Where do your online returns go? | Aparna Mehta

翻译人员: Yiping Peng 校对人员: Wanna Shi

Hi. My name is Aparna.

大家好，我是阿帕纳。

我是一个购物狂。

I am a shopaholic --

(Laughter)

（笑声）

and I'm addicted to online returns.

我非常喜欢网购再退货。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Well, at least I was.

至少我曾经是这样。

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

有一段时间，每隔一天

我就会收到两三个服装包裹。

every other day.

I would intentionally buy the same item

我会有意地买同样的东西，

in a couple different sizes and many colors,

但是尺寸和颜色都不同，

because I did not know what I really wanted.

因为我不知道我真正想要的 是哪一个。

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

所以我多买一点，上身试试， 然后把不合适的退回去。

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

有一次我女儿看着我 把一些快递包裹退回去，

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

她说，“妈，我觉得你有点问题”。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

I didn't think so.

我不这样认为。

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

我的意思是，快递和退货都是免费的 对吧？

(Laughter)

（笑声）

I didn't even think twice about it,

对此，我之前从未多想过。

直到我在工作中听到一个 令我震惊的数据。

until I heard a statistic at work that shocked me.

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

我是全球顶级零售解决方案总监，

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

当时，我们在和最大的客户开会，

discussing how to streamline costs.

讨论如何缩减成本。

One of their biggest concerns was managing returns.

客户最担心的一个问题 就是管理退货商品。

Just this past holiday season alone,

就在刚刚结束的假期里，

they had 7.5 million pieces of clothing returned to them.

他们有750万件退货商品。

I could not stop thinking about it.

我一直在想这件事。

What happens to all these returned clothes?

这些退回来的衣服怎么办？

So I came home and researched.

于是我回家上网搜索，

And I learned that every year,

我发现，每一年都有

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

180多万吨的退货衣物被扔进了垃圾堆。

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

就像所有美国人昨晚都洗了 一大堆衣服，

and decided to throw it in the trash today.

然后今天就把它们扔掉一样。

I was horrified.

我被吓坏了。

I'm like, "Of all people,

我想，“在所有人中间，

I should be able to help prevent this."

偏偏我有能力阻值这一切。“

(Laughter)

（笑声）

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

我的工作是寻找解决 这些物流问题的办法，

not create them.

而不是制造问题。

So this issue became very personal to me.

所以这个问题对我来说非常私人。

我说，“你知道吗？ 我们必须解决这个问题。”

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

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

利用现有的一些系统， 我们有能力解决这个问题。

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

然后我开始想： 我们是怎么走到这一步的？

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

我是说，提供免费网购退货服务 可以促进消费的研究

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

也才是六年前才提出的。

We started seeing companies offering free online returns

我们开始看到 一些公司提供免费的在线退货服务

to drive more sales and provide a better experience.

来增大销量， 让顾客有更好的购物体验。

What we didn't realize

我们没有意识到的是

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

这同样会导致有更多的商品被退回。

美国公司为此损失的销售额 高达3510亿美元，

In the US, companies lost $351 billion in sales

in 2017 alone.

这还只是2017年的数据。

Retailers are scrambling to recover their losses.

零售商忙于弥补损失。

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

他们把退回的商品重新放到网上销售，

or they'll sell it to a discount partner

或者卖给打折销售商，

or a liquidator.

或者进行清算。

Basically, if companies cannot find a place for this item

基本上，如果这些公司不能

尽快和经济地处理退货商品，

quickly and economically,

its place becomes the trash.

那这些商品就会变成垃圾。

Suddenly, I felt very guilty for being that shopper,

突然间，我为自己也是那种

共同造成这种局面的购物者 感到惭愧。

somebody who contributes to this.

Who would have thought my innocent shopping behavior

谁会想到我无知的购物行为

would be hurting not only me,

不仅会伤害自己，

but our planet as well?

同时还会破坏环境？

And as I thought about what to do,

当我思考要怎么做时，

I kept thinking:

我不停地思考:

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

为什么一开始就必须把商品 还给零售商呢？

What if there was another way,

如果有另一种方法，

a win-win for everyone?

对每个人来说都是双赢的方法呢？

如果一个人想要退货，

What if when a person is trying to return something,

it could go to the next shopper who wants it,

商品是寄给下一个想要它的顾客，

and not the retailer?

而不是零售商呢？

What if, instead of a return,

如果人们不退货，

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

而是采取我所说的“绿色转换”呢？

Consumers could use an app to take pictures of the item

消费者可以用一个APP把商品拍照，

and verify the condition while returning it.

并在退货时验证条件。

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

人工智能系统可以根据情况 对这些衣服进行分类——

mint condition or slightly used --

崭新的或者轻微用过的，

and direct it to the next appropriate person.

然后送给对应需要的人。

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

崭新的衣服可以卖给其他顾客，

while slightly used clothes could be marked down

轻微使用的衣服可以降价，

and offered online again.

再次在网上出售。

The retailer can decide the business rules

零售商可以根据

特定商品的转售次数 决定业务规则。

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

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

消费者需要做的就是 获得一个移动代码，

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

到最近的发货地点 包装、发货，

and off it goes from one buyer to the next,

然后商品就可以从一个买家 到下一个买家，

not the landfill.

而不是变成垃圾。

Now you will ask,

现在你会问，

"Would people really go through all this trouble?"

“人们真的不怕这些麻烦吗？”

I think they would if they had incentives,

我认为如果有激励措施的话， 就不会，

like loyalty points or cash back.

比如忠诚积分或者返现。

Let's call it "green cash."

我们称作“绿色货币”。

There would be a whole new opportunity to make money

将会有一个全新的机会

from this new customer base looking to buy these returns.

从这些愿意购买退货的 新的客户群赚钱。

在这个系统交易把有趣的购物体验，

This system would make a fun thing like shopping

a spiritual experience

变成一种

that helps save our planet.

有助于环境保护的精神体验。

(Applause)

（掌声）

This is doable

这是可行的，

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

可能需要6个月的时间 来改造我们现有的一些系统

and run a pilot.

并开始试运行。

Even before any of these logistical systems are in place,

甚至在这些后勤系统到位之前，

each of us shoppers can act now,

我们每一个购物者现在就可以行动，

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

如果美国每一个成年人

都在购物行为上做一点改变。

to our shopping behavior.

Take the extra time to research and think --

多花点时间去调查和思考——

Do I really need this item?

我真的需要这个商品吗？

No: Do I really want this item? --

不。我真的想要这个商品吗？

before making a purchase.

在购买之前就想好。

And if every one of us adults in the US

如果美国每一个成年人

returned five less items this year,

每年少退回五件商品，

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

就能避免十多万吨的衣服沦为垃圾。

Six percent reduction, just like that.

这样就能减少百分之六的服装垃圾。

This environmental problem that we have created

这次我们造成的环境问题

is not thousands of years away;

不是几千年之后会发生的，

it's happening today,

是当今正在上演的问题，

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

现在必须停下， 阻止全球垃圾填埋的增涨。

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

我想给我女儿以及再下一代

a better and cleaner place than I found it,

一个更好、更干净的环境，

so I have not only stopped overordering,

所以我不仅停止了过量地购物，

I recycle religiously as well.

还尽心地回收退货商品。

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

同样你也可以，这并不难。

Before we fill our shopping carts and our landfills

在我们用自己不想要的商品

with extra items that we don't want,

填满购物车和垃圾场之前，

let's pause next time we are shopping online

让我们在下次网购时先停一停，

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

仔细想想我们真正想要的是什么：

a beautiful Earth to call home.

一个可以叫做家园的美丽地球。

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（掌声）