Onepak Launches Sendium

Onepak announces the launch of its latest sustainable solutions, Sendium. Sendium is a fast and easy way for consumers to send/return packages from the comfort and safety of their own homes…all Carbon Neutral. With the power of Onepak’s years of logistics know-how, Sendium is the perfect delivery option for our times. Join the revolution, by giving Sendium a try at Sendium.com. Happy Earth Day!

 

OnePak nominated for Emmy

OnePak has been nominated for an Emmy Award by the Suncoast Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in the category of Community/Public Service (PSAs).The nominated video, which is featured on the home page of OnePak’s website, illustrates the company’s role in driving the circular economy.

Thriving through Tough Times

OnePak continues to grow. As demand for our services increases, we are adding local partners to our asset recovery network, adding staff to our operations, customer service, design, and technology teams, and expanding the infrastructure it takes to support this growth.

How can this be? OnePak’s business model is not traditional: it is a platform company that connects all stakeholders in a reverse (or loop) logistics process.

Just as a travel website connects a consumer to many travel services, OnePak connects a business returning assets for resale or recycling with related services: the equipment buyers, logistics providers, and receiving facilities. OnePak’s cloud-based system provides one place for all the transactional data to be accessed by all stakeholders.

Companies using OnePak to ship assets consider us a logistics provider. To others accessing data to comply with producer responsibility regulations view us as a data provider.

We are both: a facilitator of logistics services and a gateway to the data related to those services. Whatever you want to call us, we are in high demand, and we are built to grow…any time.

Holiday Returns Are Big Business

As online shopping continues to increase, so, too, are product returns.

To help meet this rising demand for reverse logistics, transportation providers are adding services to simplify product returns for shippers and consumers while also increasing efficiency.

At the same time, retailers are exploring ways to help control costs and increase customer satisfaction.

“Record-breaking returns show just how dramatically the retail and e-commerce worlds are changing,” said Jim Brill, reverse logistics and returns manager at UPS. “As online shopping surges in popularity, seamless e-commerce returns are becoming a critical part of the e-commerce value proposition.”

Satish Jindel, founder of SJ Consulting Group, said e-commerce has turned reverse logistics upside down. He cited estimates that the cost of returns reached $500 billion in 2019.

Product returns add not only cost, but also complexity to the supply chain, said Tony Sciarrotta, executive director at the Reverse Logistics Association.

HOLIDAY RETURNS ARE BIG BUSINESS: Busiest time of year for reverse logistics

“It is not like forward logistics,” he said. “It is pallets and [bulk boxes] full of mixed products. It is a very different marketplace on the reverse side.”

FedEx does not share specific figures on consumer product return volumes, but Ryan Kelly, FedEx’s vice president of global e-commerce marketing, said the company is growing returns at a double-digit rate year-over-year. He expects the growth to accelerate and continue.

“Returns is a quickly growing market due to the growth of e-commerce,” Kelly said, adding that FedEx estimates that 15% of e-commerce orders are returned, with about 5% going to a store and 10% being shipped back.

DHL can see return rates as high as 25% for e-commerce customers, said Ryan Hunter, vice president for global customers at DHL Express Americas. “It depends on the commodity and the type of goods being sold,” he said, adding that while some retailers look at returns as a challenging process and a high cost, a returns policy can have a significant effect on return rates. DHL Supply Chain ranks No. 3 on the Transport Topics Top 50 list of the largest logistics companies in North America.

Hunter said 66% of e-commerce buyers check and verify the returns policy before they make a purchase. UPS’ Pulse of the Online Shopper study found that 73% of shoppers surveyed said the overall returns experience influences their likelihood to purchase from a retailer again, and 68% said the returns experience shapes their perceptions of a retailer. Nearly half — 42% — said free return shipping contributes most to a positive returns experience.

Although many major retailers focus first on taking care of their customers at all costs, they must also find ways to control the rising cost of reverse logistics. RLA’s Sciarrotta said sophisticated retailers know in advance where they want returns sent for maximum recovery.

“If it is new, it may go to one place. If it has been worn, used or tested, it will go to another place,” he said. “If it is a certain volume, it may go back to another place. Some retailers will tell people to keep it.”

The product type is another important factor. “Electronics age every day, but, ultimately, clothing can always find another home,” Sciarrotta said. “It is a question of asset recovery and where can you place the item.”

Kelly said FedEx helps its customers optimize operations by eliminating waste and identifying the best disposition method for each product, whether it’s return to vendor, return to stock, liquidation, recycle or salvage. FedEx offers several transportation options for returns, ranging from cost-effective FedEx Ground to speedy FedEx Express. What’s more, FedEx Returns Technology provides a unified returns management platform that can integrate directly with the retailer’s website to initiate a return authorization, track return shipments while in transit and identify what has been received at the returns-processing facility.

The U.S. Postal Service also offers several speeds, including Priority Mail Return Service for delivery in one to three business days and Ground Return Service, an economical way to ship less-than-urgent items, said Gary Reblin, vice president for new products and innovation at USPS.

UPS’ Brill said the company offers several services to make returns more efficient, such as the UPS Returns Manager, which gives shippers control and visibility over their returns, and its partnership with software firm Optoro.

“UPS and Optoro work together to provide a streamlined reverse logistics solution that combines UPS’ operational and logistics expertise with Optoro’s returns optimization platform that can help maximize recovery value and reduces harmful environmental waste,” he said.

The Proliferation of Drop-Off Sites

To increase convenience, logistics providers are adding access points and partnering with retailers to offer more drop-off locations.

USPS has 34,000 access points, which provide about 97% of U.S. consumers a retail access point within 5 miles of their location, Reblin said.

“We have added capacity to our network by adding equipment to sort, process and deliver the expected mail and package volumes, including returns,” he said.

UPS, which is based in Atlanta and ranks No. 1 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest for-hire carriers in North America, has 14,000 UPS Access Point locations, including Michaels, Advance Auto Parts and CVS Pharmacy stores, but packages dropped there should be pre-labeled. UPS also operates more than 4,800 UPS Store locations, which can help with any packing, shipping or returns needs, Brill said. “For consumers on the go, preparing the package and making a return is another item on the task list during this busy time of the year. Anything to make it easier is a plus,” he said.

Amazon returns can be dropped at Kohl’s or a UPS Store, and they don’t have to be pre-packaged.

FedEx merchants using FedEx Returns Technology can allow customers to drop off packages at Walgreens.

“Shoppers prefer to take their online returns to a physical location, so by expanding FedEx Returns Technology to our broader convenience network with Walgreens, we’re enabling merchants and e-tailers to offer more locations for their customers to bring their returns,” Kelly said, adding that customers can take pre-labeled packages to more than 55,000 FedEx drop-off points.

Memphis, Tenn.-based FedEx, which ranks No. 2 on the for-hire TT100, also has formed a strategic alliance with Dollar General, adding FedEx drop-off and pickup services at thousands of Dollar General stores. The alliance will increase the FedEx Retail Convenience Network to more than 62,000 locations by the end of 2020.

RLA’s Sciarrotta expects to see more partnerships involving drop-off sites. “The e-tailers are going to great lengths to build that customer loyalty,” he said.

One of the challenges can be finding space to store returns, said Stephen McIsaac, senior vice president of brokerage operations at Nolan Transportation Group, a third-party logistics firm based in Atlanta. He explained that a shortage of warehousing space in the U.S. is driving the use of drop trailers.

“Maybe instead of a retailer renting a warehouse, they might reach out to us to see if they can get a drop trailer pool, and there might be trailers sitting next to a warehouse where they can store those returns,” McIsaac said.

Technology Could Make Returns Experience Easier, Less Needed

Advances in technology could help mitigate the cost of return shipping.

“Advanced AI is going to be able to tell Amazon the value of a product on the secondary market,” Sciarrotta said. “If the value is $10 for a $50 sweater, but shipping is $12, they may say, ‘Keep it.’ Or they may say, ‘If we give you 30% off, will you keep it?’ That may mean that the volume of returns won’t grow at the rate they are today.”

Retailers are also working to minimize the need for returns. “The No. 1 driver of a return is a product that doesn’t meet the customers’ expectations,” Sciarrotta said.

Jindel said broadband and 5G wireless technology will improve retailers’ ability to display products digitally. “You’ll be able to load your picture and drop my dress on you and see how it looks. That will bring a reduction in returns,” he said. “It is inconvenient for you to have to return an item. I want to make it a pleasant experience for you, so you get the right size.”

Sciarrotta said technology will also help retailers build data on consumers, which will help them recommend the right size.

“They’re going to go past the point of saying the size runs small,” he said. “They’ll say, ‘You ordered these three sizes before and kept this size.’”

Retailers are happy to send shoppers products in three different sizes to see which one fits you and have them return the other two, Jindel said. “That has increased the rate of returns in certain retail segments,” he explained, adding that apparel returns average about 15-18%.

Kelly said software vendor MetaPack’s 2018 consumer research report indicated that 41% of consumers often or sometimes purchase multiple products online, knowing they will return some or all of them.

The ease of returns or reverse logistics is essential in the buying process, NTG’s McIsaac said.

Part of that strategy is ensuring customers get a refund quickly. Retailers determine when they offer credits, UPS’ Brill said. In some cases, a retailer may elect to release the refund when they know the return is moving in the UPS network, he explained.

Kelly said FedEx can help speed up the refund process through the use of return merchandise authorizations, which offer real-time visibility into incoming returns. “FedEx Office can also do item matching and inspection if set up by the retailer,” he said.

USPS has developed an automated verification method that improves tracking of return packages. “Merchants have access to information, including package weight, measurements and scanning details, which allows shippers to credit their customers sooner for returned merchandise,” Reblin said.

Ultimately, each retailer’s returns strategy is different.

“Which products do they need back faster, and which can move slower? What kind of visibility into returns do they need? How environmentally friendly do they want their returns? Why are certain products returned? Do they need a logistics provider to handle their entire reverse logistics process? A lot goes into a solid returns strategy,” Kelly said.

Original Post: https://www.ttnews.com/articles/rising-product-returns-put-pressure-retailers-optimize-reverse-logistics

Scaling for Sustainability

As e-commerce sales continue to grow, reverse logistics — the processing of items for return, recycling or disposal — presents particular challenges for retailers. But this growing market also provides ample opportunities for third-party logistics providers to streamline the process and ensure sustainable practices.

Reverse logistics can be complicated. Goods leave distribution hubs packaged to fit neatly on a shipping pallet, but they often return in a jumbled mess of boxes containing returned items, paperwork, and excess packaging from the original shipment. While an inbound truckload of products from a supplier could take as little as two to eight hours of sorting, it can take up to 48 hours to process a truck full of returns because each item has to be individually checked. All in all, we’ve found it takes about 20% more space and twice the labor to process a return as it does to send out a package.

Caldwell

With the holiday online shopping season just barely in the rearview mirror, now is a particularly good time to consider how reverse logistics can become more efficient — returns have become an increasingly key part of the holiday season aftermath. In fact, anywhere from 20% to 30% of items bought online will be returned after the holidays, compared to 8% of goods bought in brick-and-mortar stores, according to technology provider Invesp. Little wonder that 83% of consumers consider a retailer’s online return policy before they shop, according to a recent XPO survey. How quickly a retailer handles a customer’s return and processes a refund can be just as critical to creating loyalty as the initial purchase. Plus, if returns are processed too slowly, goods don’t get back on shelves soon enough, causing price markdowns.

Caldwell 

Retailers need to be ready.

This has sparked opportunities for third-party logistics providers to help retailers with reverse logistics services for returns. This can range from a bit of support up to a company that can customize a dedicated distribution hub and technology to a retailer’s specific operations.

Reverse logistics operations may include technologies to help manage inventory and the workflow, such as automation — specifically robots working alongside employees — and predictive analytics that use historical data and algorithms to predict future demand. Having the right expertise to handle quick returns, as well as technologies to get items back out the door can serve as the backbone of these operations.

Another constant challenge of scaling e-commerce operations is sustainability. A 3PL can work with its retail partners to reduce their environmental footprint by forming action plans to improve the sustainability of their supply chains. The growing reverse logistics business is an opportunity to help reduce the resources used to produce items and the overall environmental impact of the supply chain.

For example, the right technology can determine when one customer has returned a product and another has ordered the same item. Rerouting the product to a return center closer to the end customer, rather than sending it to a far-away warehouse, can limit the item’s travel distance, and thus, fuel emissions.

Reverse logistics isn’t always about returns, either. It can incorporate anything that happens to an item after it leaves a customer, including recycling or disposal. For example, most people who buy a new kitchen appliance don’t give a second thought to what happens to their old appliance. A 3PL can disassemble the machine safely, recycle the materials that can be reused and dispose of the rest in an environmentally friendly way as part of its reverse logistics offerings.

While reverse logistics may just be one piece of the supply chain puzzle, it’s an important one. As e-commerce continues to grow, particularly during the holiday season, so does the need for robust capabilities at a massive scale.

Erik Caldwell is chief operating officer of supply chain for XPO Logistics. He has more than 15 years of leadership experience with supply chain operations in the consumer and industrial sectors.

Original Post: https://www.ttnews.com/articles/perspective-solving-reverse-logistics-puzzle

OnePak Makes 2020 Inc. Magazine 5000

Inc. Magazine Unveils Its Annual List of

America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies—the Inc. 5000

Onepak Ranks No. 4745 on the 2020 Inc. 5000

With Three-Year Revenue Growth of 62.68% Percent

 

NEW YORK, August 12, 2020 – Inc. magazine today revealed that Onepak is No. 4745 on its annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economy’s most dynamic segment—its independent small businesses. Intuit, Zappos, Under Armour, Microsoft, Patagonia, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000.

Not only have the companies on the 2020 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but the list as a whole shows staggering growth compared with prior lists as well. The 2020 Inc. 5000 achieved an incredible three-year average growth of over 500 percent, and a median rate of 165 percent. The Inc. 5000’s aggregate revenue was $209 billion in 2019, accounting for over 1 million jobs over the past three years.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000. The top 500 companies are also being featured in the September issue of Inc., available on newsstands August 12.

“The companies on this year’s Inc. 5000 come from nearly every realm of business,” says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. “From health and software to media and hospitality, the 2020 list proves that no matter the sector, incredible growth is based on the foundations of tenacity and opportunism.”

The annual Inc. 5000 event honoring the companies on the list will be held virtually from October 23 to 27, 2020. As always, speakers will include some of the greatest innovators and business leaders of our generation.

Onepak is an industry leader of sustainability solutions, offering tech-enabled tools, award-winning creativity, and an efficiency advantage to businesses across the globe. We move over 2 billion pounds of equipment through the circular economy fueled by our innovative technology, exemplary service and an established network of logistics industry partnerships.

We believe sustainability is a competitive advantage and efficiency is great for business. We believe the circular economy is an opportunity to innovate and expand business operations, engage with customers, and shift from products to services. We are problem-solvers, energized to transform challenges into progress. Onepak designs technology that accelerates the growth of businesses, helping companies reach sustainability goals and meet compliance standards, while increasing profits and productivity

CONTACT:

Shawn Stockman
shawn.stockman@onepak.com
207.236.4222

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000

Methodology

The 2020 Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2016 and 2019. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2016. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independent—not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies—as of December 31, 2019. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2016 is $100,000; the minimum for 2019 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.’s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.

About Inc. Media

The world’s most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com.

For more information on the Inc. 5000 Conference, visit http://conference.inc.com/.