National Sporting Goods Retailer Improves Recovery and Returns Efficiency

A premiernational sporting goods retailer operating more than 175 stores across theUnited States and Canada relied on a third-party provider to manage returns andreverse logistics. As returns volume grew, the retailer began to experienceoperational inefficiencies, delayed recovery, and declining returns onliquidation. These challenges ultimately limited visibility into vendorsettlements and constrained the retailer’s ability to manage working capitaleffectively.

The retailer’sprevious reverse logistics provider relied on outdated tools that could notsupport the complexity or scale of modern returns. Return-to-vendor items oftentook up to 120 days to process, creating vendor dissatisfaction and tying upmore than $1.1 million in working capital. Liquidation recovery rates wereextremely low, while per-unit processing fees further eroded margins.

The retaileridentified an opportunity to replace its legacy returns program with a moretransparent, data-driven solution. Leadership sought a partner capable ofimproving recovery outcomes while accelerating settlement timelines andreducing operational friction. Any new approach needed to scale across hundredsof locations while delivering measurable financial impact.

ReturnProimplemented a phased returns transformation combining SaaS, supply chainexecution, and recommerce services. The retailer integrated ReturnPro’splatform with its eCommerce systems, enabling intelligent policy management,faster RTV processing, and real-time visibility. Returned goods wererefurbished, restored, or resold through optimized channels to maximizerecovery and reduce waste.

The new returnsmodel delivered significant financial and operational improvements across theorganization. Faster processing reduced working capital constraints, whileimproved recovery strategies increased net returns value. The retailer alsogained end-to-end visibility into returns performance, enabling better vendorrelationships and forecasting.

• $3.4Mprojected net financial uplift
• $28Min credits achieved in the first year
• $368Kworking capital improvement
• Recoveryon B2C units increased to 70%

Following earlysuccess, the retailer continues to expand ReturnPro’s capabilities acrossadditional categories and facilities. Ongoing enhancements focus onaccelerating settlement timelines, improving refurbishment yields, and scalingautomation. This partnership provides a flexible foundation to support futuregrowth and evolving returns complexity.