BuyBay supports online electrical retailer AO with improving its return processes

Cologne, 10 March 2022 – Returns management specialist BuyBay announces its partnership with online electrical retailer AO! BuyBay supports AO with evaluating and processing returned products from selected brands and product segments. Besides, BuyBay is responsible for the intelligent marketing and sell-off of the returns via the most appropriate sales channels. Through this approach, the period until the sell-off is shortened, the sales value increases, and the returns go back into the consumption cycle.

AO, an online electricals retailer, founded in the UK in 2000, entered the German market in 2014 and has grown from there, offering its customers a huge range of electricals and the delivery and installation of new items as the recycling of old appliances. With over 10 million customers and thousands of deliveries per day, the core business demands the full attention of the AO team.

Establishing more sustainability in e-commerce is at the core of BuyBay’s business approach. With locations in Amsterdam, Wijchen, and Cologne, the company helps retailers, brands, and manufacturers to resell their returns and excess stock to new owners, contributing to avoiding waste in online retail and to a real circular economy.

“When contacting AO, the mutual desire to reduce waste in e-commerce and to manage goods responsibly provided a good basis for our discussions,” explains Alexander Lange, Head of Business Development for Germany at BuyBay. “The best way to demonstrate the benefits of our returns management service is in practice, so we initially agreed on a pilot project. With the help of our innovative software for grading (quality check and evaluation) and optimal pricing for online marketplaces, we can resell any product to the right buyer at best possible price – within a maximum period of 90 days. Though a partnership for returns management partners like AO can concentrate on their core business and leave the hassle of managing returns to us.”

During the three-month pilot project, which included returns management for various products and brands, BuyBay demonstrated that managing returns sustainably is also the most profitable approach. Therefore, in January 2022, the two companies started a long-term collaboration.

“In Germany, we are aware that we need to be more sustainable in e-commerce, and therefore we appreciate the partnership with BuyBay as handling returns can be very costly. This partnership means we can give our returned goods a second lease of life”, sums up Michael Klinke, Lead Reverse Supply Chain at AO.