References Ochsner Sport
Background
It’s no secret that a large segment of the Swiss population shops online. But it turns out that while around three quarters of customers would like to enjoy the benefits of ‘free returns’ services from online shops, 75 percent of retailers do not offer this service.
Ochsner Sport AG based in Dietikon (ZH) is one of them. As the largest sports retailer in Switzerland, it sells sporting goods from various manufacturers. The company employs 1600 people at over 80 branches.
The Digital Commerce team at Swiss Post was commissioned to assess the potential of free returns for Ochsner Sport AG and to make a recommendation as to whether the introduction of free returns would be worthwhile.
Goals
In addition to a market analysis, a profitability calculation had to be performed to determine whether and in what cases a ‘free returns’ service would be worthwhile for Ochsner Sport AG. The decision would be based on the results of the study.
Result
The result of the collaboration was the development of various scenarios within the framework of a business case, which, in addition to sales development, also takes into account the logistics costs if the ‘free returns’ service were to be introduced.
Even though Ochsner Sport AG decided not to introduce a ‘free returns’ service, customers enjoy discounted returns.
With the help of the digital commerce consultants, we were able to fundamentally scrutinize our returns process and, thanks to their structured working methods and in-depth specialist knowledge in the logistics and e-commerce sectors, we obtained a strategically relevant business model that helped us in our decision-making. Without the team’s specialist knowledge, the market analysis and preparation of all the documents would have been an enormous undertaking for us.
Sascha Bader, Head of E-Commerce, Omnichannel and CRM at Ochsner Sport
Services
Ochsner Sport AG benefited from the following consulting services:
(1) Strategy and design: Analysis of the market situation and economic viability analysis for the “free returns” service
(9) Returns: Professional consulting to assist with return management