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State of Logistics 2016: Pursue mutual benefit CBRE report examines intersection of holiday e-commerce and reverse logistics activity Industrial robotics market expected to reach $41 billion according to new research report Survey results reveal Manufacturing Day events boost public perception of manufacturing industry A3 announces 2017 Business Forum and record-breaking industry results More News The importance of having cohesive and efficient reverse logistics processes for retailers is far from overlooked. That is especially true at this time of year, when holiday shopping is moving along at a very brisk clip, which tends to be the case. That said, reverse logistics processes will be looked to more than ever for retail shippers, with industrial real estate firm CBRE calculating that the total value of returned goods purchased online during the 2016 holiday season will be between $14 billion to almost $29 billion (out of total holiday e-commerce sales of $95 billion). That was a key takeaway from the firm’s recently report, entitled: “Holiday Stress: E-commerce and the Rapidly Rising Rate of Return.” The report is replete with various data points highlighting how reverse logistics, coupled with increasing e-commerce activity, continue to gain traction, including: retail sales comprising 8 percent of total sales, while e-commerce return rates are much higher at 15 percent to 30 percent, depending on product type; citing eMarketer data, 2016 holiday e-commerce sales are projected to rise 17 percent to $95 billion and could potentially result in $29 billion worth of returns; and it is estimated that returns, either sold at discount or disposed of, cost retailers 4.4 percent of total revenue per year How things end up shaking out for holiday season reverse logistics is difficult to predict, according to Joe Dunlap, CBRE Managing Director of Supply Chain Services. “It is infinitely harder knowing what’s coming […]