Interactive Roundtable Day: Improving The Out-Of-Box Experience And Customer Service To Reduce Returns

Susan Hyon, Director, Research & Development, Blockchain Technology Group

---

Steve Koenig, Director of Industry Analysis, Consumer Electronics Association

What are the latest hot products in consumer electronics and what are the expectations for the upcoming holiday season? One of the most anticipated sessions of Consumer Returns is the annual update from CEA Director of Industry Analysis Steve Koenig. Steve will address some of the hottest product categories - from automotive installed electronics, portable/home audio (headphones, Bluetooth speakers and soundbars) and video game consoles to streaming media players and wearable technology - and trends that are impacting your business. This presentation will also convey how these trends are impacting reverse logistics operations. The short lifecycle of many goods - i.e. tablets and smartphones - has necessitated a rapid reverse logistics process and utilization of secondary markets to capture value with returned inventory. Companies are also recognizing the increasing importance of assistance during device setup and emphasizing ease of use to avert returns.

---

Sue Martin, Vice President, Customer Service, Newegg Inc.

Your customers are talking about you - the caliber of your products, your customer service - and their peers are listening. To excel in this day and age you need to stay on top of the conversation and take the criticism as a call to action, a way to transform your business.

• The year of the customer experience
• The value proposition
• Customer loyalty: What does that mean today?
• If they tweet, you best be there
  

---

Michael Ketzenberg, Associate Professor of Information and Operations Management, Mays Business School, Texas A&M University

Texas A&M conducted a field study with three different types of retailers - jewelers, furniture and department stores - to test the veracity of four different practices for reducing returns. Based on a preliminary study that analyzed millions of customer transaction records and over 80,000 customer surveys, this research aims to provide simple, straightforward methods to help ensure consumers find the product that best matches their preferences. This presentation will share preliminary findings, as well as provide insights into how data mining can be used to get a handle on return performance.

---

Worldwide, 20 percent of all consumer electronics are returned to manufacturers. However, only 5 percent of these products are malfunctioning, whereas 95 percent of the products are either returned because of buyers' remorse (27%) or due to ill-informed consumers that struggle with handling the products (68%). Thus, manufacturers have to handle warranty claims and accept, test store and redistribute a massive aount of returned products that are not even qualified for warranty. If we quantify this problem in return costs we end up with a number of $25.3 billion in Europe and the U.S. alone.

Warranty Vault is a direct and effective communication channel between manufactuers and consumers supported by a powerful and sart cloud based platform and smartphone App.

Warranty Vault can benefit manufactuers by notifying them when customers want to claim their warranties, giving manufacturers the opportunity to proactively interact with consumers who are considering returning their product. This process is managed by Warranty Vault smart algorithm. By educating the consumer regarding the handling of the product or providing a solution for a technical problem, manufacturers can reduce the amount of returned products significantly. Furthermore, manufactuers can get access to direct and real-time customer feedback that can be used to improve their products. Last but not least, manufacturers get direct access to a large consumer base for promotion and market research.

---

Talking with your peers about how to confront shared business challenges is the most valuable part of this event. Consumer Returns 2014 has set aside seven hours across three days so OEMs, retailers and solutions providers can discuss current issues of importance. This is your opportunity to discuss ways to improve out-of-box experience, post sales support and methods for maximizing recovery rate.

Roundtable topics include (but are not limited to):

• What Clever Tactics Are Being Employed By Online Retailers To Reduce Returns? - Facilitated by Julie Brown, Senior Manager, North America Returns, Philips Consumer Lifestyle
• Optimizing Your Packaging To Reduce Costs While Remaining Environmentally Friendly - Facilitated by Nate Omann, Senior Manager, Services & After Sales, Best Buy
• Tracking Serial Returners: Retailer Experiences & The Growing Consumer Backlash - Facilitated by Sue Martin, Vice President, Customer Service, Newegg Inc.
• Solutions For Achieving Velocity, Recovery Rate And Control - Facilitated by Anthony Okoro, Senior Manager II, Business Incubation Group, eBay & Rick Ator, Business Development Manager, eBay
• Streamlining Your Reverse Logistics Process - Facilitated by Mike Erhardt, Manager, Business Development, ITAD, Lifecycle Solutions, Avnet Services & Monty Reagan, Director, Business Development, Avnet Services

• Innovation And Value Add In Aftermarket Services - Facilitated by Robert Peters, Solutions Architect, Teleplan International
  

In recent years there has been a shift in viewing aftermarket services as a cost mitigation to generating customer value add activities. In thinking about this shift:
1. What innovations helped you drive this change?
2. What innovations do you see as driving more value in the future?
3. Do you see a difference in the value provided by a service provider vs solutions provider? Consider a service provider as delivering a single or limited portion of the overall process and solutions provider delivering and/or managing the entire or significant portion of the process.

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

Talking with your peers about how to confront shared business challenges is the most valuable part of this event. Consumer Returns 2014 has set aside seven hours across three days so OEMs, retailers and solutions providers can discuss current issues of importance. This is your opportunity to discuss ways to improve out-of-box experience, post sales support and methods for maximizing recovery rate.

Roundtable topics include (but are not limited to):

• What Clever Tactics Are Being Employed By Online Retailers To Reduce Returns? - Facilitated by Julie Brown, Senior Manager, North America Returns, Philips Consumer Lifestyle
• Optimizing Your Packaging To Reduce Costs While Remaining Environmentally Friendly - Facilitated by Nate Omann, Senior Manager, Services & After Sales, Best Buy
• Tracking Serial Returners: Retailer Experiences & The Growing Consumer Backlash - Facilitated by Sue Martin, Vice President, Customer Service, Newegg Inc.
• Solutions For Achieving Velocity, Recovery Rate And Control - Facilitated by Anthony Okoro, Senior Manager II, Business Incubation Group, eBay & Rick Ator, Business Development Manager, eBay
• Streamlining Your Reverse Logistics Process - Facilitated by Mike Erhardt, Manager, Business Development, ITAD, Lifecycle Solutions, Avnet Services & Monty Reagan, Director, Business Development, Avnet Services

• Innovation And Value Add In Aftermarket Services - Facilitated by Robert Peters, Solutions Architect, Teleplan International
  

In recent years there has been a shift in viewing aftermarket services as a cost mitigation to generating customer value add activities. In thinking about this shift:
1. What innovations helped you drive this change?
2. What innovations do you see as driving more value in the future?
3. Do you see a difference in the value provided by a service provider vs solutions provider? Consider a service provider as delivering a single or limited portion of the overall process and solutions provider delivering and/or managing the entire or significant portion of the process.

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---