Where do your online returns go? | Aparna Mehta

Translator: Nelson Simfukwe Reviewer: Doris Mangalu

Hi. My name is Aparna.

Habari! Jina langu ni Aparna.

I am a shopaholic --

Ni mnunuzi wa kupindukia --

(Laughter)

(Kicheko)

and I'm addicted to online returns.

pia ni mraibu wa marudisho ya mtandaoni.

(Laughter)

(Kicheko)

Well, at least I was.

Basi, angalau nilikuwa hivyo.

At one time, I had two or three packages of clothing delivered to me

Wakati mmoja, nilikuwa na vifurushi viwili au vitatu vya nguo vilivyoletwa kwangu

every other day.

kila siku.

I would intentionally buy the same item

Kwa makusudi nilinunua bidhaa ile ile

in a couple different sizes and many colors,

katika ukubwa tofauti na rangi mbalimbali,

because I did not know what I really wanted.

kwa sababu sikujua nini nilichohitaji haswa.

So I overordered, I tried things on, and then I sent what didn't work back.

Hivyo niliagiza zaidi, nilijaribisha vitu, na nilirudisha visivyonifaa.

Once my daughter was watching me return some of those packages back,

Binti yangu alipokuwa akiniangalia nikirudisha baadhi ya vifurushi,

and she said, "Mom, I think you have a problem."

alisema, "Mama, nadhani una tatizo."

(Laughter)

(Kicheko)

I didn't think so.

Sikudhani hivyo.

I mean, it's free shipping and free returns, right?

Yaani, kusafirisha ni bure na kurudisha ni bure, ndio?

(Laughter)

(Kicheko)

I didn't even think twice about it,

Sikuwaza kabisa mara mbili kuhusu hilo,

until I heard a statistic at work that shocked me.

mpaka niliposikia takwimu kazini ambayo ilinishitua.

You see, I'm a global solutions director for top-tier retail,

Mimi ni mkurugenzi wa ufumbuzi kimataifa kwa wateja wa rejareja wa ngazi ya juu,

and we were in a meeting with one of my largest customers,

na tulikuwa katika mkutano na mmoja wa wateja wangu wakubwa,

discussing how to streamline costs.

tukijadili ni namna gani tunaweza nyoosha gharama.

One of their biggest concerns was managing returns.

Moja ya hoja yao kubwa ilikuwa ni kusimamia urudishaji bidhaa.

Just this past holiday season alone,

Kwa likizo hii tu iliyopita,

they had 7.5 million pieces of clothing returned to them.

walikuwa na nguo takribani milioni 7.5 zilizorudishwa kwao.

I could not stop thinking about it.

Sikuweza kuacha kulifikiria hili jambo.

What happens to all these returned clothes?

Kipi kinatokea kwa hizi nguo zote zinazorudishwa?

So I came home and researched.

Kwa hiyo nilirudi nyumbani na nikafanya utafiti.

And I learned that every year,

Na kugundua kwamba kila mwaka,

four billion pounds of returned clothing ends up in the landfill.

paundi bilioni nne za nguo zinazorudishwa huishia jalalani.

That's like every resident in the US did a load of laundry last night

Ambapo ni sawa na kila mkazi wa Marekani kufua nguo nyingi usiku wa jana

and decided to throw it in the trash today.

na kuamua kuzitupa katika taka siku ya leo.

I was horrified.

Nilishtushwa.

I'm like, "Of all people,

Nikasema, "Katika watu wote,

I should be able to help prevent this."

Natakiwa kuweza kuzuia jambo hili."

(Laughter)

(Kicheko)

My job is to find solutions to logistical issues like these --

Kazi yangu ni kutafuta suluhu katika miamala kama hii --

not create them.

siyo kutengeneza matatizo.

So this issue became very personal to me.

Kwa hiyo hili swala likawa binafsi sana kwangu.

I said, "You know what? We have to solve this."

Nilisema, "Unajua nini? Tunatakiwa suluhisha hili."

And we can, with some of the existing systems we already have in place.

Na tunaweza, tukitumia baadhi ya mifumo ambayo tunayo tayari.

And then I started to wonder: How did we get here?

Na nilianza kujiuliza: Tumefikaje hapa?

I mean, it was only like six years ago when a study recommended

Namaanisha, ilikuwa miaka sita tu iliyopita ambapo tafiti moja ilidai

that offering free online returns would drive customers to spend more.

kua kutoa marudisho ya bure mtandaoni itapelekea wateja kununua zaidi.

We started seeing companies offering free online returns

Tulianza kuona makampuni yakitoa marudisho ya bure mitandaoni

to drive more sales and provide a better experience.

ili kupelekea mauzo zaidi na huduma bora.

What we didn't realize

Ambacho hatukutambua

is that this would lead to more items being returned as well.

ni kwamba hii itapelekea kurudishwa kwa bidhaa nyingi vile vile.

In the US, companies lost $351 billion in sales

Nchini Marekani, makampuni yalipoteza dola bilioni 351 katika mauzo

in 2017 alone.

kwa mwaka 2017 pekee.

Retailers are scrambling to recover their losses.

Wauzaji wa rejareja wanapambana kuondoa hasara zao.

They try to place that returned item online to be sold again,

Wanajaribu kuweka kua bidhaa zinazorudishwa mtandaoni ziuzwe tena,

or they'll sell it to a discount partner

au wataziuza kwa mtoa punguzo

or a liquidator.

au dalali.

Basically, if companies cannot find a place for this item

Kimsingi, kama kampuni haziwezi kupata sehemu kwa ajili hii bidhaa

quickly and economically,

kwa haraka na unafuu,

its place becomes the trash.

inaishia kwenda kuwa taka.

Suddenly, I felt very guilty for being that shopper,

Ghafla, nilijisikia hatia kwa kuwa mnunuzi wa aina hiyo,

somebody who contributes to this.

mtu ninayechangia katika hili.

Who would have thought my innocent shopping behavior

Nani angewaza kwamba tabia yangu nzuri ya kufanya manunuzi

would be hurting not only me,

ingeniumiza sio mimi tu,

but our planet as well?

lakini sayari yetu vilevile?

And as I thought about what to do,

Na nikiwa nawaza nini cha kufanya,

I kept thinking:

Niliendelea kuwaza:

Why does the item have to be returned to the retailer in the first place?

Kwanini bidhaa zinatakiwa kurudishwa kwa muuzaji tangu mwanzo?

What if there was another way,

Inakuwaje kama kungekuwa na njia mbadala,

a win-win for everyone?

inayofaidisha pande zote?

What if when a person is trying to return something,

Inakuwaje kama mtu anajaribu kurudisha kitu fulani,

it could go to the next shopper who wants it,

kiende kwa mnunuzi anayefuata mwenye uhitaji nacho,

and not the retailer?

na siyo muuzaji?

What if, instead of a return,

Inakuwaje kama, badala ya kurudisha,

they could do what I call a "green turn"?

wangeweza kufanya ninachokiita "kona kijani"?

Consumers could use an app to take pictures of the item

Watumaiji wanaweza kutumia programu kupiga picha ya bidhaa

and verify the condition while returning it.

na kuhakikisha hali ya bidhaa wakati wa kurudisha.

Artificial intelligence systems could then sort these clothes by condition --

Mifumo ya akili bandia itaweza kupanga nguo hizi kutokana na hali --

mint condition or slightly used --

hali ifananayo na upya au iliyotumika kidogo --

and direct it to the next appropriate person.

na kupeleka kwa mtu mwingine ambaye anafaa.

Mint-condition clothes could automatically go to the next buyer,

Nguo zenye hali nzuri zitaenda moja kwa moja kwa mnunuzi anayefuata,

while slightly used clothes could be marked down

na wakati zilizotumika kidogo zitawekewa alama

and offered online again.

na kutolewa ofa mtandaoni tena.

The retailer can decide the business rules

Muuzaji anaweza kuamua sheria za biashara

on the number of times a particular item can be resold.

katika mara ngapi bidhaa husika inaweza kuuzwa tena.

All that the consumer would need to do is obtain a mobile code,

Mnunuzi atatakiwa tu kupata tarakimu maalumu,

take it to the nearest shipping place to be packed and shipped,

kuzipeleka sehemu ya usafirishaji iliyo karibu kwa kupakiwa na kusafirishwa,

and off it goes from one buyer to the next,

na inatoka kuanzia mnunuzi mmoja kwenda mwingine,'

not the landfill.

sio jalalani.

Now you will ask,

Sasa utauliza,

"Would people really go through all this trouble?"

"Kweli watu watataka shida hii yote?"

I think they would if they had incentives,

Nadhani wanaweza kufanya kama wangepata motisha,

like loyalty points or cash back.

kama alama za uaminifu na kurudishiwa fedha.

Let's call it "green cash."

Tuiite "pesa ya kijani."

There would be a whole new opportunity to make money

Kutakuwa na nafasi pana mpya ya kupata pesa

from this new customer base looking to buy these returns.

kutoka kwa hawa wateja wanaohitaji kununua hizi bidhaa zinazorudishwa.

This system would make a fun thing like shopping

Mfumo huu utatengeneza jambo la kufurahisha kama ununuzi

a spiritual experience

jaribu la kiroho

that helps save our planet.

ambalo linasaidia kuokoa sayari yetu.

(Applause)

(Makofi)

This is doable

Hili linawezekana

and would probably take six months to weave some of our existing systems

na angalau itachukua miezi sita kusuka baadhi ya mifumo yetu ambayo ipo

and run a pilot.

na kufanya majaribio.

Even before any of these logistical systems are in place,

Hata kabla ya mifumo hii ya miamala kuwa katika mahala husika,

each of us shoppers can act now,

kila mnunuzi anaweza chukua hatua sasa,

if every single adult in the US made a few small changes

kama kila mtu mzima Marekani afanye mabadiliko kidogo

to our shopping behavior.

kwenye tabia yetu ya ununuzi.

Take the extra time to research and think --

Chukua muda wa ziada kutafiti na kuwaza --

Do I really need this item?

Nahitaji bidhaa hii?

No: Do I really want this item? --

Hapana: Kweli naitaka bidhaa hii? --

before making a purchase.

kabla ya kufanya manunuzi.

And if every one of us adults in the US

Na kama kila mtu mzima nchini Marekani

returned five less items this year,

angerudisha chini ya bidhaa tano mwaka huu,

we would keep 240 million pounds of clothes out of the landfill.

tungeepusha paundi milioni 240 za nguo kuwepo katika jalala.

Six percent reduction, just like that.

Pungufu kwa asilimia sitini, hivyo tu.

This environmental problem that we have created

Hili tatizo la kimazingira ambalo tumelitengeneza

is not thousands of years away;

halipo mbali miaka elfu moja;

it's happening today,

linatokea leo,

and must stop now to prevent growing landfills across the globe.

na linatakiwa kukoma sasa ili kuzuia majalala yanayokua ulimwenguni.

I want to leave my daughter and my daughter's daughter

Ninataka kuwaachia binti yangu na binti wa binti yangu

a better and cleaner place than I found it,

sehemu bora na safi kuliko nilivyoikuta mimi,

so I have not only stopped overordering,

kwa siyo tu kwamba nimeacha kuagiza kuliko kawaida,

I recycle religiously as well.

Ninarejeleza kiimani vile vile.

And you can, too. It's not difficult.

Na unaweza, pia. Sio ngumu.

Before we fill our shopping carts and our landfills

Kabla hatujajaza toroli zetu za manunuzi na jalala zetu

with extra items that we don't want,

na bidhaa ambazo hatuna uhitaji nazo,

let's pause next time we are shopping online

tusite kwanza tukiwa tunafanya manunuzi mtandaoni

and think twice about what we all hopefully really do want:

na kuwaza mara mbili kuhusu kile ambacho kweli tunakitaka:

a beautiful Earth to call home.

dunia maridhawa tunayoweza kuita nyumbani.

Thank you.

Asante.

(Applause)

(Makofi na shangwe)