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ReverseLogix RMS Case Study: Global Retailer

Case Studies
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An independently owned, American-made brand of men’s and women’s footwear was struggling to keep up with returns volume and inventory management. With products in more than 115 direct retail stores in the United States, more than 300 international locations, plus online, department store and specialty retail partners, its long-time SAP platform couldn’t efficiently manage the complexity.

The retailer needed a new returns management solution to streamline returns processing, provide greater visibility, integrate with its other systems, and offer an easier user experience for employees.

Solution

The retailer chose the ReverseLogix returns management system (RMS), a purpose-built solution for B2C, B2B and hybrid environments.

“One of the reasons we chose ReverseLogix was because we could use it in many of our facilities, whether that was with our 3PL partner, in our own warehouses, and potentially in other countries,” said the retailer’s director of distribution operations.

ReverseLogix delivers simplicity, end-to-end visibility and flexibility.

  • Configurable workflows that match a company’s processes and needs
  • Full integration with other supply chain solutions
  • Facilitation, management, alerts and reporting on returns initiations, receiving and recovery
  • Business intelligence for a 360⁰ view of returns processes for better decision making

Results

The retailer segmented the work with ReverseLogix into three projects:

  1. Transition from SAP to ReverseLogix for wholesale and retail returns.
  2. Build out a new system for digital returns based on ReverseLogix technology, plus integration with a WMS and the 3PLs’ systems.     
  3. Implement ReverseLogix for Canada-based item returns, as well as integrate it with NetSuite.

Tight Integration for Clear-Eyed Visibility

ReverseLogix was successfully integrated with 3PL partner systems, NetSuite, and other supply chain software that included a home-grown solution. These diverse environments required strong collaboration and detailed planning.

“There’s much better visibility now with ReverseLogix,” said the director. “The retail side has its own portal to create returns. Customer service has their own portal. Our stores are integrated with UPS for better visibility and tracking. Instead of having to print one return label and one shipping label, we’ve streamlined that to one label that has all the information we need.”

Inventory Accuracy and Efficient Sorting

Returns processing automation and inventory accuracy have improved with the ability to receive and track every carton in the warehouse. In addition, ReverseLogix enables on-demand label printing as shoes are reclassified, allowing employees to generate a label, print it on the fly, and create a new SKU. “That’s really helped improve inventory accuracy,” the director explained.

A built-in sort system has also impacted logistics operations: Employees can now sort large returns ahead of time and send them to storage. Throughput has improved with the ability to do sorts in ReverseLogix instead of in a pick module.

“We sort inventory to go to storage and sort it to go to our pick module,” he said. “Before ReverseLogix, we sent everything to the pick module, sorted it, and sent it back to the storage location. So we’ve increased our throughput and accuracy because we’re not handling an item as much.”

Quicker Returns and Dispositions

The streamlined design of ReverseLogix has made returns much more efficient, notably digital returns.

“Returns with ReverseLogix are at least 50-60% faster than the previous system.”

Director of Distribution Operations, Global Retailer

The retailer has eliminated steps around product dispositioning, and greater visibility has allowed for better insight and tracking. For instance, sales teams and digital teams track return reasons that are then shared with the quality team for more informed decision making about products.

Relevant Reporting for Many Teams

Improved reporting detail has given the retailer a better understanding of the returns lifecycle. It knows what the team processes per day, as well as the return activity of individual customers.

“We have really robust reporting that’s relevant to many teams throughout the company,” said the director. “The credit team uses ReverseLogix for reporting; the customer service team relies on it to see whether returns have been processed; even our manager who oversees our 3PL partner uses ReverseLogix for insight.”

A Fast ROI

The ReverseLogix implementation was followed with fast user adoption by employees and the 3PL partner team. “It’s very user friendly,” said the director. “It’s a streamlined solution that makes training really easy, and the ReverseLogix team is willing to work with us on whatever we need. It’s been a huge benefit.”