Start by asking yourself the following questions:

Are you seeing year over year reductions in your return rates?
Do you have a process in place for identifying the root causes of returns tied to products, experiences, operations and policies?
Do you have a process and accountability loop to take return insights to action?
Are you maximizing your exchange rates and getting customers into merchandise credits?
Are you doing fast refunds at all? If so, are you doing them in a way to limit your write off expenses while maximizing the benefits they bring?
Do you have a one size fits all return policy or are you personalizing returns outcomes, giving different customers different experiences?
Are you optimizing the location of the return product based on margin, need and cost?
Do you know whether returns to stores are actually benefiting you, by how much and in what scenarios?
Did you have a difficult time answering some or perhaps most of the previous questions above? If so, I can help.

person holding pencil near laptop computer

Returns Health Check + Playbook

This is the core solution and establishes the foundation of your go forward strategy. It's a Comprehensive assessment of your returns processes and performance with actionable recommendations for improvement. At the conclusion of the Health Check you will walk away with a comprehensive playbook for how to 1) Reduce returns, 2) Profit from the returns you get and 3) Delight your customers with great returns experiences. After the health check you can decide if you would like me to champion specific solution implementation and/or facilitate solutions with trusted 3rd party partners.

Fractional Chief Returns Officer

Leverage my broad operational experiences to help steer your Returns roadmap in the direction of improved efficiency + better outcomes, without the commitment of a full time executive salary.

My Services

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a returns health check?

A returns health check evaluates your current returns processes from a lens of A) what factors are at the root cause of your returns such that you might address them, B) what strategies should you consider to profit from your returns, and C) how can you give customers the best experiences with returns while balancing against fraud.

Areas of focus with the health check include (but not limited to):

Site Experience
Customer Profiles
Product Experience
Supply Chain (Transportation/DCs)
Cost of Returns
Customer Service
Fraud
Exchanges
OMNI Channel
Return Policy

The process can take anywhere from 4 to 10 weeks depending upon the size and complexity of your business. There are 4 major phases: 1) Discovery and Data Collection, 2) Analysis and Benchmarking, 3) Insights and Recommendations Report, and 4) Playbook Presentation and Action Planning. At the end of the process you will walk away with a Playbook that will guide you in how to A) reduce your returns, B) profit from the returns you are getting and C) create the best returns experiences for your customers while guarding against fraud.

How can you help reduce returns?

I love to say, "fall in love with the problem." It's a reminder to stay disciplined in the problem solving process. So often, with good intention, we want to jump right to solution ideation. In my experience, this is a recipe for failure. I follow a strict process that is skewed and overweighted to understanding your current state and digging deeply to the why's/root causes of your inefficiencies or opportunities. We'll work to identify a broad set of data (some of which you likely may not have previously thought could impact returns) to understand the drivers of your returns. From there, we work together to prioritize and address them. From my previous experiences with returns, I'll bring the blueprint of questions/hypothesis to target the various returns related processes and experiences for improvement.

What is Fractional Chief Returns Officer service?

If you are not able to justify investing in a full time Chief Returns Officer, this service can provide companies (especially SMB) with strategic operational leadership on a part-time basis, enhancing your business without full-time commitment to maximize your ROI.

Can you help facilitate partnerships?

I can connect retailers with trusted third-party partners to implement effective returns solutions that are targeted to the problems/opportunities that arise from the health check discovery process. I am very picky about the partners I recommend. To be a "trusted" partner for me it means that either I have 1st hand experience with them (meaning I have implemented and/or used them directly in my previous roles when I worked for retailers) or I have built a relationship with them through this practice. I won't recommend a solution that I wouldn't (or haven't) used myself.

What experience do you have?

I have over 25 years experience in retail and held executive roles with respected multi-billion dollar fashion and footwear retailers (Abercrombie & Fitch, Victoria's Secret, DSW). See the LinkedIn link below for more details on my profile. I've worked on the front lines (sales associate in store) and up through VP level roles having been responsible for the following areas: Global Customer Care (multiple centers located in N.A., Europe and Asia), Global E-commerce Operations, Fraud, Automation and of course Returns. I completed Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Training at The Ohio State University and have trained over 100 Green Belts across multiple organizations with dozens of successfully completed improvement projects.

How can I contact you?

You can reach me through the contact form on my website for inquiries or to schedule a consultation. I look forward to talking with you and getting to learn more about your returns journey and the specific problems you might be looking to solve!