At Last

The untold love story of returns

How we positioned and branded a returns service as the matchmaker that helps retailers keep the spark alive with their shoppers long after their purchase.

Their challenge

At Last helps shoppers and retailers have better relationships, by giving them the tools to make returns as painless as possible.

Shoppers find returns cumbersome, unclear and frustrating. Every returns policy is different and takes up valuable time in their busy day. Retailers loathe returns, they affect their bottom line and are an operational headache. They also have a considerable negative impact on the planet.

At Last has a vision to make returns a positive experience for shoppers and retailers, with minimal costs to both (or the planet). The challenge was to take returns and turn them into something that people would no longer dread.

Our approach

We wanted At Last to be a brand people would want to tell their friends about. We started by asking ourselves the question 'If At Last weren't a returns service, what could they be?' We landed on the idea of a dating app or matchmaker.

We developed a brand positioning that put At Last as the matchmaker that sees the romantic potential of their two friends - shopper and retailers - and helps set the right conditions for them to truly “click”.

The key insights

We spoke to CEOs and board members at some of the UK’s biggest retailers to find out what they really care about when it comes to returns.

50%

said returns are an unavoidable part of the retail industry

66%

said returns are a constant concern and frustration

100%

said customer service is the most important factor to improving returns

100%

said returns need continual development and management

The 'At last' feeling

What if we were that instinctive matchmaker, who sees the romantic potential of our two friends – if only they had the right conditions to truly “click”… At Last?

What if we could help retailers to keep the spark alive with their shoppers long after that spontaneous purchase?

What if we could show them how returns could be sophisticated and a little bit sexy; an amazing opportunity for their business and a way to delight shoppers?

What if we turned the “business cost” and “operational headache” of returns into something that was a win-win and just made sense?

What if we could turn their heads and open their eyes to a better way?

At Last…

Returns: the untold love story.

It’s the oldest story in the book; boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy wins girl back. When things don’t quite go to plan, we believe every great retailer deserves the opportunity to turn things around.

Shopping is a lot like dating – the thrill, the anticipation, and the frustration when it turns out the object of your affection is most definitely not ‘The One’ #returntosender.

Retailers and shoppers could be the perfect match, if only they could stay together for the long haul. Nothing spoils a budding romance like a disappointing experience and that’s why we’re here to play matchmaker between great brands and their shoppers; keeping the spark alive long after that impulsive purchase.

Let’s keep them coming back for more.

At Last… retailers and shoppers can “just click”

At last brand guidelines

The result

From our research we learned that shoppers would much rather end up with something they love over getting their money back. And retailers want their shoppers to love their items and keep the money on the balance sheet. So, we developed 'the untold love story’ of returns. Telling the story of how At Last keeps shoppers and retailers together for the long haul, and keeps their spark alive.

We created a vibrant brand that reflected the positioning of the ‘untold love story’ between shoppers and retailers. The typefaces take inspiration from a handwritten love letter, while the logo is representative of ‘signed with a kiss.’

To further enhance the feel of the nostalgic romance we introduced polaroid photos and post-its as visual assets across the brand communications.

At Last tape
At Last business card
At Last social slider
At Last billboard
At Last t-shirt back
At Last t-shirt front