It can be difficult for retailers to implement a fully visible process for managing the flow of stock.

It is essential for retailers to process returns quickly and efficiently.

Return rates in retail are high and Sarah Windham-Luck, retail director at Office Depot, says that makes stock management a priority for retailers.

She says: “Visibility is paramount, not only because returns have become a normal and regular aspect of modern consumer behaviour, but because the longer items are out of the supply chain, the less profitable they become.”

Windham-Luck adds it’s crucial to work closely with suppliers and partners and share plenty of information. “Making this work is about more than just paying it lip service – in order to properly support the sector, suppliers must ensure that regular operational meetings are held with their retail partners to anticipate issues early and to address them quickly and efficiently,” she says.

These processes need to be embedded in the culture. That will help ensure items which have been returned are processed and back in the supply chain in enough time for them to be sold at the maximum margin.

Windham-Luck adds: “Suppliers must actively help retailers in meeting the “right now, any time” culture head-on in order to better guarantee availability.”

Any retailers that don’t have full visibility of stock are at risk of being left behind by competitors, she adds.