Abstract:
A business method (and corresponding apparatus) provides retailers with an outsourced return center for processing merchandise returns. The return center provides a dedicated work-force having expertise in returns processing located in a plurality of individual location near customer locales. A customer desiring the return of merchandise to a retailer can have the return processed at the nearest location, receiving immediate credit in accordance with the retailer&#39;s return policy. The use of the return center reduces or eliminates the costs and hassles of returning merchandise to retailers, and offers retailers expert management to ensure the most efficient handling of the returns process.

Description:
[0001]    This application derives from and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/173,509, filed Dec. 29, 1999, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND  
         [0002]    Internet-only retailers (also known as “e-retailers”) have raced to develop their Web sites into user-friendly navigable sites that offer wide selections of merchandise and permit secure transactions. Every detail of the Web site from the moment the user arrives at the site, to the placement of the order, and even the tracking of the shipment is scrutinized to ensure that the overall experience is pleasing to the user. Little attention, however, is given to one of the most critical aspects of the user experience with retailing: merchandise returns.  
           [0003]    True e-retailers have no off-line presence, and thus, every return that is made by a user must be sent through the mail back to the e-retailer. Many e-etailers require that users returning merchandise pay a “re-stocking” fee, require that the users pay their own shipping costs for returns, or both. Such policies offend many consumers because of the costs of the returns, as well as the burden of repacking and shipping the merchandise back to the e-retailer.  
           [0004]    Moreover, e-retailers have little experience in processing merchandise returns efficiently. If not managed properly, returns can eat away at a substantial portion, if not all, of the profit margins of retailers. In the consumer electronics industry, for example, product returns cost more than $15 billion a year.  
         SUMMARY  
         [0005]    A business method (and corresponding apparatus) provides retailers with an outsourced return center for processing merchandise returns. The return center provides a dedicated work-force having expertise in returns processing located in a plurality of individual locations near customer locales. A customer desiring the return of merchandise to a retailer can have the return processed at the nearest location, receiving immediate credit in accordance with the retailer&#39;s return policy. The use of the return center reduces or eliminates the costs and hassles of returning merchandise to retailers, and offers retailers expert management to ensure the most efficient handling of the returns process. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS  
       [0006]    [0006]FIG. 1 illustrates process flow of a return process in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention;  
         [0007]    [0007]FIG. 2 illustrates process flow of an exemplary commercial implementation of a preferred embodiment of the invention; and  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of a computer system used to implement a preferred embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0009]    Preferred embodiments and applications of the invention will now be described herein. Other embodiments may be realized and structural or logical changes may be made to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Although the invention is particularly described as applied to the local return processing for e-retailers, it should be readily apparent that the invention may be embodied in any returns process or other mechanism having the same or similar problems.  
         [0010]    In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, a return center is provided for retailers to outsource the management of returns from customers. In a preferred embodiment, the returns process may involve (as illustrated in FIG. 1) the steps of: examining the returned merchandise (step  10 ); suggesting alternatives to returning the merchandise (e.g., replacing batteries, providing usage instructions, troubleshooting, etc.) (step  12 ); preparing a report of the condition of the merchandise and reason for return (step  14 ); crediting the customer for the merchandise in accordance with the policies of the particular retailer (step  16 ); and sending the returned merchandise to the retailer, fulfillment center, manufacturer, or other depository, as directed by the retailer (step  18 ). In a preferred embodiment, the return center (TRC) contracts with one or more different retailers (e.g., e-retailers, “brick-and-mortar” national retailers, local “mom-and-pop” retailers, etc.). Any number of compensation arrangements (e.g., flat fee, percentage of merchandise value, fee-per-service, etc.) can be made with the individual retailers to compensate TRC for its services.  
         [0011]    In a preferred embodiment, TRC provides a series of locations throughout the customer region of the retailer (e.g., regional, national, international locations, etc.). TRC may provide its own stand-alone locations, provide for franchises branded (or co-branded) with the TRC corporate name, or provide partnerships or alliances with other retailers/service providers (e.g., BestBuy, etc.) having established locations in the desired areas, or those who have infrastructure servicing individual customers (e.g., FedEx, UPS, courier services, etc.). A central TRC location may also be provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment to facilitate distribution of returns and provide central management of the series of locations. The central TRC (as well as the many TRC locations) can provide call centers to field questions from both customers and retailers alike.  
       EXAMPLE  
       [0012]    As an illustration of a commercial embodiment of the invention, one implementation of the invention in a Web site, “ReturnCenter.Com,” is provided below, the process flow of which is depicted in FIG. 2.  
       The ReturnCenter.Com  
       [0013]    The Return Center.Com (“TRC”) processes returns on behalf of eretailers through a nationwide network of franchisees. E-retailers which contract with TRC offer a value add over e-retailers that do not provide consumers with a convenient way to return merchandise and obtain instant credit in accordance with the retailer&#39;s published return and credit policies.  
       E-retailers  
       [0014]    TRC contracts with e-retailers to process their returns (step  20 ). The e-retailers either pay a fixed annual fee for the service, a monthly fee based on returns processed, and/or a fee per return (either fixed or a percentage of the price of the returned item). Payment is made electronically, and in the case of fee per return payments, the electronic payment due TRC is stripped off the fee per return paid by the e-retailers to the TRC franchisee and electronically remitted to TRC. The e-retailers will advertise to consumers that they can return merchandise to any of TRC&#39;s franchisees, which are located nationwide.  
         [0015]    TRC also offers a customer service call center that e-retailers can direct consumers to call concerning merchandise return questions. Each e-retailer is given an individual toll free number, and TRC answers calls in the name of the e-retailer.  
       Processing Returns  
       [0016]    A user is informed that it can return merchandise (step  22 ) to any one of a plurality of TRCs (TRC 1 , TRC 2 , TRC 3 , . . TRC N ) in the nationwide network (step  24   a ,  24   b ,  24   c , . . .  24   n ). The TRC franchisee may trade under its own name, under the TRC name, or co-branded with TRC. TRC will perform return processing (step  26 ), including accepting all returns that conform to the retailer&#39;s published policies, issue instant credit to the consumer (as a credit to the consumer&#39;s credit card account), and return the merchandise to the retailer or the manufacturer, as directed. TRC franchisees are paid per return regardless of TRC&#39;s arrangement with the e-retailer. The TRC franchisee will advise TRC electronically of a return, whereupon TRC will electronically transfer payment of the agreed fee per return to the TRC franchisee. TRC franchisees may also charge consumers directly for packing supplies and postage, if required by the e-retailer&#39;s policy.  
       Use of the Web  
       [0017]    E-retailers will identify on their home pages that consumers can return merchandise to TRC franchisees. TRC will encourage e-retailers to (i) publish their return policies on the Web, and to (ii) provide a link to TRC&#39;s Web site, where TRC will list, among other things, the TRC franchisee locations by state, city and zip code. TRC will also make available to e-retailers a recognizable logo that e-retailers can display prominently to notify consumers that the e-retailer offers TRC as a value added service.  
         [0018]    TRC will also solicit advertising for its Web site from e-retailers with which TRC has a return processing relationship.  
       Catalog Merchants  
       [0019]    TRC will also contract with catalog merchants to provide the same service to them as it provides to e-retailers.  
         [0020]    The computer system illustrated in FIG. 3 is composed of a TRC server  30  and user interface  35  for implementing the operations described herein in accordance with preferred embodiments of the invention. (It should be apparent, however, that many, if not all, of the operations described herein may be implemented by hand using physical devices and human intervention in accordance with the teachings herein.) In accordance with a preferred embodiment, TRC server  30  may include one or more central processing units (CPUs) symbolically represented by CPU  300  used to provide processing of input/output data between TRC server  30 , user interface  35 , and/or network  37 , and among the different modules (all connected together via system bus  309 ) within TRC server  30 . CPU  300  typically executes one or more computer programs stored in the one or more memory devices symbolically represented as memory module  302 . Additional modules (e.g., tracking module  304 , compliance module  306 , accounting module  308 ) may be provided, as will be described below. User interface  35  provides one or more display devices  350  (e.g., CRT, LCD, or other known displays) and one or more input/output devices  352  (e.g., touch screen interface, keyboard, mouse, stylus, push button, lever, or other known input mechanisms) for facilitating the access to the system by a user through user interface  35 . Network  37  may take any wired/wireless form of known connective technology (e.g., internal LAN, enterprise WAN, intranet, Internet, Virtual Private Network (VPN), etc.) to allow TRC server  30  to provide local/remote information and control data to/from other locations. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, the TRC server may be implemented in stand-alone or network devices, as well as serving one or more users over a collection of remote and disparate networks (e.g., Internet, intranet, VPN, etc.).  
         [0021]    The computer system described above and illustrated in FIG. 3 may be used to effectuate any one or more aspects of the game operations described in (and apparent from) the specific embodiments, implementations, and illustrations provided herein.  
         [0022]    In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a computer system (e.g., as shown in FIG. 3) is provided to facilitate the return processes performed by TRC. The computer system  30  may be centrally located in the central TRC (if used), distributed among the many TRC locations, provided as stand-alone systems, or any combination of these arrangements. In a preferred embodiment, the computer system provides tracking information (e.g., by retailer, manufacturer, product-line, model, serial number, customer, purchase transaction, etc.), preferably, using tracking module  304  to maintain and provide the information. The system provides TRC with a high-level of intelligence to manage efficiently the returns for each retailer thus allowing TRC to ensure compliance with retailer&#39;s return policy, prevent fraud, etc. Compliance module  306  is preferably provided to maintain return policy, fraud, and other information pertinent to the retailers (or other business entities) utilizing TRC for processing of returns. Compliance module  306  may be used to detect returns that fail to comply with policies or are suspected of fraud and the like. In a preferred embodiment, the computer system may also control the credits/debits among the customers, TRC franchisees, central TRC, retailers, manufacturers, and fulfillment centers accorded each based on individual return transactions utilizing, for example, accounting module  308 .  
         [0023]    While preferred embodiments have been specifically described and illustrated herein, it should be apparent that many modifications to the embodiments and implementations of the invention can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. For example, while only a returns processing method (and corresponding apparatus) has been specifically illustrated as applied to e-retailers, the invention may easily be deployed provide returns processing for “brick-and-mortar” retailers, wholesalers or other distributors, whether having solely local or regional outlets, or national/international outlets. While the illustrated embodiments have not specified the type of communication medium (or protocol) used to connect the various modules (e.g., shown in FIG. 3), it should be apparent that any known wired/wireless technology may be used to implement the invention (e.g., Internet, intranets, private bulletin boards, individual local or wide area networks, proprietary chat rooms, ICQ, IRC channels, instant messaging systems, WAP, bluetooth, etc.) using real-time or non-real-time systems alone or in combination.  
         [0024]    In accordance with a preferred embodiment, one or more user interfaces (e.g., user interface  35  (FIG. 3)) are provided as part of (or in conjunction with) the illustrated systems to permit users to interact with the systems. Individual ones of a plurality of devices (e.g., network/stand-alone computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), WebTV (or other Internet-only) terminals, set-top boxes, cellular/PCS phones, screenphones, pagers, kiosks, or other known (wired or wireless) communication devices, etc.) may similarly be used to execute one or more computer programs (e.g., universal Internet browser programs, dedicated interface programs, etc.) to allow users to interface with the systems in the manner described.  
         [0025]    The modules described herein, particularly those illustrated or inherent in the instant disclosure, may be one or more hardware, software, or hybrid components residing in (or distributed among) one or more local or remote computer systems. Although the modules may be shown or described herein as physically separated components (e.g., tracking module  304 , compliance module  306 , accounting module  308 ), it should be readily apparent that the modules may be combined or further separated into a variety of different components, sharing different resources (including processing units, memory, clock devices, software routines, etc.) as required for the particular implementation of the embodiments disclosed herein. Indeed, even a single general purpose computer (or other processor-controlled device) executing a program stored on an article of manufacture (e.g., recording medium) to produce the functionality referred to herein may be utilized to implement the illustrated embodiments. User interface devices may be any device used to input and/or output information. The user interface device may be implemented as a graphical user interface (GUI) containing a display or the like, or may be a link to other user input/output devices known in the art.  
         [0026]    In addition, memory units described herein may be any one or more of the known storage devices (e.g., Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), hard disk drive (HDD), floppy drive, zip drive, compact disk-ROM, DVD, bubble memory, redundant array of independent disks (RAID), etc.), and may also be one or more memory devices embedded within a CPU, or shared with one or more of the other components.  
         [0027]    Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited by the foregoing description of drawings, and only by the claims appended hereto.