This Is the Brick-and-Mortar of Ecommerce

LOS ANGELES—Earlier this year, commercial real estate owner and operator Macerich partnered with Happy Returns, a service for shoppers to return online purchases in person. The company, which operates in partnership with Macerich, is currently at Santa Monica Place in Los Angeles, but is now debuting—just in time for the holiday season—in three different nationwide locations at Fashion Outlets of Chicago, The Shops at North Bridge and Tysons Corner Center. The expansion of the brand is the result of strong demand and popularity for the product.

“Chicago and Washington DC are top 10 metro areas where Macerich has high-profile properties with concierge services,” David Sobie, co-Founder and CEO at Happy Returns, tells GlobeSt.com. “These properties were identified as great places to expand the in-person return service. At Santa Monica Place, which has been operational since April, the consumer response has been incredibly strong.  All shoppers conducting returns are surveyed, using the Net Promoter Score rating to gauge customer satisfaction.  At Santa Monica place, the NPS score is 92, indicating a high degree of satisfaction.”

The service will be integrated into mall concierge services at the locations, and it has already shown to drive retail sales. “Initial survey data collected by Happy Returns suggests that many shoppers returning online purchases are making incremental purchases when they visit the mall,” says Sobie. “Both of these metrics are encouraging, and support Happy Returns' vision of creating a better return experience for the online shopper that also creates value for retailers in increased customer satisfaction and loyalty who use the service and malls that host Return Bars (in increased foot traffic and incremental purchases.”

This isn't the first return-concept from Happy Return's founders. They met at HauteLook/NordstromRack.com and developers a “Return the Rack” program that proved to be very successful. “Today, over 80% of HauteLook returns are processed at Nordstrom Rack stores, driving millions of incremental visits each year,” adds Sobie. Brick-and-mortar retailers are adopting a stronger digital presence to drive sales, and this is another example of opportunities to bridge the online and physical shopping worlds.

Happy Returns success will likely produce more expansion next year. While Sobie didn't have any specific announcements, he says that the footprint will expand in 2017 in major metro areas.

LOS ANGELES—Earlier this year, commercial real estate owner and operator Macerich partnered with Happy Returns, a service for shoppers to return online purchases in person. The company, which operates in partnership with Macerich, is currently at Santa Monica Place in Los Angeles, but is now debuting—just in time for the holiday season—in three different nationwide locations at Fashion Outlets of Chicago, The Shops at North Bridge and Tysons Corner Center. The expansion of the brand is the result of strong demand and popularity for the product.

“Chicago and Washington DC are top 10 metro areas where Macerich has high-profile properties with concierge services,” David Sobie, co-Founder and CEO at Happy Returns, tells GlobeSt.com. “These properties were identified as great places to expand the in-person return service. At Santa Monica Place, which has been operational since April, the consumer response has been incredibly strong.  All shoppers conducting returns are surveyed, using the Net Promoter Score rating to gauge customer satisfaction.  At Santa Monica place, the NPS score is 92, indicating a high degree of satisfaction.”

The service will be integrated into mall concierge services at the locations, and it has already shown to drive retail sales. “Initial survey data collected by Happy Returns suggests that many shoppers returning online purchases are making incremental purchases when they visit the mall,” says Sobie. “Both of these metrics are encouraging, and support Happy Returns' vision of creating a better return experience for the online shopper that also creates value for retailers in increased customer satisfaction and loyalty who use the service and malls that host Return Bars (in increased foot traffic and incremental purchases.”

This isn't the first return-concept from Happy Return's founders. They met at HauteLook/NordstromRack.com and developers a “Return the Rack” program that proved to be very successful. “Today, over 80% of HauteLook returns are processed at Nordstrom Rack stores, driving millions of incremental visits each year,” adds Sobie. Brick-and-mortar retailers are adopting a stronger digital presence to drive sales, and this is another example of opportunities to bridge the online and physical shopping worlds.

Happy Returns success will likely produce more expansion next year. While Sobie didn't have any specific announcements, he says that the footprint will expand in 2017 in major metro areas.