How ZigZag Helps You Optimise Your Returns With Yodel by InPost

ZigZag Global is proud to collaborate with Yodel by InPost, providing merchants with an efficient returns process through our returns management platform.

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at Yodel by InPost as a company, the core services it offers, its partnership with ZigZag, the markets where this solution is available, and the benefits it delivers to retailers like you.

About Yodel by Inpost: a logistics company powering the UK's PUDO network

Yodel by InPost is a leading UK-based parcel delivery and logistics company, specialising in both domestic and international shipping for businesses and consumers. Established in 2000 under the original name Home Parcel Service, the company rebranded as Yodel by InPost in 2008 and has since become one of the largest independent delivery operators in the UK. Yodel by InPost primarily focuses on the growing demands of e-commerce logistics, providing cost-effective and flexible solutions for online retailers.

The company operates a hub-and-spoke network across the UK, combining central sorting facilities with a network of local couriers to manage last-mile deliveries efficiently. Yodel by InPost’s services cater to a wide range of sectors, including fashion, electronics, and general retail, allowing businesses to deliver parcels directly to customers’ homes or via collection points and parcel shops. The company emphasises flexibility, offering options such as next-day delivery, tracked services, and scheduled delivery windows, which are especially important in meeting consumer expectations in the competitive e-commerce market.

Yodel by InPost also provides robust returns management solutions, supporting retailers in handling high volumes of product returns—a critical aspect of online retail. Through partnerships with e-commerce platforms and retailers, Yodel by InPost helps streamline the returns process, offering both home collection services and drop-off options at designated points. By combining technology, tracking systems, and a customer-focused approach, Yodel by InPost aims to provide a seamless delivery experience while helping retailers manage logistics costs and improve operational efficiency.

In addition to its operational network, Yodel by InPost has increasingly focused on sustainability, exploring ways to reduce its carbon footprint through more eco-friendly delivery options, route optimisation, and investments in environmentally conscious practices. Despite facing challenges common in the delivery industry, such as high return volumes and fluctuating parcel demand, Yodel by InPost remains a significant player in the UK logistics and e-commerce delivery market, known for its adaptability and focus on serving both businesses and consumers effectively.

Why ZigZag is the Ideal Returns Partner for retailers using Yodel by InPost

ZigZag is uniquely positioned to support retailers through every stage of the returns journey by seamlessly connecting its customers to its carriers, warehouses, and service partners in one unified ecosystem.

This level of connectivity means retailers can deliver faster, smoother, and more consistent customer experiences across every market, while reducing operational complexity behind the scenes.

For retailers, it translates into greater efficiency, stronger customer loyalty, improved visibility and control, and the ability to differentiate through best-in-class post-purchase experiences that drive retention and long-term growth.

See first-hand how the returns portal, carrier selection, and tracking features all come together: 👇

A Truly Global Returns Network

ZigZag's carrier network is one of the widest in the industry. 

With over 1,500 carrier services spanning more than 170 countries, you’ll gain access to a massive range of drop-off, collection, locker, and in-store return options, all managed from a single platform. 

ZigZag's returns portal supports multiple currencies and languages, meaning international shoppers get a localised experience no matter where they are.

In-store returns are a growing part of the picture, too. 

ZigZag offers Return to Store functionality that integrates physical shop locations directly into the returns portal. 

Your shoppers will see their nearest store on an interactive map alongside Post Offices and parcel lockers. 

💡 Retailers like New Look have introduced self-service drop-off kiosks in selected UK stores, and many brands have found that offering free in-store returns while charging for online returns can double the number of items brought back to stores.

We’ve seen that this is not only reducing shipping costs but also driving footfall at the same time.

Live Exchanges and Refund to Gift Card

Returns aren’t always the final answer. We still have some tricks up our sleeve.

Live Exchanges allows retailers to save the sale and actually stop the return. Not all customers want a refund, some want a second chance to get the right product. 

Live Exchanges provides consumers with a live catalogue of in-stock products that they can switch their return for, like the next size up or a new colours, as well as entirely different products if you want.

Our Refund to Gift Card feature ensures that you keep cash in the business. It doesn’t stop the return, but it allows loyal customers to take store credit, rather than bank refund. Often incentivised with additional credit or a faster refund. 

Typically consumers that opt for a gift card refund spend 145% of the total refund next time they shop!

How we have improved the logistics networks of retailers around the world

ZigZag has helped some of the UK's best-known retailers transform their returns operations. 

Here are a few examples that highlight different benefits.

Competitive Carrier Rates

One of the key benefits of partnering with ZigZag is the competitive carrier rates the platform provides.

Thanks to the large volume of returns managed for enterprise retailers, ZigZag is able to negotiate favourable pricing with carriers such as Hermes. These savings are then passed directly to you.

We understand that return costs are one of the biggest expenses for retailers, and finding ways to reduce them can have a significant impact on your profit margins.

And this isn’t just a theoretical benefit — we’ve seen it work in practice.

Boden, the well-known British clothing brand, already had strong direct carrier contracts thanks to their own volume and reputation. 

Even so, ZigZag was still able to grow its carrier network and deliver savings north of over half a million pounds in just the first year. 

Because ZigZag is carrier agnostic, Boden could keep any rate or relationship they already had while benefiting from ZigZag's network, where it made sense.

Colin Dawes, Head of Logistics at Boden, explained how it worked in practice: he noted that Boden had quite a lot of direct contracts for their main markets, and those could simply be brought over, which was fantastic. 

In markets where Boden did not have existing relationships, ZigZag filled the gap with strong options and real depth of coverage.

Colin Dawes, Head of Logistics at Boden, stated: “On the day we switched to ZigZag, our US returns carrier partner, Pitney Bowes, was unable to continue operating and we were forced to look for an alternative. Within 3 days we were set up with one of ZigZag’s US partners, at half the price of the quoted carriage fee from our previous returns solution.”

Speed to market without the setup pain

Secret Sales needed to expand their returns capability into new markets, and they needed it fast. 

Setting up carrier contracts one by one in each country would have taken months and tied up the team in negotiations. 

ZigZag's ready-built network meant Secret Sales could go live in new markets rapidly while simultaneously reducing their returns costs.

Cutting through customs and carrier complexity

For Corston, the twin challenge was carrier costs and customs complexity on cross-border returns. 

ZigZag's network delivered better rates than Corston could negotiate on its own, and the platform's expertise in customs handling took a complicated, manual process and made it manageable.

Book a demo with ZigZag

Yodel by InPost Services with ZigZag

Through ZigZag, retailers can access Yodel by InPost’s Xpect Medium Return, Xpect Large Return, Xpect XL Return services for UK domestic returns. 

Here is what the service includes and why it matters.

Drop-off to Parcel Shop or Convenience Store

Yodel by InPost gives customers the option to drop off their return at one of up to 10,000 locations across Great Britain when using a printed label. 

For shoppers, this is one of the most popular ways to return a parcel. 

Rather than waiting at home for a collection, they can drop off their return while running other errands: on the way to work, during a lunch break, or while doing the weekly shop. 

The sheer number of locations means most customers will have a drop-off point close to home or on their regular routes.

Lockers 

After being acquired by InPost, another drop-off option offered by Yodel by InPost through ZigZag is lockers.

Lockers are another easy way to make a return. All you need is a QR code, and you can head down to a local locker, often near train stations, large supermarkets, or in town centres. They are completely self-serve and used by around a quarter of shoppers for their returns now.

There was a 35% increase in use of lockers in peak season 25/26 compared to the same period the year before in the UK. Booming in many markets; greener because of centralised collection and ideal for scale. 

What Markets Can You Get Returns Back from Through Yodel by InPost and ZigZag

United Kingdom

The Yodel by InPost service through ZigZag covers the full United Kingdom, with returns travelling within Great Britain domestically.

Highlands and offshore locations are included, though they may be subject to increased transit times and surcharges.

The UK is one of the world's most mature e-commerce markets. Online shopping penetration is among the highest globally, with tens of millions of consumers regularly buying clothing, electronics, beauty products, and homeware online. 

The UK shopper is digitally savvy, expects clear returns policies, and often checks the returns process before completing a purchase. 

According to ZigZag's own research, over half of shoppers will avoid a purchase entirely if the returns policy does not meet their expectations.

The UK retail returns landscape is competitive and fast-moving. 

Major retailers like ASOS, New Look, Boden, and Marks & Spencer have all invested heavily in their returns experience. 

Return rates in fashion can run well above 20%, and consumers have grown accustomed to easy, often free, returns. 

This means offering a convenient and well-tracked returns process is not just a nice-to-have - it is essential for customer retention.

From a logistics perspective, the UK benefits from a dense carrier network. 

Yodel by InPost has over 16,000 drop-off locations across the UK through its network of "Yodel Direct by InPost" lockers and local shops. These locations, which include newsagents, convenience stores, and supermarkets, allow customers to send, return, or collect parcels seven days a week.

Since Brexit, the UK sits outside the EU single market and customs union, which has added complexity to cross-border ecommerce with Europe. 

For retailers selling into both the UK and the EU, having a returns partner like ZigZag that understands customs processes and can route returns efficiently is especially valuable. 

ZigZag's carrier-agnostic approach means you can use the best available carrier for each leg of the journey, whether that is Yodel by InPost domestically or another carrier for cross-border movements.

The UK is also a strong market for sustainability-conscious shoppers, ZigZag's paper label elimination efforts (the platform has helped eliminate 35 million paper labels per year) align well with growing consumer expectations around environmental responsibility.

Does Yodel by InPost Offer Paperless Returns

Yes, Yodel by InPost offers paperless returns through ZigZag, with around 16,000 paperless drop-off locations available via its locker and parcel shops network.

What Are Paperless Returns?

Paperless returns, sometimes called label-free or label-less returns, allow customers to process a return without needing to print a physical label. 

Instead of sticking a paper label onto the parcel, the customer receives a QR code or barcode on their phone after completing the return through the retailer's online portal.

Why Customers Want Paperless Returns

The shift towards paperless is being driven by a simple reality: most people do not have a printer at home anymore. 

Even those who do often find them out of ink, jammed, or buried in a cupboard. 

Asking customers to print a label adds friction to the returns process, and friction leads to frustration.

Paperless returns remove that barrier entirely. 

Customers can initiate and complete a return using nothing more than their smartphone. 

It is faster, simpler, and more convenient, which is exactly what today's online shoppers expect.

Why Retailers Should Want Paperless Returns

Beyond keeping customers happy, paperless returns offer real benefits for retailers. 

Swapping a big sheet of paper for a small label from a parcel shop means less paper waste, which supports sustainability goals and resonates with environmentally conscious consumers.  

It also reduces the risk of lost or damaged labels, a common cause of failed returns and customer service enquiries.

From an operational standpoint, paperless returns integrate with digital tracking. 

Every scan of a QR code creates a data point, which will provide you with full visibility of where a return is in the process.

How ECCO Transformed Its Returns with Paperless

ECCO, the Danish footwear brand, is a great example of what a move to paperless can achieve. 

Before working with ZigZag, ECCO relied on a label-in-the-box system that gave both customers and staff zero visibility on returns. 

Customers frequently lost their labels, did not trust the process, and could not track their return, leading to a high volume of customer care contacts.

After switching to ZigZag's digital returns portal, ECCO moved from that old paper-based approach to a system where roughly 50% of all returns are now paperless. 

The brand also achieved 100% visibility across its ecommerce returns (up from zero), doubled its returns savings, and significantly reduced customer care contacts.

The Importance of Having Plenty of Carriers for Returns

Relying on a single carrier for your returns might seem simpler, but it comes with real risks. 

Having access to a wide range of carriers through a platform like ZigZag protects your business and keeps your customers happy in several important ways.

Protection Against Delays and Disruptions

Carriers can be hit by all sorts of disruptions, from strikes and staffing shortages to severe weather and peak season overload. 

Royal Mail experienced multiple rounds of strike action in 2022. 

GXO Logistics saw industrial action in 2024. During COVID, different carrier workforces were affected at different times, with one team out while another was still operating normally.

When you have multiple carriers available, you are not left scrambling if one is temporarily out of action. 

ZigZag's platform allows retailers to switch carriers quickly, sometimes within 24 hours, so disruptions do not have to mean delays for your customers.

Choice and Flexibility for Customers

No two shoppers return items the same way. Some prefer dropping off at a local Post Office. Others want a parcel locker they can access at any time of day. 

Some need home collection because they have mobility challenges or simply work from home. 

By offering a range of carriers and return methods, you meet your customers where they are rather than forcing them into a one-size-fits-all process.

ZigZag's research shows that home collection adoption grew by 77% during peak 2023 to 2024, while locker usage grew by 68% over the same period. 

The message is clear: shoppers want options.

Protection Against Carriers Going Out of Business

Carrier businesses can and do go into administration or face sudden operational failures. 

Boden experienced this firsthand when their US returns partner, Pitney Bowes, was suddenly unable to continue operating on the very day Boden switched to ZigZag.

Thanks to ZigZag's deep carrier network, Boden was set up with a new US partner within three days, at half the cost.

Having a returns platform with access to over 1,500 carrier services means your business is never left without a backup plan. 

If one carrier can no longer serve you, there are ready-made alternatives already integrated into the system.

For a deeper look at why carrier diversity matters, you can read ZigZag's full blog post on why retailers need to offer multiple carriers and return methods.

Go Live with ZigZag and Yodel by InPost

Getting started with Yodel by InPost returns through ZigZag is straightforward. 

ZigZag's implementation process is designed to be fast and low-effort on the retailer side. 

Once you are live, you will have access to Yodel by InPost services across the UK alongside ZigZag's full suite of returns management tools, including the customisable returns portal, advanced analytics and reporting, paperless options, and the ability to offer paid returns, exchanges, or store credit.

With Yodel by InPost’s extensive drop-off network, combined with ZigZag's intelligent routing, competitive carrier rates, and deep returns data, you are well placed to offer your UK customers a returns experience that builds loyalty and protects your margins.

Ready to get started? 

Book a demo with ZigZag to see how Yodel by InPost returns can work for your business.

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