Amazon and Walmart are among e-retailers pioneering the use of artificial intelligence to calculate the costs of returns. The onset of the pandemic has seen that strategy rolled out more widely. In some cases, that means refunding the customer while letting them keep the items for free. Those orders tend toward one of two extremes: either very inexpensive items whose cost is not worth recouping, or bulky and big-ticket purchases with hefty shipping costs.
“We are getting so many inquiries about this that you will see it take off in coming months,” Amit Sharma, CEO of Narvar Inc., told the Wall Street Journal. Narvar provides e-retailers with an end-to-end customer experience platform which includes tracking and processing returns.
