How to manage post-peak returns without losing momentum

Peak season is supposed to be the big win. You’ve spent months preparing for the surge: stock is in place, the marketing calendar is a masterpiece, operations teams are primed, and systems are fine-tuned. The orders fly in, you hit record numbers, and for a moment you think ‘job done!’.  

Then, just as you finish celebrating, the other shoe drops... returns. That wave of packages heading back to the warehouse (sometimes faster than they went out) is more than inconvenient. It’s deflating. After weeks of delivering at lightning speed, seeing them come back feels like a setback. 

But returns are not the enemy. Handled well, they can be one of the most powerful levers for customer loyalty, cash flow recovery, and operational insight. But that only happens if you approach them with the same level of planning and precision as you do outbound fulfilment. And this needs to be thought about long before peak even starts. 

This article covers how to turn post-peak returns into revenue, and one-time buyers into repeat customers.  

In this article

• The emotional whiplash of post-peak 

• Build your returns strategy before you need it 

• Operational readiness: Your warehouse as returns HQ 

• Speed is still your advantage 

• Communication as a loyalty engine 

• DTC, B2B, and retail: One size doesn’t fit all 

• The post-peak non-negotiable: Learning from returns 

• Plan for next year now 

• How we can turn returns into retention 

The emotional whiplash of post-peak

There’s a particular kind of whiplash that happens in January. One week you’re on an outbound high, shipping at record speed, breaking revenue records. The next, your warehouse is full again, but not with fresh inventory from suppliers. It’s opened boxes, dented packaging, and a mountain of customer service tickets.

Our clients tell us that it’s not just the operational disruption that stings. It’s the feeling of momentum being reversed. The trick is to reframe returns as a continuation of the customer experience, not a breakdown of it. Every return request is still an interaction with a customer. How you handle that moment can cement loyalty just as much as the original purchase did. 

“When peak ends, most brands think the job is done. In reality, returns are just the second act of the same customer story. If you handle them with the same speed and care as the original order, you can protect revenue and deepen the customer relationship.” — Dom Webb, Account Manager at IFGlobal.

Build your returns strategy before you need it

Think of returns as a parallel peak season running alongside your main one. The brands that get it right aren’t scrambling to set policies in January. They’ve been ready since October, with key questions answered.

• Is your returns window extended for holiday purchases? If so, communicate it everywhere customers look; in product pages, post-purchase emails, and packing slips.
• Are you clear on which products can and can’t be returned? High-value electronics, custom-made items, seasonal goods... set those expectations up front.

When NatureSpy, a non-profit dedicated to wildlife conservation, transitioned their fulfilment operations to IFGlobal, they immediately saw tangible improvements in returns processing through our BladePRO fulfilment software.  

“The returns team has been particularly impressive: efficient, organised, and easy to work with. Turnaround times have noticeably improved, which helps us deliver a smoother experience for our customers. BladePRO’s user interface keeps improving, and our feedback is genuinely taken on board.” — Gemma Haggar, Commercial Operations Lead at NatureSpy.

Operational readiness: Your warehouse as returns HQ

During peak, most warehouses are designed for speed in one direction. Out. Returns reverse that flow, and the transition is where many brands lose time and money. The difference between fulfilment chaos and control often comes down to physical and procedural readiness.

• Set aside a dedicated returns zone before peak starts. It doesn’t have to be huge, but it needs to be clearly defined, with its own process flow.  
• Triage fast. Your team should know exactly how to triage returns, what can be restocked immediately, what needs inspection, what’s damaged beyond repair. And they should be empowered to make those decisions without bottlenecks.  

It’s about giving returns the same level of respect and space as outbound sales.

Speed is still your advantage

One of the most common mistakes we see is letting returns pile up “until things quiet down.” The intention makes sense... you want to get through peak orders first. But every day a returned item sits unprocessed is a day it’s not back on sale. For seasonal stock, those days can be the difference between full-price resale and deep discounting.

Speed in returns processing also matters to customers. Whether they’re waiting on a refund or an exchange, their clock starts ticking the moment they drop the parcel off. We’ve seen brands turn returns into repeat sales simply by processing them fast enough that customers felt confident ordering again immediately.  

Communication as a loyalty engine

In the fog of post-peak, communication often slips. You’re tired, the team is stretched, and it feels like customers can wait a little longer for updates. But in the returns process, silence is dangerous. Customers can't see what’s happening in your warehouse. They only know that their money or replacement item is somewhere in limbo.

Our clients tell us that simple, automated status updates make a huge difference. “We’ve received your return, inspected it, and your refund will be processed within 48 hours.” Even if processing timescales are longer, transparency builds trust.  

84% of UK shoppers say they won’t purchase from a retailer again after a bad returns experience (National Retail Federation). This emphasises the importance of providing a smooth returns process to build long-term customer relationships.

DTC, B2B, and retail: One size doesn’t fit all

It’s tempting to try and manage all returns the same way, but the reality is different models demand different handling.

For DTC brands, returns are often about the individual customer relationship. Flexible policies, easy prepaid labels, and even encouraging exchanges instead of refunds can keep customers in your ecosystem. Tracking return reasons feeds directly into product development and marketing clarity.

For B2B, the stakes are higher per transaction. Returns may involve entire pallets or large-ticket items. Here, speed and accuracy matter, but so does the relationship. Assigning a dedicated account contact for returns can turn what could have been a contractual headache into a demonstration of reliability.

For retail and omni-channel brands, cross-channel flexibility is a customer expectation. Let online purchases be returned in store where possible. It’s faster for the customer, cheaper for you, and could lead to an exchange or additional sale on the spot.  

Your employee training here is crucial. A well-handled in-person return can be the moment a one-time shopper becomes a regular.

The post-peak non-negotiable: Learning from returns

Once the dust settles, it’s tempting to box up the experience and move on. But now’s the time to dig into the data. Returns hold some of the most valuable insights you’ll get all year.

• Which products came back most?  
• Were there size issues, packaging failures, or quality concerns?  
• Did your extended returns window increase your return rate, or just keep customers happier?  
• How much of your returned stock was resalable at full price?

These aren’t just operational questions; they’re strategic ones. They influence product design, supplier negotiations, marketing promises, and even customer acquisition cost calculations.

Plan for next year now

The smartest brands treat this year’s returns as next year’s training ground. The data you collect now should shape your preparation for next peak season. Use your data to:

• Build returns processing into your outbound plan.
• Train employees earlier.
• Adjust your communications playbook based on what worked.
• Reassess policy decisions. Do free returns boost loyalty enough to justify volume? Can you shorten windows without harming your brand?

By tackling these questions early, you can make sure next January feels less like whiplash and more like a controlled transition from sales peak to operational optimisation.

Returns will never be glamorous. Though they don’t have to be the thing that breaks your stride after peak season. With the right mindset, they can become a proof point for your brand, and a way to show customers that you’re just as committed to getting it right after the sale as you are before it.

We’ve seen our clients turn messy, unpredictable return seasons into some of their strongest customer-loyalty plays. The brands that win here are the ones who handle returns with speed, transparency and empathy.

How we can turn returns into retention

Returns are inevitable. Managing them badly isn’t. At IFGlobal, we treat returns as a value recovery opportunity, not a cost sink. Our network of fulfilment centres, alongside our systems, are built to process returns with speed, visibility, and an eye on the bigger picture - customer retention and revenue recovery.

• Dedicated returns infrastructure - We set up clear physical and digital flows for returns so inbound parcels don’t choke outbound orders, and every return is processed with minimal delay.
• Customer-friendly returns portal - A seamless front-end for customers, backed by data-rich insights for you. Every return logged is a new piece of intelligence on product quality, sizing, packaging, or shipping performance. The platform can be whitelabelled to keep your brand front and centre.
• Rapid restock and resale - Where possible, we recondition, repackage, and return products to live inventory fast, so you recover value before demand dips.
• Flexible routing - Items that can’t be resold as new can be reworked, routed to secondary sales channels, or donated, so nothing valuable gathers dust.
• Actionable reporting - We deliver returns data in a way that makes it easy to see trends and patterns, fix root causes, and plan smarter for the next peak.

Done right, a return can turn a one-time buyer into a loyal advocate. That’s the standard we set, and it’s how we help our clients keep momentum, even when the season shifts.