About Pinewood

Pinewood is a Swedish, family-owned outdoor brand from Småland that has been developing clothing and equipment for outdoor activities, hunting, fishing, and dog sports since 1996.

When Pinewood began scaling up its e-commerce operations, it quickly became clear that the existing handling of returns, exchanges, and claims was no longer sufficient. The processes were largely manual, fragmented, and dependent on Excel spreadsheets and several parallel workflows.

For Christopher Häggström, Digital Director at Pinewood, this became the starting point for a broader transformation initiative: modernizing the entire post-purchase flow and creating a more scalable e-commerce structure.

“When volumes were low, the inefficiencies were not particularly noticeable. But as revenue increased, the consequences became clear, especially in administration, traceability, and follow-up.”

Pinewoods challenges

Extensive manual work in the returns process.
Lack of consolidated data and insights into return reasons.
Return labels and documentation were handled in separate workflows.
Difficulties tracking costs related to exchanges and returns.
Inefficient coordination between customer service, warehouse operations and e-commerce.
Claims were handled without a unified digital structure.
Lack of a modern, customer-friendly return process.
Customer service worked across multiple systems and Excel files.

Solutions and Results

We have been able to scale up without significantly impacting staffing levels. Customer service has increased by one person, but considering the strong growth in our own e-commerce business, efficiency has undoubtedly improved. It’s also important to understand that customer service supports not only end customers, but also several hundred B2B customers across Europe.- Christopher Häggström, Digital Director

Digitalized exchanges

Previously, an exchange required a refund and a completely new order. Now customers can complete exchanges directly within the flow, saving both time and administration.

Automation

Processes that were previously managed manually are now digitalized and traceable. Integrations and adaptations to the e-commerce platform (including Shopify) have streamlined operations.

Improved customer experience

Customers can now manage their cases directly on their mobile phones, compared to the previous paper-based process.

Data-driven

Better insights into return reasons and can track KPIs through a digital dashboard. What was previously difficult to measure and follow up can now be analyzed in a structured way.

More accurate budgeting

Budgeting became more precise thanks to the ability to calculate how much money was tied to exchanges.

Collaboration with Reclaimit

Pinewood came into contact with Reclaimit through a recommendation from another company. From the very first discussions, they experienced a strong understanding of their situation. Christopher says that Reclaimit quickly demonstrated that they understood Pinewood’s challenges before they even had to explain them in detail.

For Pinewood, the collaboration itself has been a crucial part of the outcome. The implementation was experienced as well-structured and clearly project-managed, creating confidence throughout the transformation.

What we appreciated most is that the solution was not oversold, but actually lived up to expectations. The project was driven with clear structure and competence throughout the entire implementation. Compared to collaborations I’ve had with suppliers during my 20 years in the industry, this is one of the better ones. - Christopher Häggström, Digital Director

Solution and Results

Coop’s internal support team no longer receives frequent “How do I make a claim?” inquiries. The Reclaimit system provides clear guidance, making it easier even for new employees to follow procedures and reducing onboarding time.

The stores benefit most from this solution. Customer Service directs customers to the right store, where all claims are processed seamlessly.
- Marit Esk, Head of Claims

✔ Easier process for staff
With Reclaimit’s solution Coop can provide information upfront for the staff about how to make a claim. It means quicker help for the customer standing in front of them in the store.

✔ Improved quality control
Coop now tracks claims more effectively, which helps spot patterns and improve product quality.

✔ Improved customer service
Customers get continuous digital updates which enforces the notion that Coop care for their customers.

✔ Keep sustainability promise
Under the EU’s Right to Repair legislation, retailers must offer repair solutions. Marit emphasizes that sustainability isn’t just about processing returns—it’s about empowering customers to repair products themselves.

From administration to automation

Pinewoods steps towards streamlined after sales