Logística reversa em alta: trocas no início do ano impulsionam o recommerce no Brasil

The month of January has been registering, in recent years, a movement that has transformed the retail routine: the significant increase in requests for exchanges and returns of products after the holiday period National Retail Federation (NRF), in partnership with Happy Returns, retailers estimate the holiday return rate to be on average 17% higher than the annual return rate, reflecting the direct post-party impact on retail operations.

In 2024, online shopping around the world during the holiday season reached a record 1.2 billion dollars, an increase of 3% over the previous year, according to data from Salesforce, from an analysis of aggregated data of the activity of 1.5 billion consumers in more than 89 countries.The same survey points out that there was an increase of 28% in the rate of returns compared to the previous year.

The phenomenon, intensified by the Christmas and Black Friday purchases, has boosted the relevance of reverse logistics and strengthened the chain of recommerce, the re-marketing of returned products reflects a combination of factors, such as changing consumer habits, the accelerated expansion of e-commerce and the demand for more complete and transparent shopping experiences.

According to data from Invesp, about 30% of the products purchased online are returned, a percentage significantly higher than that registered in physical retail, where the rate is around 8.89% Brazilian Association of Tire Recycling Companies (Abrerepi) it estimated that the reverse logistics sector would grow by 10% per year, with the potential to move approximately R$ 140 billion by the end of 2025.

For Thiago da Mata, CEO of Kwara, a marketplace specialized in the sale of assets, this scenario has a direct impact on the logistics operation and, especially, on the inventory management of retailers. 

“The biggest pain is not in transportation, but in the cost of inventory stopped. The retailer gets the warehouse full of returned products, no time to restart the cycle to put the item back on sale. The after-party, especially January, concentrates a much larger volume of exchanges and returns, which directly pressures inventory, logistics and cash.And it is when this flow is not well managed that it turns cost to the company. However, by adopting a reverse logistics strategy eCommerce, these products return to generate value and efficiency for retail”, analyzes.

Growth of post-Christmas exchanges: more than seasonality

The increase in the flow of exchanges and returns soon after Christmas goes beyond a seasonal movement. It is a direct reflection of the record volume of purchases concentrated in the last quarter of the year 'Impowered by Black Friday, gifts and bonuses 'OD allied to an increasingly pragmatic and aware consumer of their rights.

“O recommerce helps the retailer recover value from returned products that would otherwise be stopped or even discarded, generating financial and environmental impact.With a well-structured process, it is possible to reduce losses, release capital immobilized in stock and improve the efficiency of the operation as a whole, transforming an inevitable cost into a result lever.”, says Thiago da Mata.

The role of reverse logistics in Brazil today

In practice, reverse logistics is defined as the set of actions aimed at collecting used or returned products and reinserting them into the production cycle or giving them an environmentally appropriate destination.In Brazil, the concept is one of the pillars of the National Solid Waste Policy (PNRS), a legal framework that promotes the circular economy and seeks to reduce the pressure on landfills and waste generation.

This movement has generated impacts that go beyond the operational efficiency of retail and directly reach the environment Confederação Nacional da Indústria (CNI) it points out that 85% of Brazilian industries already adopt circular economy practices, while 68% of companies believe that these initiatives contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

In the same direction, a Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) it estimates that keeping materials in the economy longer through reuse, reuse or recycling can reduce carbon dioxide emissions incorporated into products by up to 33%.

According to Thiago da Mata, this structural change has also expanded consumer acceptance for products derived from this same characteristic. “ Digital reverse logistics auctions have expanded the possibilities for returned products by efficiently connecting them to the circular economy. This model contributes to the formation of a more structured secondary market, offering organized liquidity for retail and new opportunities for access for those who buy”, he notes.

According to data from Kwara, the total amount auctioned in auctions of items from reverse logistics grew 750% in the first quarter of 2025, compared to the same period of 2024. In the half-yearly cut, the evolution was also consistent: between the first and second half of 2024, growth was 4.8 times. Throughout 2024, the company held more than 100ions, adding more than 200 thousand auctioned items in 13 Brazilian states.

Recommerce: opportunity for returned assets

Reverse logistics is the basis that supports the advancement of recommerce, a market that converts returns into new consumer opportunities.With more agile and structured processes, products return quickly to the market still in excellent condition and with commercial value.

“The strengthening of reverse logistics allows you to recover practically new items, such as refrigerators, sofas or notebooks returned within the deadline of repentance and reinsert them into the market efficiently”, explains the CEO of Kwara.

This model expands the supply and diversity in the secondary market and contributes to consolidate consumer confidence in semi-new or refurbished products, especially when marketed through organized channels, such as online auctions. For the retailer, these channels have been establishing themselves as strategic tools to release idle inventory and recover value.

“Before, the concern was how much it would cost to discard a product. Today, the discussion becomes how much it can still generate” revenue, summarizes Thiago.

Reverse logistics and recommerce as levers for retail in the post-parties

In the post-party period, reverse logistics plays a central role in allowing the high volume of returns to be reorganized and quickly reinserted into the market.With well-structured processes, this flow contributes to greater operational efficiency and supports the expansion of the recommerce, transforming returned products into assets with potential for reuse.

According to Thiago da Mata, the integration between reverse logistics and recommerce strengthens a more consistent circular economy model in Brazilian retail, with products circulating among different consumers over time, preserving commercial value and extending their useful life.

“Esse model reduces waste, optimizes resource use and improves operation efficiency. For retail, mastering the entire cycle from selling to reusing returned products (EXPanding value generation capacity over TIME”, says the executive.

With the continued growth of e-commerce and the consolidation of the combination of Black Friday and Christmas as important catalysts of returns, secondary markets and digital auctions tend to gain even more relevance. These channels offer liquidity, expand access to products and reinforce re-commerce as a sustainable strategy of value generation in the post-party.