Online men, women and children’s wear customers will be able to return items via the Collect + network of 3,500 local shops

The appointment of parcel delivery network Collect+ follows a successful trial in which Boden customers were offered the service by means of a Collect+ leaflet enclosed in their parcels containing instructions and a convenient self-adhesive label. This approach, requiring no IT integration or stationery changes, enabled a rapid uptake of the service.

To make it as simple as possible to find the nearest Collect+ store, which are all within the PayPoint network, Boden customers were also among the first to be offered the chance to use the new Collect+ SMS store locator, as well as the standard online store search. 

By texting their postcode, customers received a reply giving the address of their nearest store and also a link for smartphone users to search for more. With the Collect+ objective to make returns to retailers as easy as possible, this new service allowed the returns process to be kept ‘on the kitchen table,’ without the need for a PC.

Improving supply chain visibility 

As a result of these initiatives, uptake of the Collect+ service was swift amongst Boden’s customers, within weeks accounting for 20% of all Boden’s free returns volume.

The engagement has also delivered operational benefits, as the tracked nature of the Collect+ service means that Collect+ advises Boden daily on the number of parcels that have been returned via Collect+ stores enabling the retailer to plan accordingly. With the average Collect+ return taking less than three days, Boden can restock quickly and give customers faster refunds, thereby engendering greater brand loyalty.

Chris Potter from Boden commented: “This has been the least painful new carrier introduction we have ever undertaken and feedback from customers has been overwhelmingly positive. The convenience of return locations near to home, work or travel that are open early until late is a particular benefit to our customers. Collect+ has further bolstered Boden’s reputation for outstanding customer service.”