Summer 2008

Retailers using the ReSCU (Reverse Stock Control Utility) returned-goods processing service operated by iForce are being offered a low-cost, fast-implementation IT system for maintaining visibility of returned goods after they enter the iForce system.

It is a web-based software application developed in association with software house Inventicus. The key is that it allows retailers to link the asset chain from the store to iForce's asset value recovery without till integration. All that is required is an internet connection, which means a retailer's IT development team need not spend time setting up a bespoke system. The retail assistant can simply click on an icon on a computer screen to process the return.

Retailers using the ReSCU service can already track returned goods by linking their till systems to iForce's in-house systems. This allows them to pass on information about the return to iForce returns centre in Saltley, Birmingham, and they can be alerted if the return hasn't arrived at the processing centre. It also means retailers can pre-plan work schedules and agree disposition routes before the items are received at the returns centre.

However, this approach requires retailers to integrate data between retail stores and the outsource returns processing company – which iForce admits is 'a massive operation requiring long development schedules'.

 

Commenting on the new system, iForce chief executive Mark Hewitt says: 'Not only do retailers gain more control over their supply chain, they will find a threefold costs benefit: the retailer gains value from the asset, the retailer does not have to spend time and resources on developing tills, and the retailer avoids losing value by ensuring the asset is not sitting on a warehouse floor.'