The Returns Manager: Why you need one

Returns Managers are the new Ecom Managers.
Not because they handle boxes, but because they protect what your topline growth alone can’t: margin, flow, and customer trust.

At some point, chasing revenue stops making sense if you can’t keep the value you create. And that’s where returns come in.
If no one owns your returns, you’re likely bleeding value. Fast.

The brands growing profitably in 2025 aren’t just chasing new revenue. They’re fixing what’s broken. And returns are often the biggest gap in the post-purchase journey.
Nelly and Bubbleroom are ahead of the curve. They’ve made returns a strategic function by hiring dedicated Returns Managers—giving structure and direction to customer experience, cost control and operational flow. And they’re not alone.

We see this as one of the most critical up-and-coming roles in modern ecommerce operations
Because lowering your return rate by just one percentage point can boost EBITDA more than increasing sales by 1%.

One requires more volume. The other requires better structure.

Why returns management is a priority in 2025

In most organisations, returns sit in the gaps between logistics, customer service and finance. No one owns them fully. Few flows are designed to scale.

When no one owns returns:

• Teams operate in silos with unclear accountability
• Refunds get delayed in manual, outdated systems
• No root-cause data to prevent future returns
• Warehouses and support teams are constantly reactive
• CX and margin suffer quietly

What’s at stake:

• Every delayed refund chips away at customer trust
• Every avoidable return eats into your margin
• Every manual task slows down the entire chain
• Every lack of insight makes the next return more likely
• Without ownership, returns become the most expensive blind spot in your business.
• It’s not a process. It’s a patchwork. (Read more in The Hidden Costs of Returns)

What is a Returns Manager and why it matters

This role isn’t about managing boxes. It’s about building return flows that protect margin and drive loyalty—without slowing down the business.

Returns Managers:

• Pre-purchase returns prevention
• Reduce return lead times
• Ensure fast, automated refunds
• Lower handling and shipping costs
• Increase resell and reconversion
• Analyse return reasons and drive prevention
• Standardise flows across teams and markets

They connect data, tools and people—so your post-purchase flow runs like it should.

“My role as Returns Manager at Nelly is about more than handling parcels – it’s about owning a flow that affects every part of the business. From the moment a return is initiated to when it’s back in stock, everything counts.”
— Erika Johansson, Returns Manager, Nelly

Returns by the numbers

Let’s break it down:
A fashion retailer with 500 MSEK in sales and a 25% return rate spends ~18 MSEK on returns.
Drop that rate to 24%, and you save ~720 KSEK and add ~2.5 MSEK to EBITDA.
That’s a 9% improvement—without acquiring a single new customer.

Chasing 1% more in sales?
Adds 1.4% to EBITDA—and more handling costs.

Better returns flow = more profit kept.

Returns Managers turn messy, manual processes into scalable infrastructure. In many organisations, they become key operators, sitting at the intersection of logistics, CX and strategy.

“We have been able to reduce our return rate from 38% to 27%. Inretrn has played a fundamental role in the success.”
— Stefan Svensson, Chief Operations Officer, Nelly

What to look for in a Returns Manager

This isn’t a junior ops hire. It’s a strategic operator who connects dots across the entire organisation. The best ones are:

• Detail-driven and data fluent
• Comfortable leading cross-functionally
• Obsessed with flow efficiency
• Familiar with returns platforms, automation and analytics
• Strong communicators across departments

They don’t just fix returns. They make them work – at scale.

Returns Managers are on the rise

If you’re scaling without one, you’re missing out. Not just on savings, but on structure.
In 2023, no one had this role. In 2025, it’s a competitive edge. In 2026, it will be standard.
Returns Managers are emerging as the backbone of scalable post-purchase flows. And the organisations building for it today are gaining structural advantage tomorrow.
This is what modern ops leadership looks like. Less friction. More control. Higher margins.

Ready to build your own returns function?
We’re already working with the best in the business. Let’s talk.

Related reading: Topline growth is still worth chasing