New Look Holdings Ltd., a Jersey, U.K.-based apparel retailer with more than 400 stores, has installed return kiosks in partnership with ZigZag Global, a provider of technology-driven retail returns solutions, across a selection of its stores, according to a press release.
The kiosks provide a free return option for customers and will reduce the amount of time spent by in-store staff processing returns, whilst improving data collection.
After entering returns information online, customers can choose "return to store" as a return option and, rather than printing out a sticker, will receive a QR code. Staff are still available to assist customers.
"One of the key drivers for launching the kiosks was that we weren't getting the right data from our customers on why they were returning in store," Rachel Troke, senior product manager at New Look, said in the release. "A lot of items were being marked down as unwanted. A trend that didn't match up with what we were seeing with our online returns."
"We suspected that customers were perhaps too shy to dive into the exact reason for making the return with the store colleague," Troke said. "It is understandable to not want to discuss potential sizing issues with a stranger. The in-store kiosks bring back that comforting anonymity you get with online returns for the customers whilst providing better data for our buying teams. We will now get close to 100% coverage across our e-commerce returns, collecting valuable data that will allow us to make smarter, more-informed decisions."