Cole Haan steps into online returns partnership with UPS

Cole Haan customers have new, streamlined option for dropping off returns of e-commerce purchases.

The specialty footwear/accessories retailer is integrating with the UPS Digital Returns service and the Narvar customer engagement platform to enable no-label and boxless returns of its merchandise at nearly 5,000 The UPS Store locations. Returns will be packaged and labeled at The UPS Store, with a nominal fee for the service.

Starting the week of Nov. 9, consumers making an eligible return will see the option to return their item with no additional packaging or label required via Cole Haan's Narvar-powered online returns portal. Instructions with a mobile QR code and closest locations are provided for drop-off. According to Narvar, 85% of the U.S. population lives within 10 miles of one of The UPS Store locations processing Cole Haan returns.

More than 300 Narvar customers globally use the platform for online returns, including Walgreens and Nordstrom; as well as Gap, Ann Taylor, and Finish Line. Narvar and UPS expect to expand the ability to drop off no-label, boxless returns at The UPS Store to many retail brands.

"Although this has been a challenging year for retail, e-commerce has been supercharged,” said David Maddocks, brand president of Cole Haan. “It's critical that we prioritize customer experience, including times when a customer wishes to make a return, which have long been a pain point for both retailers and consumers. It's clear that this part of the journey can drive customer loyalty, and we're happy to have been able to get this convenient option up and running quickly with Narvar and UPS." 

"UPS continues to innovate with customer-first experiences such as no-box, no-label returns to deliver what matters to e-commerce merchants and consumers," said UPS VP of global e-commerce strategy Nick Basford. "Embedding UPS Digital Returns functionality into Narvar's post-sale, consumer-facing solution and combining it with the physical reach of The UPS Store network, creates a differentiated e-commerce solution to drive sales growth."

"Narvar's mission is to simplify the everyday lives of consumers, and removing the friction of repackaging returns and printing labels at scale is an important element to help retailers make the returns experience a competitive advantage," said Amit Sharma, founder and CEO of Narvar. "We're excited to deepen our partnership with UPS to enable this convenient returns option at thousands of locations within minutes of most Americans, while requiring minimal effort from retailers like Cole Haan to offer this benefit to their customers."