SEKO Logistics introduces new OmniReturns service

Chicago-based third-party logistics (3PL) services provider SEKO Logistics said this week it has introduced a new service, entitled OmniReturns, which simplifies the product returns process for retailers, e-tailers, and consumers.

Company officials said that this new offering meshes best-in-class logistics and carrier processes with proprietary technology, which, in turn, reduces costs, provides end-to-end shipment visibility and optimal customer service. 

The key components of SEKO’s OmniReturns service include:

• visibility from label creation to stock re-entering at the etailer/retailer warehouse; 
• in-country returns carriers and processing hubs in major e-commerce hubs around the world to get sellers closer to customers at lower cost; 
• complete global customs compliance and repatriation services; 
• multiple consumer engagement methods from portal access to API (Application Programming Interface) access to carrier labels, enabling sellers to control the returns journey in line with their supply chain strategy; and
• the ability to automate customer refunds or store credits at the key milestones of 1st carrier scan anywhere in the world, processed within the SEKO hub, or on the management dashboard

SEKO observed that a minimum of 30% of products ordered online are returned, which is well ahead of the 8.9% of goods purchased in brick and mortar stores. What’s more, it noted that 67% of shoppers indicate they look at returns pages prior to completing a purchase, with 92% of customers indicating they will go back to that retailer and make future purchases if the returns processes are quick and easy and offer free shipping.

Brian Bourke, SEKO vice president of marketing, told LM that this product is a natural evolution of SEKO’s consumer-focused ecommerce logistics solutions including cross-border parcels.

“The consumer really has all of the power today thanks to the Internet and smartphones, and we are building our freight technology more and more around improving the consumer experience with easy to use technology,” he said. “As they say, if it’s not stupid easy, it’s just stupid.”

Returns are one of the biggest pain points for almost every retailer and brand, explained Bourke, and that led SEKO to identify that there is a real gap in the market for a global solution. 

“Sometimes the biggest issue isn’t the disposition of the returned items, but rather the time it takes to refund the money upon verifying the product is returned,” he said. “When it is coming from Australia or Germany, that time could take weeks. This is a really great opportunity to create a better experience for returns that will keep happy shoppers coming back to their stores and shopping carts more often, and it will importantly give US brands a great tool to scale globally with better piece of mind on solving the returns puzzle in other countries. For consumers, it’s a frictionless solution designed to encourage brand loyalty with the companies.”  

SEKO began to offer this service in Australia, followed by the United Kingdom and is now able to offer the same service experience globally, especially for the United States market, said Bourke.