InPost launches first label-free returns service with Missguided

Out-of-home and e-commerce delivery company, InPost has teamed up with Missguided to make returns easier with the launch of its first label-free returns service.

‘Instant Returns’ is a new service that allows customers to return items without the need for any printed labels, available 24-hours a day, seven days a week. All shoppers have to do is scan their QR code on their mobile phone at the locker and put the parcel inside.

Removing labels means returns can be “easier, faster and also greener, saving paper and preventing wastage of unused printed labels,” explains InPost in the press release.

The service launches with Missguided and comes in response to calls from customers for retailers to make returns easier and to better fit around their lifestyles, something which InPost is sought-after “by younger and more tech-savvy shoppers”.

The recent boom in online shopping due to the pandemic has driven a surge in demand for returns, yet they remain a difficult and inconvenient part of the online shopping journey. With research commissioned by InPost finding that 83 percent of people who shop online saying retailers should do more to make the returns process as easy and fuss-free as possible.

The findings, based on a survey of over 2,000 online shoppers conducted by Opinium, also revealed that many shoppers don’t have access to printers at home to print returns labels, including as many as 44 percent of digitally native Gen Z and millennials and 66 percent of this younger cohort would rather use a code that can be scanned on their phone than put a physical label on their parcel.

The impact of getting this right is important for retailers, as 86 percent of online shoppers added that a poor returns experience puts them off shopping with a retailer again.

Jason Tavaria, chief executive at InPost UK, said in a statement: “We know that returns are one of the most painful parts of the eCommerce journey and can be stressful and time-consuming. So, InPost have built a solution that takes away the pain and ditches the label, making it possible to return items in seconds whilst at super convenient locations. It also helps reduce the wasted returns labels that retailers send in their packaging.

“For retailers, returns are becoming a huge part of the customer experience, core to driving customer lifetime value and competitive advantage. This is even more important at a time when the trading environment remains challenging. InPost partners with retailers to offer an easy and stress-free returns experience so they can enjoy happier, more loyal customers.”

Nick Bamber, chief growth officer at Missguided, added: “We’re really excited to be able to offer our customers even more choice when it comes to returns. Keeping things super simple and convenient for our shoppers is more important than ever, especially given how much of their shopping experience is already on their mobiles. Having the option to send returns back within seconds, using just a phone, is exactly the type of innovation that will appeal to our customer base.”

Image: courtesy of InPost