From Challenge to Impact: How an International Candle Brand Built a Sustainable and Efficient Returns Process

Introduction

An international candle brand with a single U.S. warehouse faced challenges in handling customer returns. Shipping costs for heavy items were high, and multi-box orders added complexity to the process. With no prior returns strategy or fraud handling in place, the brand sought an innovative solution to reduce costs, simplify logistics, and minimize environmental impact.

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Solution

Through our donation-matching platform, the company transformed their returns process. Instead of shipping items back to the warehouse, returned products were matched with nearby nonprofits, cutting shipping distances significantly while creating community impact.

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Impact by the Numbers

Reduced Shipping Distances

• 95 Magic Matches Facilitated Successfully redirected returns to nonprofits instead of their warehouse.
• 90 Matches: These reduced return shipping distances compared to the original warehouse route.
• 54 Matches: Achieved over 90% reduction in shipping distance.
• 83% Average Distance Reduction: Demonstrating the effectiveness of donation-based returns in lowering transportation needs and associated costs.

Optimized Logistics

Heavy items and multi-box sets were rerouted locally, avoiding the costs and complexity of traditional reverse logistics.

Community Impact

Products found a second life with nonprofits, supporting local communities and aligning with the company’ sustainability goals.

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Challenges Addressed

High Shipping Costs for Heavy, Multi-Box Returns

Shipping candles—often bulky and requiring careful packaging—was expensive and inefficient. Donation-matching eliminated the need to ship returns long distances, saving both money and resources.

Lack of Prior Returns Strategy

With no established returns process, the company leveraged our platform to create an efficient and impactful solution from scratch.

Environmental Concerns

Long shipping distances contribute to higher carbon emissions. Redirecting returns locally reduced environmental impact while supporting community causes.

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Key Takeaways for Retailers

Donation Reduces Logistics Costs: For brands with heavy or multi-box items, donation-matching offers a practical alternative to traditional returns.

Environmental Benefits Are Real: An 83% average reduction in shipping distances highlights the sustainability advantage of redirecting returns.

No Existing Process? No Problem: Even without prior returns experience, brands can implement a seamless solution through donation-matching platforms.

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Conclusion

This international candle brand turned a complex returns challenge into a sustainable and efficient process by leveraging our donation-matching platform. They achieved operational savings, reduced environmental impact, and supported local communities—all without a pre-existing returns infrastructure.