This story was delivered to BI Intelligence "E-Commerce Briefing" subscribers. To learn more and subscribe, please click here.Walmart is in advanced talks to acquire e-commerce menswear company Bonobos, according to Recode. The companies have reportedly agreed on price, and the deal will be finalized upon completion of due diligence.Walmart will likelybenefit from Bonobos' unique business model. Despite the many difficulties retailers have had with free shipping, Bonobos is reportedly profitable even with its free shipping and returns policy.The company puts an emphasis on providing its customers with the right fit, which likely lowers return rates and customer dissatisfaction. Walmart may be able to apply some of the strategies that have allowed Bonobos to be profitable with its shipping policy to its other business units.The acquisition is in line with the retail giant's latest M&A efforts, which have targeted millennial-focused companies with higher income customers than Walmart typically serves. Additionally, Walmart is bringing in new talent with these purchases as it's chosen to leave the original CEO's in charge. As a result, Walmart can reach customers beyond its usual demographic, while benefiting from leadership with experience in e-commerce.When products are returned to a merchant, the merchant faces thecostly process of either repurposing, reconditioning, or recycling the good.This multi-billion dollar problem is referred to as reverse logistics and it can cut into retailers profits by 10% to 20% every year.This problem will be even more exacerbated by the rise of e-commerce, as customersincreasingly ship backgoods to the retailer, who often might pay for the shipping costs.BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has compiled a detailed report on reverse logistics that discusses how retailers can take an omnichannel approach to help reduce the costs they bear from returned goods. In particular, the reportexamines the strategic reasons why retailers should implement a reverse logistics function and discusses the industries that are most at risk.Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:The rise of e-commerce has increased the need for an effective reverse logistics solution.E-commerce will account for 10% of total retail sales in 2018, up from 7.8% in 2015, according to the US Census Bureau. Shoppers are more prone to returning items purchased online because they aren't sure exactly what they're getting.There are four types of returns retailers face: commercial returns, product recalls, repairable returns, and end-of-life returns.Each requires a different reverse logistics cycle to handle it effectively.Retailers can reclaim up to 32% of the total product cost by having an effective reverse logistics function.This includes by reselling the product, recycling it, remanufacturing it, and more.Retailers should take an omnichannel approach to reverse logistics. However, thiswill only work if the retailer has all their systems integrated and thus can track online and offline purchases in the same system.In full, the report:Explains the intricacies of reverse logisticsExamines the cost associated withreverse logisticsAnalyzes the effect returns will have on reverse logisticsDiscusses the best practice approach retailers can take to reduce this costInterested in getting the full report' Here are twoways to access it:Subscribe to anAll-Accesspass to BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report and over 100 other expertly researched reports. As an added bonus, you'll also gain access to all future reports and daily newsletters to ensureyou stay ahead of the curve and benefit personally and professionally.START A MEMBERSHIPPurchase & download the full report fromour research store.BUY THE REPORTJoin the conversation about this story
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