The “What?” around the topic of sustainability is almost obsolete as a question these days. Because what should be sustainable? Everything possible! Therefore, today entrepreneurs and decision-makers are more concerned about how the existing processes can be structured more sustainably and plan environmental awareness directly when new things are tackled – be it a product or a new process. But how to throw off the legacy of the existing processes and find new ways and means is difficult to identify. It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack. Artjom Bruch, CEO of Trusted Returns, explains how to integrate sustainability into existing processes and possibly even fulfill one or the other customer request.
Sustainability must be thought of holistically
For the majority of consumers, ESG criteria point the way when making purchasing decisions. This is proof of corporate responsibility through concrete measures with regard to sustainability (environmental), diversity and the well-being of one’s own employees (social) and supervisory mechanisms (governmental). At least in theory, every company today is aware of this change in values. In practice, however, this only arrived in fragments or in a distorted form in the minds of decision-makers. According to the consumption and media analysis (VuMA, 2021), more than half of all Germans surveyed consider socially and ecologically responsible corporate action to be important.
Many companies succumb to the fallacy that when it comes to sustainability, they only have to start with the product itself. They obtain an environmental certification, use recycled raw materials or otherwise demonstrate a commitment to the environment. But consumers want to be able to see that a company’s values align with their own. But you see that much less in the product itself than in everything that surrounds it. Because even if the product meets all the criteria, all of this is void if manufacturing in a country with no labor laws, company headquarters in a tax haven and problem solving with minor flaws is categorically the threefold delivery route – shipping, shipping back and then shipping the replacement again. Today, consumers know that when it comes to the “What?” – i.e. product or service – the economic interests of a company have the last word. But when it comes to the question of how companies and retailers design their processes, consumers today want to see more than just economic interests.
Transparency creates trust
However, companies and retailers should not cling doggedly to established processes and rather focus on more transparency. In the meantime, there is more distrust among consumers: in the 2023 Returns Report by Trusted Returns, almost a third of those surveyed (30%) do not trust the information on the returns process from retailers and online shops. And more than two thirds (69%) would like more transparency in the return process.
Companies and retailers should be aware that there is room for maneuver here. Because the processes of one’s own business are often also interfaces to the customer. REWE’s new campaign #umdenkbar is a good example: The retail chain is changing the way it communicates offers to its customers – namely only digitally and stamping the paper brochure. This results in raw material savings on the one hand and a significant reduction in the CO2 footprint on the other. This effectively proves to customers the importance of sustainability in the group. Other interfaces to the customer than a brochure, which can also tip the scales of sustainability, are, for example, returned goods. According to a Bitkom study from 2022, 70 percent of the online shoppers surveyed try to cause as few returns as possible in the interest of sustainability.
Return shipping as an important parameter for sustainability
From the company’s point of view, returns management would also be a sensible starting point for dealing better with the environment, because return shipping and refunds are often the only options available to customers if there is a problem with the delivered products: It doesn’t matter whether it’s a burst seam or something completely different Product arrives at you as ordered. One opportunity for customer contact is given away and the lack of individual solution offers is perceived negatively by customers – especially if they are already trying to send as little as possible back anyway. If instances such as brochures can be reconsidered, so can the insert when shipping goods. A quote from Babymarkt.de, which uses the Trusted Returns service platform, sums it up particularly well: “With a low return rate of around 10 percent, 90 percent of the return slips ended up in the trash. Without inserts, we save over 2.5 million sheets of paper a year. In addition, there are no more than 50 printers at the packing tables and, of course, their fine dust emissions.”
When companies seize the opportunity to redesign their own processes like returns – even if they work perfectly – they credibly show consumers that this change is happening of their own free will and not purely out of compulsion. And that’s exactly what today’s consumer wants: to be loyal to a company with all your heart and without worries, while feeling like you’re doing something good for the world.
Quelle: Trusted Returns
Published by: Annalena Rüsche Annalena Rüsche is currently preparing for her studies. She is doing her one-year internship in our editorial office. She then wants to study media management. In our editorial office, she is currently responsible for the newsdesk and keeps an eye out for current information that is valuable for our readers. She can be reached directly at [email protected].