The Very Group

How The Very Group’s returns experience has taken shape with ZigZag

Enterprise retailers need bespoke solutions

For enterprise retailers, returns aren’t just an operational necessity – they are a strategic differentiator. High order volumes, complex supply chains, multiple regions, and diverse customer expectations make one-size-fits-all returns platforms slow, costly, and inflexible. A customised returns solution lets enterprises align returns with their unique workflows, policies, and brand promise – turning a traditionally costly process into a driver of efficiency, insight, and customer loyalty.
‍
Colin Wooldridge, Head of Product at The Very group commented, “ZigZag’s confidence in its ability to undertake the project, along with its proven track record with similarly sized retailers, gave them an edge over the competitors we looked at. The team were proactive and collaborative from the get-go which was particularly important as the project was more complex than initially anticipated, but the can-do attitude of the ZigZag project team has been remarkable.”

‍

Flexible carrier options

As a retailer that prides itself on creating convenient, engaging shopping experiences at scale, The Very Group had relationships with carriers across the UK already in place. The company wanted to maintain those relationships, so it had to select a carrier-agnostic returns solution if it wanted to keep its rates and control of its network.

“We don’t want to leave our customers with just a single carrier option for their return in any market if we can help it. Our customers can return through the postal network, parcel shops, convenience stores, lockers, and even have the return collected from their home. All carrier services are viewable on an interactive map which makes it very easy for customers to quickly find the best option. More flexibility ultimately means happier customers.

“Our product range is diverse. That means a customer could return products of vastly different sizes and weights, that go back to different warehouses, all at the same time. The ZigZag team worked tirelessly to ensure carriers are segmented for the customer based on destination and product attribute. It’s the sort of capability that will have great long-term effects on our handling and logistics costs, as well as reduce calls into our customer service team and get refunds processed faster.”

Hands-on Account Management

At ZigZag, account management is a priority – not an afterthought. Once you become a customer, our focus is on supporting you and continuing to earn your trust. You’ll have a dedicated Account Manager for ongoing guidance and hands-on support, backed by a team with deep retail experience. Many of our people have worked at leading retailers, so they understand your challenges firsthand – and know how to help you overcome them.

“The Very Group would like to express gratitude and recognition to the entire ZigZag project team for their efforts throughout the project. The team has been incredibly collaborative, hardworking, and a pleasure to work with.

“They have been in our corner from the start. It doesn’t take long to get an answer or support from ZigZag. The ZigZag team have been ready and willing to move things forward.

“Since going live, ZigZag has been a valuable partner, offering useful insight, innovative solutions, and a knowledgeable team.”

Smarter insights with ZigZag’s Returns Reporting Hub

Every retailer starts their journey with a label-in-the-box solution. Before the mid-2010s, it was not only the easiest way of providing customers with a bit of assistance in getting their goods back, but the only way.  

But the label-in-the-box returns solution is incredibly difficult to track, which can cause problems for your DC and warehouses teams as well as frustrate your customers. No one likes to be kept in the dark.

“We had a lack of visibility for pretty much all aspects of our returns data. Return reasons were tough to track and monitor. We couldn’t stop certain products that weren’t applicable for return or were outside its return window, from being sent back.

“Through ZigZag, we’ve been able to completely digitalise the returns experience. From the Returns Portal to the Returns Reporting Hub and Admin Portal, the data visibility has had a massive impact on our business. Our return processing is a lot faster and more efficient, as our teams can plan around expected returns.  

“It’s not just our operations and logistics teams that have benefitted, but our customers have too. They can check the portal and receive email notifications on key return journey milestones and their refund status. This has led to a significant reduction in customer service enquiries and more satisfied customers.”

Convenient paperless returns  

The Very Group has always put its customers at the forefront of its decisions. The retailer is continuously improving the journey of its customers from frictionless checkout processes to seamless returns – and that means removing labels in the box. Putting the onus on customers to keep hold of return labels and sort out their returns is not the ideal experience and can cause data blind spots for the retailer.

“Moving towards paperless was a key objective for us. The online portal means we’ve been able to remove all return labels and advice notes from outbound parcels, which has already reduced our paper usage dramatically.”
‍
‍