Thanks to a simple measure, Wehkamp has managed to significantly reduce the number of returns. Moreover, the change reduced losses ten million euros. This is how the online department store did it.
Cutting losses by 75 %
Despite the drop in sales and the slowdown in the e-commerce market, Wehkamp’s operating losses decreased by three quarters. The Dutch online department store has struggled for years with mounting losses, but last year reduced its operating loss from 13.2 million to 3.4 million euros – even though sales fell by 17 % to 552 million euros.
How is this possible? “In 2023-2024, Wehkamp made two decisions that deviated from the norm in the e-commerce sector and had a major impact on the company’s results,” the annual report states. The online platform says it is playing a pioneering role with its new returns and delivery strategy.
