most common disposal methods for returned products is (rounded to nearest %):

52% – resold through the primary sales channel (website, etc)
19% – discounted for sale through secondary channel (discount website, ebay, or outlet store)
13% – returned to vendor for credit
8% – destroyed
4% – donated to charity
4% – other