HomeDirectUSA Launches Option for Returns

November 14, 2011  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Customer Service on November 15, 2011

HomeDirectUSA, a provider of white-glove home deliveries for large consumer goods, has launched Direct Liquidation, a new service option for returned items.

The service efficiently manages the e-commerce sale of returned items, and is an enhancement of the company's Direct Recovery reverse logistics service.

"Retailers of large consumer goods haven't had many good options for dealing with product returns, which are a significant expense for home delivery services," said Ben Say, director of sales, HomeDirectUSA, Hillside, Ill. "We have been able to leverage our transportation and distribution center network to help our customers generate new revenue on--or efficiently dispose of--returned items that previously have been a costly liability."

This is the latest enhancement of the company's Direct Recovery reverse logistics service, designed for the special needs of large consumer goods retailers, including consolidation and repair/restoration services. With Direct Liquidation, retailers are relieved of complex and expensive returns management. Instead, HomeDirectUSA takes responsibility for items the moment they are rejected at the home delivery site. Products are returned via the company's nationwide transportation network to its central Indianapolis returns processing center.

Once received at the center, returns enter a process designed to maximize revenue. Returned goods are inspected and their condition is reported to customers who then decide whether to refurbish and return to inventory; consolidate with other returns for liquidation; or offer for e-commerce sale--the new Direct Liquidation option. Under any of these scenarios, HomeDirectUSA manages the entire process for its customers. The new e-commerce option allows the owners of the goods to either set a fixed price, or offer items for sale in online auctions. HomeDirectUSA then ensures that the items sell at the best possible price, and handles all the necessary activity including delivery to buyers and processing of payments.

"Our Indianapolis facility has the necessary infrastructure and people who have the skills to make this work," Say said. "It just doesn't make sense for many retailers to perform these tasks. At the scale we can achieve we are able to economically put many of their returned items back into the market."