Reverse Logistics Consulting

20+ Years Combined Fortune 500 & Military Supply Chain Experience

Turn Returns

Into Results.

We specialize in helping e-commerce and retail businesses build smarter, more profitable returns operations — cutting costs, recovering more inventory value, building the ESG metrics your board is asking for (carbon footprint, Scope 3 emissions, landfill diversion), and creating return experiences that strengthen customer loyalty rather than erode it.

Schedule a Consultation

The Returns Problem

$890B

Lost annually to product returns in the U.S.

20–30%

Average apparel e-commerce return rate

8–15%

Of total revenue lost to reverse logistics

Most businesses have no dedicated strategy for reverse logistics. Vertistics exists to change that.

$890B

Lost annually to product returns — most with no ESG measurement in place

73%

Of returned goods can be diverted from landfill with a structured program

40%

Potential reduction in Scope 3 emissions from optimized returns operations

10+

Years of Fortune 500 supply chain & sustainability operations experience

Meet the Founder

Eddie

Founder & Principal Consultant, Vertistics

I hold an MA in Reverse Logistics Management from the only program of its kind in the U.S., and have spent over a decade applying that expertise inside Fortune 500 supply chains and military logistics operations. I founded Vertistics to give e-commerce and retail brands access to the same strategic thinking that large enterprises use to turn returns from a cost center into a competitive advantage.

Full Background

What the Data Shows

$644B

in returned merchandise ends up in landfill or liquidation each year — value that smarter disposition can recover.

— Optoro / NRF, 2024

19.3%

of all online sales are returned across all categories — nearly 1 in 5 orders, with no sign of slowing.

— NRF, 2025

66%

of consumers check a retailer's return policy before making a purchase, making returns a pre-sale conversion factor.

— Narvar Consumer Report, 2024

of all returns are fraudulent, costing retailers $76.5B annually in direct losses.

— NRF / Forbes, 2025–2026

79%

of shoppers abandon a purchase over a poor or unclear return policy.

— DHL, 2026

$62.5B

in global value sits locked in returned inventory — waiting to be recovered through smarter reverse logistics.

— DHL, 2026

35%

of retailers can actually track a return end-to-end. The rest are flying blind.

— Incisiv / Manhattan Associates, 2023

$644B

in returned merchandise ends up in landfill or liquidation each year — value that smarter disposition can recover.

— Optoro / NRF, 2024

19.3%

of all online sales are returned across all categories — nearly 1 in 5 orders, with no sign of slowing.

— NRF, 2025

66%

of consumers check a retailer's return policy before making a purchase, making returns a pre-sale conversion factor.

— Narvar Consumer Report, 2024

of all returns are fraudulent, costing retailers $76.5B annually in direct losses.

— NRF / Forbes, 2025–2026

79%

of shoppers abandon a purchase over a poor or unclear return policy.

— DHL, 2026

$62.5B

in global value sits locked in returned inventory — waiting to be recovered through smarter reverse logistics.

— DHL, 2026

35%

of retailers can actually track a return end-to-end. The rest are flying blind.

— Incisiv / Manhattan Associates, 2023

How Returns Actually Flow

The Full Reverse Logistics Journey

Most businesses only see the beginning — a customer clicking "return." What happens next is where value is won or lost. Vertistics optimizes every node in this chain.

Reverse logistics workflow diagram showing the full return journey from customer initiation through inspection, disposition decisions, and resolution

From return request to resolution — Vertistics identifies cost leakage and recovery opportunities at every stage.

See how we optimize each stage

How We Work Together

Four Ways to Engage

View All Engagement Models

Project-Based

Consulting

A defined problem. A built solution. A clear output you own.

Ongoing Engagement

Advisory & Fractional Leadership

Strategic advisory when you need a sounding board. Fractional leadership when you need someone embedded and accountable.

Diagnostic

The Returns Profit Diagnostic

Know exactly where your returns operation is leaking profit. Walk away with a clear picture and a prioritized action plan.

Project or Advisory

Crisis Management

When a recall, surge, or disruption demands immediate action, we mobilize fast — as a project or advisory engagement — and bring order to the reverse flow under pressure.

Explore All Engagement Models

Why Vertistics

Six Reasons Clients Choose Us

Reverse logistics is a niche discipline. Most consultants treat it as an afterthought. Vertistics was built around it from day one, and that focus shows in the results we deliver.

Unmatched Academic Credentials

Our founder holds a Master of Arts in Reverse Logistics Management from America's only dedicated graduate program of its kind. It's a depth of specialized knowledge that generalist consultants simply cannot match.

AI-Augmented Decision Making

We apply AI where it creates measurable ROI in reverse logistics: behavioral scoring to catch returns fraud, disposition modeling to maximize recovered value on every returned SKU, and predictive analytics to forecast return volumes before they hit your dock.

Measurable Cost Reduction

Every engagement is built around quantifiable outcomes. We identify the hidden costs in your returns operation, build a roadmap to eliminate them, and establish clear KPIs to track progress.

Sustainability, ESG & Value Recovery

We don't just reduce costs — we build the sustainability story your board is asking for. Through refurbishment, secondary markets, and circular economy strategies, we recover inventory value and produce the ESG metrics that matter: carbon footprint per return, landfill diversion rate, Scope 3 emissions reduction, and circularity score.

Compliance and Risk Expertise

From environmental regulations to data security on returned electronics, we ensure your reverse logistics operation is fully compliant and protected against operational and reputational risk.

Customized for Your Business

There is no off-the-shelf solution here. Every strategy is built around your specific industry, customer base, product type, and operational constraints, because no two returns operations are alike.

Insights

Latest from the Vertistics Blog

Practical insights on reverse logistics, returns management, and supply chain strategy.

Tariffs, De Minimis, and the Hidden Returns Crisis Hitting DTC Brands in 2026

Policy

April 3, 2026·3 min read

Tariffs, De Minimis, and the Hidden Returns Crisis Hitting DTC Brands in 2026

The trade policy shifts of 2025 and 2026 didn't just raise import costs. They quietly made product returns more expensive and more complicated. Here's what DTC brands need to understand now.

Read Article