Rich Fiscus
9 Jan 2008 3:00
According to Allen Delattre, Global Managing Director of management consulting firm Accenture, consumer problems operating new devices costs retailers nearly $14 billion a year in the U.S. alone.
In an interview on Tuesday he said consumers often return the devices believing they don't work correctly even though in many cases it's simply a case of a difficulties figuring out how to operate new gadgets or misunderstand how they work.
While most companies at the Consumer Electronics Show are concentrating on individual products, Delattre is focused on the overal design, manufacture, and packaging process, which he believes nees a major overhaul. "The cost to return on one computer deletes the margin of two others they sell," he said.
The cost comes in the form of labor to test devices and get them back on store shelves for resale and the reduced margins for the returned goods.
Source: Reuters