Inmar Intelligence and Happy Returns announced an agreement where Inmar Intelligence will be a reseller of Happy Returns’ Returns Bar and Online Returns Exchange Services (ORES). In doing so, Inmar’s returns processing and data services are combined with Happy Returns’ best-in-class ORES capabilities, creating an easier returns process for shoppers and a more profitable one for retailers and brands.
The traditional returns process of shoppers shipping back unwanted products to e-Commerce merchants has created an inconvenient customer experience, with precious time wasted packing up the product, shipping it back and then waiting for the refund. In fact, Inmar Intelligence has found that prior to the pandemic, 78 percent of shoppers reported a preference to return unwanted products in-person, and since the pandemic began, nearly 60 percent still prefer to return online purchases in-person. On the other end of the spectrum, retailers and brands with an e-Commerce presence want to maximize value recovery, optimize return-to-stock, reduce the cost of returns and get the best possible data on returns for KPI and business metrics. Now, both parties have a full end-to-end solution.
Merchants that use Inmar Intelligence’s returns solution will now be able to provide e-commerce shoppers with a branded returns portal to easily initiate returns, with the option for customers to return items, box-free and label-free, to one of Happy Returns’ 2,600+ Returns Bars around the country, which are physical drop sites located in retail stores. The in-person drop-off process eliminates the shopper’s inconvenience and initiates an immediate refund or exchange. This process also provides a more environmentally friendly and cost-effective solution for e-Commerce returns, as returned inventory is shipped to returns facilities in reusable containers instead of individual packages.
Once returns are received Inmar Intelligence conducts the reverse logistics process in accordance with a merchant’s contract and inspects and routes the product according to the merchant’s business rules for highest-value next-step. This process can include, return to stock, return to vendor, secondary market sale, donation or recycle. If the product is broken or unusable, Inmar conducts sustainability-friendly destruction through an energy-from-waste program.
“This agreement provides e-Commerce merchants with the complete returns journey from front to back, providing shoppers with a convenient returns and exchanges experience while merchants receive the best available value recovery, cost reduction and business data available today,” said Rob Zomok, President, Global Operations at Inmar Intelligence. “As we head into the holiday shopping season, and continue to face a global pandemic, shoppers now have a convenient option to ship returned products via Happy Returns’ Return Bars.”
“We are thrilled to team up with Inmar Intelligence and add their robust reverse logistics capabilities to our offering,” said David Sobie, CEO of Happy Returns. “Our arrangement with Inmar Intelligence enables a seamless e-Commerce returns process for shoppers and retailers, removing friction around returns that may have otherwise hindered the initial sale. It is a win-win for shoppers and e-Commerce merchants. We are excited to work with Inmar Intelligence and look forward to a long-standing relationship.”
