Global parcel delivery company GLS has introduced a flexible returns system to make it easier for online retailers to deal with recovering goods that consumers don’t want.

The company says that return rates for online purchases range from 10% to as high as 70%, and that the return process can be complex and discouraging, especially cross-border. GLS adds that smaller online shops have so far shied away from the effort involved.

The new GLS system comes as “a flexible online portal that can be individually configured and branded”, according to the company, and can be integrated into existing processes. 

International managing director Saadi Al-Soudani said: "An efficient returns solution is an important success factor for the development of e-commerce in many industries. With the new GLS returns portal, we are proud to offer our export customers not only fast and reliable shipping throughout Europe, but also an easy-to-integrate solution for handling returns."

Shoppers will be helped by the system, too, with the ability to generate return shipping labels and access to a list of drop-off points related to their location.  Retailers can also integrate this part of the system into their own website so that their customers can complete the procedure entirely within the e-shop. 

In Association with

At present the new system can be used for returns from Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Poland, with the UK and Spain lined up for the service in the near future.

GLS Ireland says its traffic has shifted strongly towards private customers, with double-digit growth in e-commerce parcels compared to before the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Because the higher volumes mean more individual stops and higher efforts for the ‘last mile’, the company says its costs  have risen due to relative scarcity of personnel and limited cargo space, and recently delivery charges c. 5%.