Last June, I published an interview with DutchX co-founder Ariella Azogui and David Lopez, who oversees the company’s delivery fleet. Founded in 2012 by Azogui and her other co-founder in Marcus Hoed, the New York-based DutchX is a delivery solutions company that specializes in building logistics technology in addition to acting as its own delivery platform. Notable clients of DutchX include Amazon Fresh, Eataly, and Whole Foods. Even more notable is, unlike competitors’ reliance on independent contractors for labor, DutchX delivery workers are full-fledged employees who receive the commensurate benefits.
DutchX recently announced the addition of at-home returns, a move the company boasted is “reshaping the landscape where logistics, technology, and accessibility intersect” in the name of inclusivity. DutchX noted that while modern technology has revolutionized how consumers (more accessibly) obtain goods, the methods buy which they return them has remained stagnant and unchanged. With this sentiment in mind, DutchX endeavored to revolutionize the return game by introducing at-home reruns, whereby customers can schedule pickups and a DutchX delivery specialist will come by the person’s house to retrieve the unwanted items. Customers are then given tracking info with which they monitor the return’s journey from start to finish.
In a recent email interview with me conducted ahead of the announcement, Hoed explained the at-home return feature is significant for accessibility because not everyone has the ability to lug a package to their car and drive it to the post office or other drop-off location. This, he said, is a “notable barrier in an otherwise seamless experience.”
“Recognizing this gap, DutchX has launched a solution that creates a more convenient and accessible returns process for end customers. By allowing at-home pickup for order returns, we’ve eliminated the need for out-of-home trips, making the returns experience effortless,” Hoed said of at-home returns. “This approach not only caters to convenience but also ensures inclusivity, breaking down barriers that would otherwise hinder certain demographics from participating in order returns.”
When asked who the at-home return feature helps most, Hoed responded by saying it cuts both ways. For the customer, the benefits clearly are accessibility and convenience. But for DutchX, it presents them with a unique opportunity to not only flex their logistical muscle, but it helps them turn a generally negative shopping experience—returning stuff—into a positive one. This transformation matters a lot, Hoed said, because the average return rate for e-commerce retail is around 30%. Most importantly to DutchX, the at-home returns feature enables them to remain steadfast in its commitment to “providing a frictionless returns process” while “significantly [enhancing] customer satisfaction, trust and loyalty.” All told, the new returns feature allows the company to “[go] one step further by working with clients to develop a tailored solution that ultimately minimizes losses, salvage value from returned products, and maintain operational costs at an optimal level.”
That DutchX is innovating on both ends helps them stand out.
“While there are a handful of delivery partners that have come on the market to solely provide reverse logistics solutions, DutchX stands out by offering a comprehensive solution that integrates both forward and reverse logistics expertise,” Hoed said. “With years of experience working with the world’s largest retail clients, we bring unparalleled transparency, on-time performance, and accountability through our W2 delivery workforce. This approach not only streamlines operations but also provides our clients with a complete and efficient solution.”
As to feedback on the at-home returns, Hoed said it’s been positive with customers reporting “they want more of it.” Expounding further, Hoed acknowledged the headache that are traditional merchandise returns and noted DutchX’s customers have “expressed appreciation” for the at-home return service. He added it’s a much-needed tool in what he characterized as the “cumbersome world” of online returns. “DutchX has cracked the code of enabling customers to return their purchases without leaving their home,” Hoed said. “Its cost effective pickup and tracking operation and technology lets brands and customers rest easy.”
For the future, Hoed emphasized DutchX’s environmental ambitions, saying his company is on a mission to “make zero-emission logistics easy to integrate and cost effective” and told me there are plans in the works to “bring [our] zero-emission expertise” to the west coast soon. Overall, Hoed added, DutchX is aware of the importance of inclusiveness for all and that the goal is to “set the benchmark for new logistics standards.”