CASE STUDY
Jul 25, 2024
How Thursday Boots triples returns efficiency with Two Boxes
About Thursday Boots
Thursday Boots offers handcrafted boots made with premium materials at honest prices. Since launching in 2014, they've expanded their product catalog to include thousands of items, ranging from dress shoes and sneakers to jackets and accessories.
The Challenge
Thursday Boots needed precise reverse fulfillment to resell their high-quality products
Footwear is the second most returned online item, so brands like Thursday Boots are used to dealing with high return volumes. Joe Gullo, their VP of Supply Chain & Logistics, explains, "Every footwear brand fits a little differently, and every foot is unique." So, customers often bracket or buy multiple sizes and send back the ones that don't fit.
To protect the brand's reputation for craftsmanship, Thursday Boots requires that every returned item be inspected to guarantee it still meets quality standards before being reshelved and resold. Products that don't meet specific requirements are sent back to the 3PL to be restored.
Since Thursday Boots sells DTC and through retailers like Amazon, their 3PL partners had to navigate differing returns processes alongside high inspection standards. This compounding complexity led to returned items being restocked instead of restored, meaning some customers were getting products that fell short of the brand's quality standards. As a result, unhappy shoppers began reaching out for replacements or refunds.
Joe's team tried getting ahead of this with a detailed SOP, outlining exactly how to inspect returned products, but the document was lengthy and complex. Warehouse staff lost time searching for answers to their questions – and, in some instances, abandoned the SOP altogether. Thursday Boots needed an easier way to judge if a returned item still met their brand's quality standards. That's when Joe discovered Two Boxes.
The Solution
Two Boxes removes guesswork, making it easy to process returns efficiently and accurately
With Two Boxes, Thursday Boots has simplified its returns process, making it easier for warehouse workers to inspect if items still meet the brand's quality standards. Unlike an extensive SOP, our returns processing software provides easy-to-use checklists for every SKU. These checklists include everything the warehouse staff must confirm for that specific product, making it easier to stay consistent across different sales channels.
For instance, footwear checklists require warehouse workers to check that the soles aren't worn (with images showing what "worn" looks like), whereas clothing checklists confirm that the garment has no holes. This more granular approach ensures each item is graded appropriately and objectively without adding unnecessary complexity.
"Two Boxes allows us to provide our 3PL with very specific directions. But it also makes the workflow lightweight, so our partners are not burdened by a large SOP," Joe explains.
Even better, every return is tracked in Two Boxes' robust dashboard, enabling both partners to monitor returns in real time. For the 3PL, this offers visibility into how many returns the 3PL can expect to arrive and when. With this context, the partner can better staff for high return periods (like the week after a big sale or promotion), ensuring they have enough hands to process every return quickly and correctly.
Meanwhile, Thursday Boots can see each item's return status, grade, and disposition—along with access to inspection photos—at a quick glance. Joe uses this data to better understand why certain SKUs have a higher return rate, identify potential quality issues, and prevent returns fraud and policy abuse.
The Results
Thursday Boots slashes time spent on returns-related customer service and analytics by 50%
With Two Boxes, Thursday Boots now processes returns faster and more accurately without pulling as heavily on their warehouse workers.
3x increase in returns efficiency
50% decrease in time spent on returns-related customer service and analytics
100% increase in units properly categorized as return to stock
Now, Thursday Boots describes their 3PL relationship as "much stronger and more aligned." Why? Because the team now feels confident that they're only reselling top-quality items, leading to a better customer experience and eliminating preventable returns.
Ready to let returns grow your business?
About Thursday Boots
Thursday Boots offers handcrafted boots made with premium materials at honest prices. Since launching in 2014, they've expanded their product catalog to include thousands of items, ranging from dress shoes and sneakers to jackets and accessories.
The Challenge
Thursday Boots needed precise reverse fulfillment to resell their high-quality products
Footwear is the second most returned online item, so brands like Thursday Boots are used to dealing with high return volumes. Joe Gullo, their VP of Supply Chain & Logistics, explains, "Every footwear brand fits a little differently, and every foot is unique." So, customers often bracket or buy multiple sizes and send back the ones that don't fit.
To protect the brand's reputation for craftsmanship, Thursday Boots requires that every returned item be inspected to guarantee it still meets quality standards before being reshelved and resold. Products that don't meet specific requirements are sent back to the 3PL to be restored.
Since Thursday Boots sells DTC and through retailers like Amazon, their 3PL partners had to navigate differing returns processes alongside high inspection standards. This compounding complexity led to returned items being restocked instead of restored, meaning some customers were getting products that fell short of the brand's quality standards. As a result, unhappy shoppers began reaching out for replacements or refunds.
Joe's team tried getting ahead of this with a detailed SOP, outlining exactly how to inspect returned products, but the document was lengthy and complex. Warehouse staff lost time searching for answers to their questions – and, in some instances, abandoned the SOP altogether. Thursday Boots needed an easier way to judge if a returned item still met their brand's quality standards. That's when Joe discovered Two Boxes.
The Solution
Two Boxes removes guesswork, making it easy to process returns efficiently and accurately
With Two Boxes, Thursday Boots has simplified its returns process, making it easier for warehouse workers to inspect if items still meet the brand's quality standards. Unlike an extensive SOP, our returns processing software provides easy-to-use checklists for every SKU. These checklists include everything the warehouse staff must confirm for that specific product, making it easier to stay consistent across different sales channels.
For instance, footwear checklists require warehouse workers to check that the soles aren't worn (with images showing what "worn" looks like), whereas clothing checklists confirm that the garment has no holes. This more granular approach ensures each item is graded appropriately and objectively without adding unnecessary complexity.
"Two Boxes allows us to provide our 3PL with very specific directions. But it also makes the workflow lightweight, so our partners are not burdened by a large SOP," Joe explains.
Even better, every return is tracked in Two Boxes' robust dashboard, enabling both partners to monitor returns in real time. For the 3PL, this offers visibility into how many returns the 3PL can expect to arrive and when. With this context, the partner can better staff for high return periods (like the week after a big sale or promotion), ensuring they have enough hands to process every return quickly and correctly.
Meanwhile, Thursday Boots can see each item's return status, grade, and disposition—along with access to inspection photos—at a quick glance. Joe uses this data to better understand why certain SKUs have a higher return rate, identify potential quality issues, and prevent returns fraud and policy abuse.
The Results
Thursday Boots slashes time spent on returns-related customer service and analytics by 50%
With Two Boxes, Thursday Boots now processes returns faster and more accurately without pulling as heavily on their warehouse workers.
3x increase in returns efficiency
50% decrease in time spent on returns-related customer service and analytics
100% increase in units properly categorized as return to stock
Now, Thursday Boots describes their 3PL relationship as "much stronger and more aligned." Why? Because the team now feels confident that they're only reselling top-quality items, leading to a better customer experience and eliminating preventable returns.
Ready to let returns grow your business?
Impact Summary
Increase in returns efficiency
Decrease in time spent on returns-related customer service and analytics
Increase in units properly categorized as return to stock
Ready to supercharge your returns?
At Two Boxes, our mission is to make returns an asset instead of a liability. We’re proud to partner with 3PLs like Rocket Shippers to supercharge their return operations and benefit their team, customers, and the planet. If you’d like to make returns a strength for your business, reach out to us today!
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Returns are hard.
Two Boxes makes
them easy.
Returns are hard.
Two Boxes makes
them easy.