Happy Returns enables hassle-free eCommerce returns for those shipping with Ingram Micro

Ingram Micro Commerce & Lifecycle Services, leading global 3PL whose proprietary technology includes Shipwire, a cloud-based fulfilment and order management platform, and Happy Returns, leading provider of end-to-end return solutions for retailers and their customers, today announced they have entered into an agreement to enable brands and retailers shipping with Ingram Micro to leverage Happy Returns for fast and easy ecommerce returns.

Under the agreement, merchants that leverage Ingram Micro’s ecommerce order fulfillment solution can offer their online shoppers a branded returns portal powered by Happy Returns. Online shoppers can use the portal to quickly initiate returns, and then have the option to drop off the items box-free and label-free at one of Happy Returns’ 500+ Return Bars, which are physical drop sites located in retail stores across the country.

The in-person drop-off process eliminates the hassle and wait typically associated with packing up returns and sending them via the mail. It also provides a more environmentally friendly and cost-effective solution for ecommerce returns, since returned inventory is shipped back to Ingram Micro warehouses in bulk within reusable containers, rather than in individual packages.

Once returns are received at the warehouse, Ingram Micro initiates the reverse logistics process in accordance with a merchant’s contract. Returns management may include inspection, value added services, repairs, refurbishment, or disposal.

Impacts of the global pandemic have increased consumer dependence on and adoption of ecommerce shopping, generating record growth in an industry that was already growing year over year and that is expected to continue accelerating. Such growth in buying is closely tied to an increase in returns, placing importance on the need for innovation in return management solutions and reverse logistics services. This trend is observed in purchases of apparel and related merchandise that, when made online, are 3-5 times more likely to be returned, and extends to a wide variety of other product verticals.

“Brands and retailers using Ingram Micro and our 3PL network for supply chain services benefit from the addition of Happy Returns into our returns management process,” said Marcelo Wesseler, president of Shipwire, Inc. and vice president of ecommerce, Ingram Micro. “Unsurprisingly, the ecommerce industry experienced a major spike in demand this year. Increasing return rates are a function of ecommerce growth, and the importance of an effective ecommerce return solution has become more critical than ever to delivering a positive customer experience. Online shoppers deserve a simple, immediate option for completing returns and we are excited to offer that through our strategic relationship with Happy Returns, which comes just in time for the peak holiday shopping season.”

“We’re excited to team up with Ingram Micro Commerce & Lifecycle Services to bring Happy Returns online return experience and in-person returns to their retailer customers,” added David Sobie, CEO and co-founder, Happy Returns. “Our goal is to bring fast, easy, sustainable, and contact-free returns to as many merchants and shoppers as possible this holiday season. Ingram Micro, with its Shipwire platform, global reach and large roster of leading online and multi-channel retailers, will be of great help in making that happen.”