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Returnista: Turning returns into opportunities
Online shopping is becoming the default way of purchasing items. But many of the products sent to customers also get sent back, with businesses footing the bill. Sounds like a problem? Not if it is up to Returnista.
The Amsterdam-based scaleup, founded by brothers Quinten and Olivier Muller, aims to turn a retailer’s challenge into an opportunity.
‘Be better’
Olivier and Quinten Muller founded Returnista in 2017 out of personal frustration. Their online purchases were sometimes not quite what they expected. They’d buy shoes that wouldn’t fit as comfortably as they hoped or shirts that didn’t look as good as expected. Then, whenever they’d return products to the post office, it would leave them with a nagging idea that ‘it could be so much better’. Not just for them, but also for the retailers themselves.
It takes an ambitious entrepreneur to turn that idea into a business. With Returnista, the brothers remove several pain points from the online return process. At the same time, they offer retailers opportunities to turn a return into an exchange, ensuring they don't lose a sale that was already made.
Increasing customer loyalty
“We aim to increase the number of exchanges,” says Quinten Muller. “And in the same process, increase customer loyalty.” They’ve implemented several intelligent ways to ensure a return is an opportunity for retailers. For instance, they’ve devised a return process that facilitates exchanges based on real-time stock levels.
According to Returnista, this turns 40 per cent of returns into exchanges, meaning a retailer won’t lose that sale. Retailers are also provided with advanced insights into their returns, offering them unprecedented control over the return process and allowing them to reduce the number of products sent back.
Fewer returns, lower emissions
Besides making it easier for customers and retailers, Returnista also helps organisations reach their sustainability goals. For example, reducing the number of returns saves emissions during shipping. At the same time, Returnista compensates for CO2 emissions, while customers can go through the process without wasting any paper or ink on return labels.
With online purchasing surging during the first years of COVID, Returnista grew rapidly. “We quickly went from a handful of customers to well over 1,000 companies using our service,” says Muller.
International expansion is their current objective. So they made sure their product integrates seamlessly with popular e-commerce solutions such as Shopify or Lightspeed, financial services like PayPal and Buckaroo, and the infrastructure of many carriers like DHL, UPS, DPD, and GLS.
Global product
“Companies can now onboard themselves,” Muller explains. “That way, we want to grow into a global product. We have had boots on the ground in several countries since this year in the form of local sales and support teams. So for us, expanding all over the world is as easy as making sure our product is available.”
Muller makes it sound like easy work. But it is not without its challenges. As with many rapidly growing organisations, finding the right people proves to be a struggle. “Finding the right talent in other countries is challenging. The same goes for scaling up our teams while maintaining the company culture that’s selling our product. But it is a luxury problem. We’re facing these challenges simply because we’re doing so well.”
‘Most beloved return platform’
For Muller, that means every day he’s learning on the job. “We need to find many people rapidly. I’m getting better at it, mainly by discussing the matter with different people. Sometimes I make the right choices, and sometimes I don’t. And if I don’t, the next step up for the company will come a bit later,” is his grounded conclusion.
The fact is, Muller and Returnista keep stepping up. The goal is, says Muller, to become the most beloved return platform in the world. “We want to make every return into an exchange.”
Joining Rise by Techleap.nl
To achieve their goal, Muller recognises it is essential to connect with the right people. Getting selected for the Rise programme by Techleap.nl offered them exactly that opportunity. The programme allows Dutch scaleups to connect with peers and learn from seasoned experts.
“It was precious to gain new insights and become a better entrepreneur over those several weeks. To discuss your business with other entrepreneurs was very valuable,” Muller says about Rise by Techleap.nl. “It taught us more about the importance of measuring performance. To know more about what we’re doing and where we are going. It means we need more focus on our goals for this business.”
For Muller, the programme again underscored the importance of connecting with others as an entrepreneur. If there were any advice he’d give his younger self, it would be to reach out to people who are further in their careers. “But who knows, maybe we’ve reached this point exactly because we didn’t do that. So it feels like we’re always operating at the intersection of gaining traction and involving the best people.”
'It can be better'
Olivier and Quinten Muller founded Returnista in 2017 out of personal frustration. Their online purchases were sometimes just not what they had expected. They bought shoes that didn't fit as comfortably as hoped, or shirts that didn't look as good as expected. And every time they brought products back to the post office, the nagging idea remained that 'it could be so much better'. Not just for them, but for the retailers too.
It takes an ambitious entrepreneur to turn that idea into a company. With Returnista, the brothers remove various pain points when returning an online purchase. At the same time, they offer retailers the chance to turn a return into an exchange, so that a sale already made is not lost.
Increasing customer loyalty
"We want to increase the number of exchanges," says Quinten Muller. "And in that same process, increase customer loyalty." They have developed several clever ways to make a return an opportunity for retailers. For example, they have devised a return process that facilitates exchanges based on what is currently in stock. According to Returnista, 40 percent of returns become an exchange this way, meaning the retailer does not lose that sale. Retailers also receive advanced insights into their returns, which gives them unprecedented control over the return process and enables them to reduce the number of returned products.
Fewer returns, fewer emissions
Besides making things easier for customers and retailers, Returnista also helps organisations achieve their sustainability goals. For instance, a lower number of returns saves on shipping emissions. At the same time, Returnista offsets CO2 emissions, while customers can go through the process without wasting paper and ink on return labels.
Because online shopping increased enormously in the first years of the pandemic, Returnista grew rapidly. "We quickly went from a handful of clients to over 1,000 companies using our service," says Muller. International expansion is now the goal. That is why they have ensured that their product integrates seamlessly with popular e-commerce solutions like Shopify and Lightspeed, financial services like PayPal and Buckaroo, and the infrastructure of many carriers such as DHL, UPS, DPD, and GLS.
A global product
"Companies can now onboard themselves," explains Muller. "That is how we want to grow into a global product. Since this year, we have had a physical presence in several countries in the form of local sales and support teams. Expanding globally is therefore as simple for us as ensuring our product is available."
Muller makes it sound like a breeze. But it is not without its challenges. As with many fast-growing organisations, finding the right people proves to be a struggle. "Finding the right talent in other countries is challenging. The same goes for scaling our teams while maintaining the company culture that sells our product. But it is a high-class problem. We are encountering these challenges simply because things are going so well."
The most loved returns platform
For Muller, that means learning on the job every day. "We have to find a lot of people in a short amount of time. I'm getting better at it, especially by talking to different people. Sometimes I make the right choices, and sometimes I don't. And when I don't, the next step for the company just comes a little later," he concludes pragmatically.
The fact is that Muller and Returnista keep pushing forward. The goal, Muller says, is to become the most loved returns platform in the world. "We want to turn every return into an exchange."
Participation in Rise by Techleap.nl
To reach their goal, Muller realizes it is essential to connect with the right people. Being selected for the Rise program by Techleap.nl offered them exactly that opportunity. The program enables Dutch scale-ups to connect with like-minded peers and learn from experienced experts. "It was very valuable to gain new insights during those weeks and become a better entrepreneur. Discussing your company with other entrepreneurs was incredibly valuable," Muller says about Rise by Techleap.nl. "It taught us more about the importance of measuring performance. To better understand what we are doing and where we are going. It means we need more focus on our goals for this company."
For Muller, the program underscored once again how important it is for an entrepreneur to connect with others. If he could give his younger self one piece of advice, it would be to reach out to people further along in their careers. "But who knows, maybe we only reached this point because we didn't. It feels like we are always operating at the intersection of gaining traction and bringing the best people on board."
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