I enjoy interacting with industry leaders for two reasons. First, I appreciate the opportunity to share the latest academic insights with the practitioners who are in a position to implement them. Secondly, it helps me understand the issues that are most pressing and challenging in the areas of retail, the circular economy, and competitive pricing. Nearly all of my research projects are the direct result of these industry interactions.
INVITED INDUSTRY PRESENTATIONS
- Reverse Logistics Association (2022): The Impact of Reverse Logistics Delays on Future Customer Loyalty
- Reverse Logistics Association (keynote, 2018): The Impact of Emerging Technologies on Consumer Returns: Insights from Academia
- Consumer Returns Conference (2018) : Data Analytics for Managing Returns: Insights from Academia
- Home Depot World Headquarters (2018): Data Analytics for Managing Returns: Insights from Academia
- Consumer Returns Conference (2017): Data Analytics for Managing Returns: Insights from Academia
- Consumer Returns Conference (2015): Returns Policies: Trends Around Time Frames & Restocking Fees
TRADE PUBLICATION ARTICLES
For several years I have co-written (with Mark Ferguson and Guangzhi Shang) a recurring column in Reverse Logistics Magazine, a trade publication with a circulation of over 30,000. The goal of the column is to summarize recent academic research (by myself and others) that might be of interest to retail leaders. Here are the titles of a few recent articles (contact me if you would like a copy of any of these):
- September 2020: Technological solutions to reduce online returns: what actually works?
- June 2019: Optimizing the return window for online fashion retailers with closed-loop refurbishment
- March 2019: Online product review: we know it’s a sales driver, but how about returns?
- February 2019: The Value of Fit Information in Online Retail: Evidence from a Randomized Field Experiment
- December 2018: How do consumers choose between multiple product generations and conditions?
- November 2018): How does ship-to-store strategy affect omni-channel retailer’s sales and returns?
- September 2018: What affects the secondhand value of smartphones?
- August 2018: How does product returns increase a customer’s total relationship value?
- July 2018: The secrets of managing in-store product exchanges
- June 2018: How much do consumers really care about having a longer time window for returns? Findings from an experiment in online retail
- May 2018: Does good management of operations really lead to higher profits? Findings from an experiment of implementing lean/six-sigma practices.
- April 2018: Considerations when choosing between free versus equity-based return programs
- March 2018: How much do online consumers really value free returns?
CONSULTING
My prior consulting clients include: