Discarded products don’t just lead to increased costs for your business, they also become an environmental problem. What does it mean when a product is discarded, and how can we work together to reduce loss in e-commerce?
Also read: Vision for safe and sustainable e-commerce
Why are products discarded?
The discarding of products happens when they don’t meet the quality requirements, or when they are no longer part of what a company offers. A common cause of products being discarded in e-commerce is when they are returned due to a defect that can’t be repaired. In these cases, resources have been spent on producing and transporting the product, which in the end can’t be sold. The cost of an unusable product, in other words, is high – both for your business and for the environment.
How to reduce the amount of discarded products
- Make sure that there are clear descriptions of your products in your web store. This reduces the risk of customers returning products that don’t meet expectations.
- Encourage your customers to contact your customer support if they are unsure of sizes, etc. That way, customers don’t need to order and return products they have no intention of using.
- Package products to reduce the risk of damage during transport to or from warehouses and customers.
Use PostNord to reduce the number of discarded products
Key to reducing the number of products being thrown in the trash is to maintain full control of the supply chain, which in itself can be a challenge to small and large e-stores. With the aim of changing this reality, PostNord created Portal Business, a platform designed to help businesses with deliveries, but also to identify shortcomings in their operations. Beside access to tracking, invoicing and delivery tools, we also compile quality reports to help you find the reasons for why your products are being returned and sometimes discarded. This helps you make meaningful changes that will have a great impact on your finances and environmental footprint. All you need to do to get started is to create a free business account.
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