Purpose
These cards categorize returns by reason, helping you understand the root causes of return activity for both vendor purchases and customer sales. They provide actionable insights to reduce preventable returns and improve overall efficiency.
Key Metrics
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# Vendor/Stocked Part Returns – Count of returns by category.
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% of Returns – Share of each reason relative to total returns.
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Network Averages – Benchmarks for how often each reason appears across reporting periods.
Insights to Look For
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Top return drivers: Concentration in a few categories (example: “Lost Job/Customer Cancelled” or “More Damage Than Described”) reveals where a process change could have the biggest payoff.
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Upstream vs. downstream differences: Purchased-part returns often highlight vendor or shipping issues (example: damaged, incomplete, incorrect parts), while sold-part returns skew toward customer-facing issues (example: cancellations, ordering errors).
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Process improvements: High rates of “Incorrect Part Supplied” or “Interchange/Inventory Error” may point to poor inventory or order writing processes.
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Customer experience signals: Large shares of cancellations or damage complaints highlight major problems that could impact vendor trust.