German online fashion retailers Zalando and Outfittery have both launched free pick-up services for products that don’t fit and need to be returned, in cooperation with different parcel operators.
The fashion and shoe e-retailer Zalando has launched its pick-up service for returns initially in Cologne and Amsterdam in partnership with Liefery, a start-up from Frankfurt, which offers same-day and time-definite delivery and in which Hermes Germany bought a 28.5% stake last summer.
The return shipments are picked up free of charge from Monday till Friday between 7-9 pm at online shopper’s home. The offer will be tested in the two cities until April. Depending on the pilot results, it might be further extended to more cities but it is unclear yet if it remains free of charge.
In September last year, Zalando already started testing same-day deliveries in Germany, operated by Liefery, in Cologne and Bonn and extended the pilot after successful tests to ten more German cities. With free delivery and returns being part of Zalando’s policy, the same-day service is also being offered for free in the moment.
As part of the same-day service, Zalando picks out random customers in the cities concerned and surprises them with an upgrade. They get a message around 4 pm that the goods they ordered will arrive the same day between 7-9 pm.
Similarly to Zalando, the German online retailer Outfittery, which offers personalised outfits for men that are delivered to customers by DHL, has launched a free pick-up service for the outfits its customers wants to return, in cooperation with UPS and TNT. After successful tests in Germany, the service has now been expanded to seven other countries that Outfittery operates in: Austria, Switzerland, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg, Sweden and Denmark.
UPS picks up the returns in all the countries apart from Switzerland where TNT Express takes care of the returned shipments.
Customers can choose themselves where and when they want their return shipments to be picked up, whether it is at home, the favourite café or sports club.
Since its launch in 2012, Outfittery has already been offering free deliveries and returns to its customers and has now added free pick-ups to its services.
According to a recent survey by Research Now, 79% of all German online shoppers buy more with online retailers offering fast and simple returns. “Many retailers currently occupy themselves with express delivery but often forget that smooth and simple returns are equally important for the customer,” Outfittery founder Julia Bösch commented.
“We have initially tested our pick-up service in Germany and have seen quickly that our customers appreciate it very much. Therefore, we are now expanding it across Europe. We want to make it as easy as possible for our customers to integrate the ordering process with Outfittery in their daily lives. Especially men don’t want to spend their free time queuing up at the post office, they prefer the return process to be as convenient and time-saving as possible,” she added.
