How are you handling returns?

There’s a shift in the air. Outbound parcels remain busy, because January sales are in full flow, but suddenly another stream arrives with force: returns. Bags, boxes, mail sacks and parcels arriving in waves, from every courier, every postcode, every kind of customer.

And it doesn’t trickle in. It hits. Hard.

Peak Returns Week isn’t something you prepare for once the New Year arrives – it begins the moment Christmas Day ends. Because while customers are still buying aggressively in the January sales, they’re also returning gifts that weren’t quite right, items they received twice, sizes that didn’t fit, things they bought themselves and then replaced with a better deal in the sales.

This creates a completely unique challenge: you have to run a busy outbound operation and a heavy inbound operation at the same time.

This is where intelligent returns management becomes the difference between a rebuild-the-warehouse experience or a smooth transition into the year ahead.

Why returns matter far more than most brands realise

Returns aren’t just an operational duty  they’re a relationship moment. They determine whether a customer walks away thinking, “That was easy, I’ll shop here again” or “I won’t buy from them next year.”

January is when customers re-evaluate brands. Not the brand’s Christmas ads, not their packaging, not their products – but their processes.

When returns are handled smoothly, customers trust you. When they aren’t, they remember.

And because many January shoppers are using gift vouchers or money they received at Christmas, a well-handled return often leads to a new sale immediately.

A return isn’t the end of a transaction – it is the bridge to the next one.

Returns require space, and space is tight after peak

One of the biggest hidden challenges at this time of year is simply physical space. The warehouse is still full from Christmas inbound stock, bestselling lines, bulky SKUs, leftover packaging and last-minute deliveries. Then suddenly, hundreds or thousands of returns arrive with nowhere to land.

This is where many brands feel overwhelmed – not because they can’t process the returns, but because returns physically block the flow of the building. A congested returns area slows every other area of the warehouse, from picking routes to packing benches to courier handovers.

Now is the moment when smart space management transforms the operation. Clearing slow lines, reorganising zones, creating temporary returns bays or reallocating under-used racking makes an enormous difference in January.

The goal isn’t to process returns quickly.
The goal is to process them smoothly.

Speed matters – but accuracy matters more

January customers are not like December customers. During Christmas rush, people want parcels as fast as possible. In January, they want the right outcome as quickly as possible.

A rushed return that leads to a mis-refund, an incorrect replacement or an item relabelled incorrectly becomes a painful operational snowball later on.

But a return handled with care – even if it takes an hour longer – builds trust for the entire year.

Accuracy here affects:

• stock integrity
  
• resale value
  
• customer satisfaction
  
• fraud prevention
  
• operational predictability

These are the quiet details that make a huge difference once volume starts to settle.

Your returns team is your frontline for brand loyalty

Returns are emotional. Customers rarely say it, but the way a brand handles their return changes how they think about the brand itself. A generous window, a friendly tone, a simple process, a fast refund – they all leave a lasting impression.

Customer service messages during January often reflect anxiety or uncertainty. “Will I get my money back?”
“Will the replacement arrive before I go back to work?”
“Will they accept it if I’ve opened it?”

Your returns team plays a vital role in calming that anxiety. And because returns and outbound happen in parallel, their clarity is essential for maintaining overall warehouse efficiency.

Returns will influence your stock health for the rest of Q1

Every returned item becomes part of your stock picture – or a problem – depending on how well it’s handled. Clean, accurate returns reintegrate into inventory quickly and can be resold while demand is still high during the New Year sales surge. Poorly handled returns pile up, degrade, get lost in the system and distort forecasting for months.

January returns feed your February availability.
February availability feeds your March revenue.
It’s all connected.

This is why returns in January aren’t something to “get through.” They’re something to master.

How Core Fulfilment handles the January returns wave

We treat returns as a distinct, high-priority workflow during this period, not an afterthought squeezed between picks. Our teams process inbound items with the same precision we apply to outbound. We separate return types, assess each item accurately, record condition properly and reintegrate clean stock quickly so it can re-enter the selling cycle while customer demand is still high.

We also keep clients updated with live reporting so you always know return volumes, reasons and patterns – invaluable insight for tightening product ranges, enhancing descriptions or improving future forecasting.

Returns don’t need to be chaotic. With the right structure, they become a clean, controlled operation that actually supports growth.

January returns are not a disruption to the sales flow they are a natural extension of it. They have their own energy, their own patterns and their own importance. When handled well, they strengthen brand loyalty, protect stock levels, improve customer satisfaction and make the first quarter of the year smoother and more profitable.

Customers are still buying, still browsing and still redeeming vouchers – and they’re watching closely to see how brands treat them when they need help, not just when they’re clicking “Add to Cart.”

A polished, confident returns process can turn a post-Christmas challenge into a long-term advantage. And at Core Fulfilment, we’re here to keep that process running with the accuracy, pace and care your customers expect.