Today online retailers can’t afford to ignore this secret weapon – a specialized returns courier.

In the battle for UAE ecommerce customers, many online retailers see a returns courier as a costly service that could shoot their revenue levels to pieces.

It makes sense. The explosion in e-commerce, which has led to 96% of UAE residents shopping online regularly, and a higher tendency for consumers to return internet goods have both contributed to record online return rates in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, according to international consulting firm Bain and Company.

Business owners struggling on the front line, then, may feel that providing a fully developed return service (often including free returns with pick up included) is an expense they could do without. This may include issues such as:

Wide pick-up windows that endanger customer satisfaction by asking them to wait at home all day
A third-party courier fleet that’s out of sync with a retailer’s in-store setup
Fuel and time wastage, because of poor communication with the customer service team and missed deliveries, adding to a funds drain.

Yet, if you’re one of them, you’ll know that online returns are an inevitable part of digital sales which need dealing with.

This is why the time has come for a specialized returns courier that not only makes the returns process easier and more affordable but also reduces the chances of upset customers. Saying sorry and providing full refund and/or gift cards is all very nice, but they don’t pay the bills: in fact, they do the exact opposite.

What's more, modern customers have come to expect the convenience that a returns courier provides. If you don’t provide one, you run the risk of losing scores of customers before they complete the checkout process.

In this article, we’re going to explore what a specialized online return courier for the digital era looks like and how they can boost your business, rather than being a pain in your neck.

Ready to find out how you can get returns couriers integrated into your sales model? Sign up to swftbox in just five minutes to reap the rewards of a specialized courier service that saves you money and helps your business grow.

What is a specialized returns courier and why is it so important?

The expansion of the e-commerce sector, and the rising tide of returns that comes with it, has led to a niche sector of specialized return couriers.

Parcel return services, as they’re also known, focus their efforts on picking up return items from customer locations and taking them back to retailers. This might include repackaging and labeling the goods on the customer’s behalf.

This service, as part of a fully formed digital returns policy, offers a range of key benefits that makes life for online stores much easier. For one, it operates separately to the delivery service so couriers can focus solely on picking goods up without reducing their delivery efficiency.

Return courier services are also a lifesaver when it comes to preserving the value of the goods. Not only are goods less likely to get lost or damaged in a messy business days of deliveries and pick-ups, but a quick reverse supply chain means they get back to you quicker. We may only be talking a matter of hours, but in a world of rapidly depreciating iPhones and laptops, every minute counts if we want to re-sell them for their original price.

A dedicated returns courier not only works to make you happy, but makes the customer feel more valued, too, especially if you provide a repackaging and labeling service. Consumers appreciate the convenience of having someone collect their item from their door rather than having to visit a store in-person. And we all know the importance of positive client feedback in this demanding online sales era.

To sum up, specialized returns couriers meet several of the key expectations of ecommerce customers, as outlined by an in-depth PwC report that places efficiency and convenience at the top of the list.

How efficiency and convenience dominate ecommerce customers’ values

International shipping firms offer this type of service to millions of customers around the world. Yet, if you’ve used them, you may have seen how such a huge client base can affect the quality and functionality of their service.

As a third party, they operate outside your logistics web, often leading to poor communication with your customers, and the cost of missed deliveries that follows. Plus, like it or not, you’re probably not their priority: within their enormous customer base, there’s always bigger fish to fry.

Yet, returning products is a complicated enough procedure as it is, without a disconnected third party adding to the confusion, and the cost of receiving returned goods.

A new wave of internet logistics companies have spotted the need for an integrated returns service that becomes part of your logistics process, rather than an interfering third party.

By using the latest in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation technology, they offer a streamlined courier collection service at a lower cost than any of the big delivery players.

swftbox is a digital logistics solution that is making waves in the UAE using APIs to quickly integrate with online storefronts, warehouse management, and point-of-sale (POS) systems. With just a few clicks, you can hook up your store via Shopify, Clickpost, Woocommerce or any other platform to get swftbox working to your schedule.

How swftbox’s speedy return couriers work to you and your customer’s schedules

You’ve probably heard the maxim ‘good things come to those who wait’. But at swftbox, we don’t think waiting is all that necessary.

A slick and efficient returns process for online retailers is indispensable. If you’re one of them, here’s how we rev up the reverse supply chain to get your goods back to you as soon as possible.

A state-of-the-art swftbox app

swftbox knows the importance of app technology when it comes to speed. Your customers do, too.

The swftbox app is an all-in-one portal that connects them to the last-mile process that’s so crucial to customer satisfaction. Once there, they can jump between different features that help make returning their item as simple and stress free as possible.

Same-day pickup

Just like same-day deliveries help your customers get what they want fast, the same is true for returns. swftbox checks for available time slots for that day and instantly integrates the pick-up into one of its courier’s smart routes, ensuring the quickest of turnarounds.

If your customer schedules a pick-up in the afternoon or evening and there’s no slot available, then they’ll get the earliest time slot the next day.

Coordinate pickup times

A frequent customer pain point for returns is hanging around at home all day in the hope that the courier shows up.

Swftbox slashes wait windows down to two-hour time slots so the customer knows exactly when to be at home to meet the courier.

How the returns slot booking looks from the customer side

Real-time driver tracking

From the moment the time slot is set, your customer can stay up to speed with the courier’s location by viewing real-time GPS updates, which are accurate to the second. This is a key part of the last-mile tracking process that gives the customer a powerful sense of control.

So, while the pick-up slot might be two hours, the customer can actually narrow it down to just seconds by simply checking the courier’s current location. That way, if they need to pop to the shops for a few minutes, they can still make sure they’re back in time to meet the courier.

No repackaging or return labels

No messing around with sellotape and cardboard – the swftbox courier will pick up the item exactly as it is (even in ripped original packaging), saving the customer the stress and hassle of packing and increasing your chances of positive feedback as a result.

Easy for drivers

Good drivers are the secret to helping you win the war against bad returns experiences and wasted money, and equipping them with the latest technology is important to empowering them to complete the returns process as efficiently as possible.

Smart addressing and routing is swftbox’s stand-out driver feature. Using machine learning, it can first identify customer addresses and postcodes, even if labels are incomplete or badly written, eliminating the scourge of bad addressing.

Then, it scans an in-built map of the local area to generate a smart route that allows your courier to pick up as many packages as possible in the shortest period of time. All they need to do is follow the route via swftbox to maximize their job efficiency.

Also, thanks to clued-up customers, there’s minimal chance of them waiting around for someone to arrive home: a classic pick-up issue that angers drivers and costs retailers like you money.

Instant uploads

Once the package is in the courier’s hands, they enter the photographic proof of the product (and tracking number) into swftbox’s nerve system that sets off a chain of instant reactions that updates your inventory.

swftbox adjusts your stock count and makes sure there’s space in one of its chilled warehouses to store your goods. It’ll even send out a confirmation email to your customer that the return is complete.

Start saving on returns today

With customers and couriers working from the same page, the risk of missed return pick-ups is minimized, saving you the cost of arranging another time slot. Fuel and labor costs are low thanks to an optimized swftbox fleet following the most efficient smart route possible, while you can focus on sales revenue growth instead of customer complaints as positive feedback starts to soar.

Just hook up your storefront to our service in just two minutes to start reaping the rewards. Our sophisticated set of APIs connect to a wide range of ecommerce platforms.

Hook up your storefront to swftbox via these platforms

The quicker you sign-up with swftbox, the quicker you can start saving money. And that's quick indeed.

Ready to find out how an integrated returns courier service can boost your bottom line? Sign up with swftbox in just five minutes to open up a whole new world ecommerce possibilities that will leave your rivals in the dust.

The Growing Importance of A Returns Courier in the UAE - And Why Your Business Needs One