Hello everybody. My name is Joran Zwart and I'm joined today by my colleagues from the Global Clearance Solution team, Patricia Komoli and Mike Angst. We'd like to welcome you to our today's webinar, which is about simplifying the returns journey. This webinar should take about 30 minutes, so I suggest we dive straight into it. So let's take a look at our agenda. What are we going to discuss today? Our first point will be around what your customers want and what the change in consumer behavior is. We will then take a look at our FedEx global return solution and how that works. We will also go to the bespoke portal solution and the features that are available to you. Then I'll hand it over to Patricia and Micah for a quick run through of customs know how and things to take into account when doing a return shipment and it will also be time available at the end for questions. For these questions, please use the Q&A box available on your screen. We do expect that we cannot address all the questions in the call. However, we will answer your questions in the background and follow up with you offline if needed. So going to the first point of the agenda, what do customers want? And always a good place to start to evaluate what customers and consumers want is to understand the current marketing statistics and online consumer behavior. And the first statistic we'd like to highlight immediately shows the importance of simplifying your returns journey. This 92% of customers have indicated that they will shop again if returns are easy and easy. Return in this case is being a return with simple and clear steps to follow. And probably the best place to put these simple and clear steps are your return pages, because 76% of consumers, they do check these return pages before they make a purchase online. So if these pages are missing any information or they're not reassuring in term of refunds and or customs, that could cost you a customer. And that's especially true when it comes to international returns, because consumers are becoming more global and start buying internationally more and more. And that obviously involves changing their returns, expectations and their needs. Because our research shows that already almost half of consumers have made between 1:00 and 5:00 purchases overseas. And especially these consumers need to be able to purchase their international items with the assurance that they can return them easily. And looking at some of the top challenges for consumer shipping internationally, these include for instance, high cost returns, lengthy refund signs and customs issues. So these market steps, they really show that as a retailer you need to be able to provide return options to ensure a superior experience post purchase for customers. Because as we all know customer experience journey does not finish at the point of purchase. And as already highlighted a bit that experience needs to be easy, intuitive and tailored to the local market needs. Because our research shows that in person drop off at a third party location is still the most preferred metaphor of return, but obviously that can differ pair origin and even pair generation. So it's clear that customers are looking for a simple and convenient return service. But as a retailer being able to provide the right return process also comes with more benefits. And therefore, you can really use returns as an opportunity because as returns increase, the best e-commerce players are using the post purchase experience to differentiate and extend their brand experience. And by doing so, these retailers can fully benefit from all the positives of a good return experience. A good returns experience, for instance, improve your inventory management because it allows you to get your items ready for resale faster. A second benefit that with the right returns process, you can actually reduce your basket embedment or reduce your cost of customer service teams and thereby save costs. Because if all the information is on your return page and all the tracking notification are set up correctly, obviously there's less need for customers to call your customer service. And a third benefit of a convenient return process is that it can increase sales conversion and build customer loyalty. Most savvy retailers, they already understand that a positive returns experience leads to positive return on investment. In fact, research shows that 54% of retailers they've already reported experiencing a higher return on investment when having returns technology in place that improves their customer experience. And then thereby you have to think about personalization technology or product recommendation engines. So I think there's more than enough benefits to evaluate if you are offering the rights return process. I'd like to take one last look at the market data to also take into account something very important, sustainability, because there is a growing concern around the environmental impact of deliveries as more than half of European consumers, they do believe that the rise of e-commerce is a problem for our planet. In fact, 76% of customers believe that too much packaging materials are being used to ship their orders and in addition to that, 78% of customers expected online retailers to use more recyclable packaging material and that percentage is not surprisingly the highest amongst Generation Z. So how as FedEx can we support and help you with reducing packaging. So we FedEx. We offer reusable Poly packs and padded packs and these are all tier and water resistant and have a dual seal for an easy return. They're available in four sizes for items up to 2.5 kilogram and making them really practical for returns. So in the last couple minutes you heard me talking about the return page and that the information here should be clear and simple. So what do customers actually want to see when it comes to your returns policy and what information should you put on your return pages that it starts with the cost of a return? How much does it cost to actually return your my item? When can customers expect a refund? Secondly and thirdly, the returns period and with the returns period is good to bear in mind that the returns period in the European Union is 14 days and refunds are expected back in good time and that's typically between 5:00 and 10:00 working days. Also on the return pages they need to until the contact details in case of a problem Also where to find and how to use a ready to use return label if that is the solution that's been provided. Also where and how you can submit a return line? If that is another service that is provided, obviously where and how can you track the shipments and lastly where can you provide an easy and safe return shipping method when it comes to clearance moving forward in this presentation, we're going to look at how we as FedEx can support with these last four items. So let's look at, so let's look at one of our key products which is FedEx Global Returns. FedEx Global Returns is our service that enables you to return your shipment in a very simple and efficient way. You control your returns and we provide expert guidance with our experienced customs teams. Obviously, when there's clearance required with FedEx Low Return, you can also customize your return labels and you manage all returns with full tracking from over 220 countries and territories. Connecting with or implementing FedEx Low Returns is actually very easy because you can create your return shipment using all our automation tools available. The FedEx Global Tool Global Returns is available via our API, FedEx Ship Manager Software, FedEx Ship Manager Server and of course FedEx.com. We also have around 50 compatible solution providers are so-called CSPS, which you can work with with more certified to come and your customer can easily track their shipments on FedEx.com and set up their own notifications. And tracking is key to reducing customer service costs because when your customers have a clearview of where their items are, they give them Peace of Mind and they're less likely to request information about the return to your customer service. With Fast global turn, you can actually choose also how to provide to return labels. So the first option is to provide a ready to use shipping label and now research shows that nearly 60% of European consumers they do prefer receiving that ready to use shipping label to return a product. Secondly, option two, you can also have an e-mail to your customers when they requested to you. Either way, for both options, your customer will simply need to place the label and three commercial invoices. If claimance is required in a plastic pouch on the item that needs to be returned, then they can easily schedule a pickup or drop off their item at a FedEx retail location and the package is returned to them or to you. So focusing a bit on those drop off locations, your customer can find a convenient FedEx location and drop off their returns at over 70,000 locations worldwide. Now retail points, they're both for domestic and international shipments. They have convenient opening times giving your customers more flexibility and in some countries lockers are available for 24/7 drop off. But it is important to know that offering flexible return options can make a big difference to customers. And it's important to know that 36% in Europe of Europeans, which is the highest amongst Spanish and Italian people, they still want the returns to be picked up from their home or work. And with FedEx in all major countries in Europe, your customer can easily collect order their collections online without the need of having a FedEx account. And by the way, you can also choose to schedule the collection for them if that is your preference. So moving forward, before we move forward, I'd like to have a little poll and the answer to this question will help me in the next section of this presentation. The question I'd like to ask you here is are you looking for a portal to link your own webshop for returns as that this, the answer to my question will help me in my next section. It's a simple yes and no question. I will give around 2025 seconds to answer before we move forward. I see already a lot of people submitting their answers. Thank you for that. We'll give it 10 more seconds, so thank you for your answer. Let's move forward, Let's see what you guys answered. So actually almost half of you 48.3% said that you are looking for a portal to link your own webshop for returns. So indeed, some of you in said 48% are looking for a more bespoke solution because we can all agree that there's nothing less customer friendly than requiring your shoppers to write an e-mail or call a help desk to report that they want to return a product. It just takes too long and there's no need to put your customers through such a complicated process and much smoother option is using a customer friendly portal. And we as FedEx, we're offering in collaboration with Zig Zag Global returns a portal solution for you. So let me talk you through how this works. So with this solution, your customers only need to visit this portal online, simply report the return by ending the order or track and trace number and then print out the return shipping label. The portal also offers customers to provide the reason for the returns, and understanding these reasons behind returns is essential to prevent them in the future. Because when you have, because when you overview these reasons, you can get useful insights and improve your shop to avoid unnecessary returns. By the way, the portal also lets your customers decide how they want to return, either drop off or pick up, they're both available for attractive rates. The portal itself, the consumer portal can be fully branded and provides A seamless and simple returns experience for your customers. And if you think that setting up the portal is hard, setting up the portal is pretty much plug and play and requires very limited integration. Another benefit of this solution that you as a customer you get in the back end a business portal and that business portal allows you to do end to end tracking. So both the consumer as yourself will have full visibility over the parcel at any time. The portal also provides a lot of intelligence, insights and automated reports because as already mentioned, returns tell a lot about your business. They're almost the most valuable source of customer feedback, and that's why having a clear overview of your return statistics is key. These return reasons will help you analyze your online store further and optimize your process to reduce returns in the future. This portal also comes with a very quick and simple interface so that allows your customer service agents to handle returns quickly if needed. And with the business portal, you can also define rules that are automatically applied to specific actions and that prevents you from having to make manual changes to individual returns and lets you automate your return process. For example, you can set a return rule which will give items that are heavier than 10 kilograms only a collection option. So let's watch a quick demo of this portal and how your customers will organize their returns with this demo. I think that will make it very clear how this works. Welcome. In this video we will show you how a customer can arrange a drop off of their e-commerce returns using our returns portal. The customer is directed to this landing page by the retailer where they're asked to confirm their order number and post code to proceed. The returns portal then retrieves the items in the customer's order and allows them to interact with it. They can specify the item and the reasons for its return. The customer is then presented with the return shipping options where they can choose their preferred shipping method. In this case, we're going to choose FedEx Economy Drop Off. The customer is then presented with the important information on how to return their parcel along with a link to the FedEx Locator tool where they can find out their nearest drop off location. The customer then receives their label by clicking the Download your Label button. The customer can now print off their shipping label and affix it onto their parcel and drop it off at the nearest drop off location. A copy of the label and also a link to the tracking of the item is also emailed to the customer so that they can stay up to date with the progress of their return. Thanks for watching so I hope they've made it clear how this solution can help you simplify your Returns journey. Also good to know is that this solution is both available with our International Priority and International Economy Service. So that's depending on how fast you want the returns of your goods. That normally comes with a transit time anywhere between 5:00 to 10:00 working days And drop off solution in the solution is available from all our key markets in Europe and also the US and Canada. Home collection thereby is available from over 220 countries and territories and clearance paperwork will be uploaded digitally, making it faster and easier. And then talking about clearance, I'd like to hand it over to Patricia and Micah, our experts, to give you a dive into clearance. Thank you, Jordan. So customs can be very complex as it is. We spoke to each country, so let's review some key points around return shipments, returns, goods relief and duty drawback. So returned shipments, as all international shipments need to go through customs twice, ones for export from the origin country and ones for import to the destination. One of the greatest challenges small businesses site when dealing with international returns is managing taxes and duties. This is down to different countries but even states, provinces, republics and territories having unique tax lows. But everywhere, customs officials assess duties and taxes, or grant duty and or tax relief, based on information provided on the shipping label, the commercial invoice, and other relevant documents. This is why the documents accompanying your return shipments must be accurate and contain all the necessary information. The label of your return shipment must clearly state that goods are being returned. And also include the airway bill number of the original FedEx shipment. Why do we need this information on the label? Because this data allows our automation systems to intercept return shipments and inform our clearance teams. This helps avoid possible mistakes in clearance. The most important document for your international shipping is always the invoice. We call it the passport for your shipment. It allows smooth clearance if it contains all the required and relevant information. This document must always show specific information regarding quantity, description, tariff code, value, and origin. In the case of returns, the description of the items must provide accurate identification of goods and must be the same as the original shipment, including EAM. This is always good practice. The invoice must also state that the goods are being returned, provide a reason for return and include the original airway bill number and the return airway bill number so that customs of offices can easily link and match the two shipments. Now let's have a little quiz. You can get a relief if you are re importing goods into the UK or EU that have previously been exported from the UK or EU. This is known as return goods relief or duty drawback. I will give you some seconds to post your answer. You have still 10 seconds to answer this question. OK, let's see the results. So 65% point one, choose return goods relief, which is the correct answer. On the next slides my colleague Mikey will show you what return goods relief and duty drawback are. Mike, over to you. Thank you Patrick Young. So let's have a look at return goods relief for UK and European Union countries. If you re imported goods into the UK and EU that have previously been exported from there, you could get a relief and any time proof of exportation is needed and the return should take place within three years of the original export. It is important to remember how your return invoice should be completed. Don't forget to state that it is a return, to mention the original and the return and number to state the reason of the return and to put the same description as the original invoice. This doesn't mean that the return shipment must contain the same items quantity as the original one, but that each item must have the same description either on the original invoice and on the return one. So if your customer decides to return only one piece and keep all the others, you should issue an invoice according only one piece, but its description must be as the one on the original in place. Please take note that return goods relief is a special clearance procedure and not a standard one, and that rules and procedures can be different from country to country, even inside the EU. This means that bespoke solutions must be set up in most cases. This is why we have a dedicated team of experts that can help you identify your needs and create solutions for you. If you think this is what you need, please reach out to our sales force. If you have a lot of returns, you might be interested in the following information around duty drawback. Return shipments are shipments previously imported to the destination countries for duties and taxes were collected by customs. In case of a return, you might be eligible for a refund of those duties and taxes if foreseen by the rules of that country. Again, keep in mind that customs rules vary from country to country. This means that duty drawback might not be feasible in the country where you ship. In any case, invoices must be accurate and contain all the relevant information as return goods relief Duty drawback is a special customs procedure, not a standard one. Our team of experts can support you also on implementing solutions for duty drawback. Where possible, our sales force will be able to guide you and provide you with all the relevant information. For example, FedEx have a special service in the US for duty drawback called Unused Retail Drawback Program. This service is limited to certain volumes and duty drawback refund values in case you will be assigned your own specialist who is knowledgeable in the US regulations and directives regarding duty drawback and who will support you to get your drawback refund. We will also keep you updated about any news on duty drawback programs. Again, our sales force will be able to provide you with more details. OK, let's do a final course. This comes another procession for you. So another question is, is duty applicable for a shipment imported or return to you containing clothing made in US valued 130 Euros? Answer A is yes, answer no is B. Again, some seconds to post your answer. 10 seconds more, and here are the results. So 54% of you said that it is yes, but unfortunately or fortunately, the answer is no. So remember that shipments valued up to €150 are not subject to duties when imported to EU countries. This means that no duty relief procedure needs to be requested in case of those return shipments. The same applies in the UK where the threshold is 135 pounds. Mike, over to you again. Thank you. Additional considerations when setting up your return shipment strategy include refund and exchange options. So ask yourself, can you find a creative way to discourage refunds, like for instance offering free returns for exchanges only. As we mentioned, each country has its own regulation, so check out the country regulations. Are these difficult to send goods back or claim back Duties and taxes? And finally, we have a great website page named for Chipping channel where you can find e-commerce clearance guidance and checklist. An example checklist in on setting up clearance paperwork could look like Set up your commercial invoice template, write an accurate goods description, classify your goods with an HS code, identify the country of manufacturer, check for duties and taxes or exemptions, define the income term and comply with product regulations. And finally prepare your documents with that. Over to my colleague, so I'll find Mike and Patricia. So All in all, just remember that we are here to advise and support. You just reach out to us so we can take a look at your shipping needs for each lane and countries you're returning goods from. And that actually brings us already to the end of our presentation. We hope you find it very useful. The quick summary, one your customers, they're looking for easy and simple returns. Secondly, FedEx services can help you throughout these return processes with both our FedEx Global Returns product as our bespoke portal solution. And thirdly, when it comes to customs, it's all about preparations. Be knowledgeable and lean on our expertise to guide you through. So we'd like to thank you very much for listening today. Now it's actually over to you. Does anyone have any questions? And let me take a look at what you guys submitted with questions because you still have a bit of time to answer questions here. I saw a lot of questions about customs actually and especially around do you need to provide the three commercials invoices physically yes or no. And as mentioned in the presentation with the famous Global Returns product, the three commercial invoices needs to be attached on the parcel. We are currently working at a paperless version and hope to have that live very soon. And with the portal solution we can actually upload this paper digitally. So in that case your customer does not have to print them or does not have to affix them to the parcel. I also see questions around the so-called returns good fee, so that our fees that are due if a return is imported and yes, you can be exempted for that. If you have your account manager please highlight these costs to them and ask if you are if that exemption of these costs are available for you. So yes, you can be exempted from these costs. I also see another question about a portal where somebody else. I already have a portal but I want FedEx implement with it. That obviously is possible. I would suggest to ask for the API keys and give them to the portal solution you're already using. They should be able to implement with FedEx and the servers you want with FedEx easily because our API's connect pretty much any of these partners. And I think before we move over to the end, I also see a question about how option two works when it comes to global return. So that's the e-mail option. So how that works is that if a customer indicates that he wants like to return an item, he can contact you in any way you want via e-mail or call you and that allows you to create the return which is based on the outbound shipment by the way. Then the label and if clearance paperwork is required that will be automatically shipped to your customer or your customer needs to do is print them and fix them to a label. And again, he or she can schedule a pickup or drop off their parcel and any of our retail locations. I see a lot more questions coming in, but as already mentioned, I don't think we have that much time left. We will answer these questions offline. So please keep these questions coming. And with that, I want to thank you again for listening to this webinar. And please don't forget to download more information in the resource section and reach out to us or our sales team if you are interested in any of the solutions we've got for today. So thank you again for listening. _1732404378266