Liquidity Services Increases a Retailer’s Recovery on High Value Secondary Market Items by 40% Over Traditional Liquidation Sales Channels.
Introduction
One solution does not fit most retailer’s returns management strategies. That’s why, when this retailer turned to Liquidity Services to help drive recovery of returns, we implemented tools and platforms that were customized to fit the retailer’s unique business needs. Our multi-channel and long-term approach drives sales to our B2C marketplaces and our owned B2B marketplace, Liquidation.com. The B2C higher recovery, high touch solution for near mint condition inventory works in parallel with our B2B pallet and truckload sales recovering cash and avoiding landfill on incomplete and salvage condition items.
“In 2020, Liquidity Services was responsible for the ReCommerce of over 12,600 tons of product that would have otherwise needed to go to landfill. Partnering with Liquidity Services we are extending our planet’s natural resources and protecting land and water from the impact of material disposal.”
The Challenge: Getting the Best Returns on Your Surplus
This retailer operates thousands of brick-and-mortar stores and an exponentially growing e-commerce marketplace. Through our suite of retail services that extend far beyond just liquidation, we helped in their successful transition to a more efficient centralized returns network and systematically increased recovery on secondary market inventory.
We recognize that there are challenges with managing large volumes of surplus, but our team makes it easy for our clients to put the time-consuming logistical work in our hands. Some clients choose to use our proprietary universal product database application. This identifies key details for products for individual or pallet level sorts and helps increase value during the re-sell process adding key details buyers want utilizing the time and labor that is already processing the inventory. After that team members can launch a single item for auction to a B2C marketplace or pallet level inventory to our B2B marketplace. This empowers them to capture the right customer for the goods while maximizing recovery. Other clients simply route truckloads of goods to the Liquidity Services warehouse and fulfillment network. Where we do the work of your team members to maximize recovery for your assets.
Returns Management and ReCommerce is an unpredictable business and presents many challenges. Over the past decade of partnership, we have provided unique solutions to help them achieve their sales growth by dispositioning inventory efficiently and responsibly downstream, with recurring and timely financial settlement.
Ongoing Successes Achieved by Partnering with Liquidity Services:
For this retailer supporting peak season volume requires a reliable and professional disposition outlet for merchandise, minimizing return center operations. Liquidity Services was able to support them in achieving their goals while simultaneously enhancing recovery and operational efficiencies – here’s how:
Deploying a handheld device to sell and fulfill over 100,000 individual items B2C from both the retailers return centers and Liquidity Services’ own operation centers, covering a nationwide footprint. This customized solution utilizing a single tool set for both resulted in netting the retailer 40% more as a % of COGS on direct to consumer flows.
The retailer also routes over 3,000 truckloads a year of surplus to Liquidity Services warehouses to be sorted into pallet level sales for small business customers or sold by truckload in as-is condition to large secondary market distributors.
The retailer will be further collaborating and extending the partnership with Liquidity Services to use the Load ‘N’ Sell truckload solution where appropriate. This solution, which leverages trailers stored and sold from nearby yards, is designed for retailers that need to quickly remove truckload-sized volumes from their facilities and reduce their carbon footprint incurred by traveling to centralized warehouses
Reliable and Scalable Recovery Solutions
Liquidity Services provides total management of overstock, returned, and surplus inventory, managing over 3,000 truckloads of surplus for this retailer. Our team collaborates with them every step of the way by continuously looking for ways to drive higher value without hindering operations.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, it has not been uncommon for many retailers to have forward and reverse supply chain disruptions, impacting the normal flow of operations throughout the network. The retailer desired to continue to maximize recovery during pandemic disruptions, and free up essential space in their returns operations, they asked Liquidity Services to take over the B2C program we had implemented within their return centers. Working closely with them Liquidity Services was able to seamlessly transition operations with minimal downtime and disruption to sales.
Within days, the process shifted and we delivered an even higher net recovery across all categories and higher inventory sales velocity. We achieved these results through our diverse marketplaces and our managed services.
To combat domestic saturation and market cannibalization, many retailers like this one are increasingly turning to export sales for their overstock, returned, and surplus inventory. International sales allow the retailer to better defend against fraudulent returns as well as establish their brand to international customers who may not have otherwise been able to purchase product directly from the retailer. To capitalize on this industry trend, this retailer asked Liquidity Services to begin international sales of their surplus and returned product in 2017. Liquidity Services quickly developed an international sales team to establish a relationship with key contacts and major buyers in several marketplaces across the globe, allowing us to develop a competitive and self-sustaining market for thier product in those countries. Liquidity Services is now regularly exporting and liquidating over 75 trucks per year to 7+ countries on behalf of them.
“Liquidity Services eagerly stepped up to the ask, is nimble, and supports us in evolving market conditions, from core business seasonal volume fluctuations, to establishing export marketplaces on our behalf, to moving high recovery individual unit sale operations in the secondary market.”
Transparent Reporting
Our real-time, accurate dashboards help create transparency and trust. These flexible dashboards gives the retailer access to important information at all times and can confidently report out on key performance indicators such as recovery, inventory, cycle time and more. Additionally, our subject matter experts and account management team are in touch on a regular basis with insights and recommendations.
Conclusion
Liquidity Services is here to grow, scale, and support you with your challenges. If you have overstock, returned, and surplus inventory we can provide free, easy, and transparent solutions that will help you maximize recovery and reduce costs. Learn More