Shein customers can now return online orders at Perpetually 21 stores, the retailers jointly announced. The brand new buy online, return in store (BORIS) option is powered by reverse logistics company Pleased Returns.
Pleased Returns, which UPS acquired in 2023, manages returns for online retailers through kiosks called Return Bars. Customers use Return Bars to send back purchases from online retailers. The seller says it has greater than 10,000 locations, a lot of that are through partnerships with retail chains Ulta, Petco and Staples.
The connection with Shein and Perpetually 21 is exclusive because it could facilitate returns across brands, Pleased Returns said.
“Over the past eight years, we’ve developed cross-brand box-free returns from an progressive idea to an enterprise-grade solution,” said David Sobie, co-founder and CEO of Pleased Returns. “Now, we’re leveraging our technology, expertise and scale in reverse logistics to be the primary to enable retailers to seamlessly accept returns throughout their full networks.”
Shein is No. 2 in Digital Commerce 360’s database rating ecommerce retailers in Asia by online sales. The net apparel retailer was valued at $66 billion in May 2023 when it closed its latest funding round. Perpetually 21 ranks No. 105 within the Top 1000, Digital Commerce 360’s rating of the most important online retailers in North America.
How Perpetually 21 and Shein returns work
Shein and Perpetually 21 joined their businesses together in 2023. Shein acquired a stake in Perpetually 21’s parent company, Sparc Group. Sparc also took a minority stake in Perpetually 21, connecting the 2 apparel brands.
Shein customers can return purchases at any of Perpetually 21’s greater than 300 continental U.S. locations. After they do, additionally they receive a same-day coupon they will use at the shop.
“SHEIN could be very excited for this partnership, which has shown strong leads to the early days of launch with tons of of SHEIN shoppers per day completing returns at their local Perpetually 21 store,” a Shein spokesperson told Digital Commerce 360 by email.
Facilitating returns across brands is more complex than carrying out the identical transaction with one brand, Sobie said. Perpetually 21 and Shein each have their very own technology systems that should integrate together. When the Perpetually 21 cashier scans the return QR code, the point-of-sale system has to work with the Shein item to process the transaction, he said. Then, Shein orders should be accurately shipped back.
Sobie said he’ll consider this pilot as a hit based on adoption rates and feedback from scores. First, Pleased Returns will take a look at how often Shein customers decide to return at Perpetually 21 stores in comparison with other options. Then, they’ll also consider how a lot of those customers making returns also make purchases at Perpetually 21.
“What’s Perpetually 21 getting out of this?” he posed. “Well, they get all these recent people coming in to make returns, which is useful, nevertheless it’s really useful that they buy something.”
Finally, feedback from stores will tell Pleased Returns how the technology is working and discover any pain points noticed by employees handling the returns.
Pleased Returns and UPS
UPS paid $465 million to accumulate Pleased Returns from PayPal last yr. Being a component of UPS was crucial to forging this partnership with Shein and Perpetually 21, Sobie said.
“The good thing about being a part of UPS is that we’re in conversations with everyone,” he said. “It just about has a relationship with every merchant that we would like to work with.”
UPS also gives Pleased Returns more credibility with retailers, he said.
“Are you able to as a startup handle working with these two massive corporations, and is there risk related to that for those who’re a startup? There definitely is, but for those who’re a part of UPS, I feel this company, this technology, the services are validated,” Sobie explained.
What’s next for Pleased Returns
Shein is certainly one of the primary to adopt this cross-brand BORIS solution, but Sobie said there’s potential for similar programs with other retailers.
Pleased Returns primarily works with apparel and footwear retailers, and this yr, its primary goal is to serve the most important enterprise brands in those areas. This BORIS program with Shein and Perpetually 21 will function a case study for other retailers, he said.
Sobie cited major retail brands, including Gap, Deckers and Nike, as leaders within the space who could potentially profit from the pilot.
“Those brands all have stores, they usually all sell online, but you already know what they don’t do? They don’t do cross-brand returns,” he stated. “They don’t do buy from one brand within the portfolio and return at stores from other brands within the portfolio. Why is that? Since it’s really hard.”
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