Enabling retailers to leverage physical stores for multi-channel commerce while improving inventory accuracy, fulfillment flow, and operational efficiency
The modern retail backroom is doing more than ever: ecommerce returns, ship-from-store, same-day pickup, seasonal surge management, and more. But the physical layout and tools used to manage it haven’t changed much.
To meet these demands, a major national retail chain has adopted The Last Box, Returnity’s reusable packaging boxes, in thousands of its highest-volume locations. The system replaces disposable cardboard and other outdated packaging never intended for modern retail with durable containers designed to cycle through distribution centers and stores across key workflows. Unlike single-use packaging, The Last Box stays in use across multiple stages of store operations, supporting inbound deliveries, internal transfers, order staging, and restocking, while reducing packaging waste and maintaining durability.
“Retail backrooms weren’t built to be fulfillment centers, but that’s what they’ve become,” said Mike Newman, CEO of Returnity. “Teams are managing more products with less space and under tighter timelines. The Last Box brings structure to that complexity and reduces material waste along the way.”
The national retailer deployed over 100,000 units within months, scaling quickly as associate demand and proven impact drove expansion across high-volume fulfillment workflows. Other national retailers piloting the system have reported similar success, with results including improved inventory management, fewer damaged or lost goods, and less time spent dealing with excess cardboard.
In many stores, The Last Box is now central to daily operations. It’s used to transport and stage internal parcels from distribution centers, streamline pick-and-pack for curbside or local delivery, and serve as a reusable container for outbound transfers and returns, all of which help reduce reliance on outdated packaging formats ill-suited to the task.
The impact is most visible in modern fulfillment locations, especially those supporting delivery through personal-vehicle networks. In these fast-turn, space-limited environments, even minor inefficiencies can lead to misplaced inventory, product loss, or fulfillment delays.
“Some stores were staging orders in hallways or converting small offices just to keep up,” Newman added. “This isn’t just a packaging issue. It’s a systems issue, and better tools are helping retailers restore flow and efficiency.”
As more retailers shift toward circular systems and hybrid fulfillment models, The Last Box is helping bridge the operational gap with a scalable, store-ready solution.
