When Mike Conforti started Kindrunner.com, a New Jersey-based e-retailer for runners, he wanted to make it an exceptional online experience. Not only did he seek to provide his customers with a convenient way to shop, he was determined to do it in a socially and ecologically responsible way.
Conforti had already embraced superior customer service as a fundamental value of his brick-and-mortar running stores, Sneaker Factory Running Centres. Giving runners the same positive experience online – personal consultations, expert advice, quality running products, easy returns and exchanges – all while protecting the environment would be the challenge in creating Kindrunner.com. As a long-time UPS customer, Conforti approached the global logistics expert to discuss plans for his new venture.
Good for the sole
Runners replace their shoes two to three times per year, and discarded pairs can take 100 years to decompose in landfill. Instead of throwing them out, Conforti created a program motivating customers to return their old shoes in exchange for Kindness Cash which can be spent on Kindrunner.com. Conforti’s company then donates the old shoes to global nonprofit organisations like Soles4Souls who send shoes and clothing to people in need.
“We collect old shoes from our customers at our cost,” said Conforti. “We needed a solution that met our operational needs as well as the needs of our customers and nonprofit partners while keeping our margins on a profitable track to long-term success.”
Accomplishing the complex chain of deliveries in an efficient and environmentally conscious way takes expertise. UPS account manager Bruce Harris increased visibility into shipments by integrating UPS WorldShip and Quantum View Data into the Kindrunner.com’s software. With these solutions, Conforti can easily see which customers have shipped back their used running shoes, allowing him to reward them with Kindness Cash as soon as the returned shoes enter the UPS network.
“UPS has implemented solutions that save us more than 500 hours a year in labour costs,” Conforti said. “Instead of processing the donated running shoes ourselves, returned shoes go directly to our nonprofit partners.”
Making an impact with carbon neutral shipping
Delivering donated running shoes directly to Kindrunner’s non-profit partners saves more than time and money. It eliminates an extra step in the shipping process, reducing the carbon footprint of each donation.
“We wanted to get our customers’ used shoes to people in need without increasing our carbon footprint,” Conforti said. “UPS helped us develop a system so that the shoes don’t get sent all the way back to us for redistribution but go directly to a nearby charity.” Using UPS technologies, the customers get a printed label that directs donated shoes to be sent to a location limited to an approximate 600-mile radius from the customer’s home. According to Conforti, sending the shoes directly to his non-profit partners’ regional locations has also reduced their return shipping expenses by more than 30%.
Conforti also invests in UPS’s carbon neutral shipping option. For pennies per package, he works with UPS to purchase carbon offsets that minimise the impact his shipments have on the environment. UPS then uses the funds to support certified environmentally responsible projects around the world.
“Using carbon neutral shipping was an easy decision,” said Conforti. “I started Kindrunner.com to help people but also to create a sustainable for-profit business that makes sense.”
Free Three Way Shipping keeps customers coming back
Running a sustainable business also relies on providing a positive customer experience. Delivering quality service without a lot of wait time keeps consumers happy, and easy returns are especially important for online businesses like Kindrunner.com.
Conforti touts free shipping, and he also offers free returns and free re-shipping to guarantee his customers’ satisfaction. Working with UPS technology, Conforti can better manage his inventory along with his Kindness Cash Rewards Program to save time and resources.
“Competing on price as an online business can become a race to the bottom,” said Conforti. “Kindrunner’s success is based on having a strong relationship with our customers and taking care of the things they care about – receiving high quality products and services without sacrificing environmental and social responsibility.”
Copy on this page is paid for and provided by UPS, sponsors of the In Focus series on Sustainable Growth
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