Logistic returns

Logistic returns is the flow through which Putaway WMS brings back into the system products that physically return to the warehouse for logistic reasons. This page is mainly used to process parcels returned by the courier and products that must re-enter stock after the order was cancelled before dispatch.

It is not a generic commercial returns page and it is not a customer relationship module. The operator works only with products that have physically returned to the warehouse and must be reconciled with an existing order.

Where to find it

In the application, go to Warehouse operations -> Logistic returns.

The page is connected to:

• Orders: shows the order status, AWB, invoice, and history;
• Returns locations: defines the locations where returned products can enter;
• Stock: shows products entered into the returns location;
• Traceability: shows returned product entries and any adjustments;
• Documents -> Adjustments: shows the document created if there are missing products in the returned parcel.

Access

The user must have a selected warehouse, access to that warehouse, and permission for the logistic return operation.

If the user does not have logistic return permission, the Logistic returns option does not appear in the Warehouse operations menu. If the page is opened manually from the address bar, the application sends the user to the Dashboard and the logistic return screen does not load.

If no warehouse is selected, the menu option does not appear. If the page was already open, the returns location and orders cannot be processed until the user selects a warehouse. If the selected warehouse is no longer accessible, the application displays Warehouse access denied and clears the current warehouse selection.

The displayed data is only for the company and warehouse of the authenticated user. An order from another warehouse or another account is not available in this flow.

When to use it

Use Logistic returns when:

• the courier brings the parcel back to the warehouse;
• the order was prepared but was cancelled before dispatch and the products must be brought back into stock;
• products must be entered into a returns location, with the real condition observed at receiving;
• the order must be closed as returned in Putaway WMS.

Putaway WMS searches for eligible orders in the same company and the same warehouse. The flow works with orders in situations such as Awaiting shipment, Shipped, or Cancelled - Awaiting return to stock.

Orders that are already returned, delivered, completed, or have not reached an eligible logistic stage are not processed here.

What is not done here

Do not use the page for:

• customer return requests that have not physically reached the warehouse;
• commercial returns without a parcel or without scannable products;
• entering new products that are not connected to an order;
• correcting general inventory;
• movements between locations.

For stock differences, use Inventory adjustments, Inventories, or Traceability, as appropriate.

Step-by-step flow

1. Open Warehouse operations -> Logistic returns.
2. Scan the returns location. The location must be returns-type.
3. Choose how to identify the order: by AWB, by order ID, or by customer.
4. Scan or enter the search value.
5. If Putaway WMS finds a single order, it opens it directly.
6. If there are multiple results, select the correct order from the list.
7. Putaway WMS displays the delivery details, AWB, invoice, and expected products.
8. Choose the product condition before scanning: Good, Damaged, or Quarantine.
9. Scan the products that physically returned.
10. For lots or serial numbers, confirm the required identity.
11. Complete the return.

Scanning can be done with a physical scanner, dedicated mobile device, manual entry, or the phone/tablet camera. The camera opens from the camera icon in the active field. After browser permission is granted, Putaway WMS automatically detects the code in the frame and stops reading on that code. The operator checks what was detected, then presses Confirm code to send the code to the current step or Scan again if the label was not read correctly.

Returns location

The first step is scanning the location. Putaway WMS accepts only active returns-type locations from the current warehouse. If you scan a storage, receiving, quarantine, or cart location, the process does not continue.

This rule is important because returned products must be separated from operational stock until they are checked.

If the returns location already contains similar products but with different traceability, completion can be blocked to avoid mixing stock that looks identical but comes from different suppliers, receipts, lots, or values. In this situation, transfer the existing products to dedicated shelves and retry the return.

After validation, the location remains selected for the next returns in the same session. The reset button clears the current order but keeps the already selected returns location.

Searching for the order

The order can be searched by:

• AWB or tracking number;
• return AWB, if it exists in the shipment data;
• order ID or order number;
• external order number;
• customer name or phone.

If a customer search returns multiple results, the operator must choose the correct order. Products are not scanned until the real order is selected.

If a single order matches the search, Putaway WMS opens it automatically.

What the order displays

After the order is selected, the screen displays:

• delivery details: recipient, phone, email, delivery method, delivery point, and address;
• order number and progress of scanned products;
• expected products, expected quantity, and remaining quantity;
• lot and serial number, if the product uses them;
• AWB information: status, AWB number, courier, print count, and last print;
• invoice information: whether it is generated, number, date, print count, and last print.

On this page, the AWB and invoice are displayed for checking, not for printing.

If there are unscanned products, the screen displays a warning that completing without them will mark them as missing products in parcel. The warning appears even immediately after opening the order because no product has been scanned yet at that moment. It disappears only when all expected quantities have been scanned.

Scanning products

The screen displays each expected product on the order, the expected quantity, and scan progress. On each scan, Putaway WMS checks whether the product belongs to the order.

The product can be recognized by barcode, SKU, serial number, or product code. If the product does not belong to the order or the quantity has already been fully scanned, the scan is rejected.

When rejected, the screen displays a message that the scanned product is not in the order or that the quantity is already complete. The scan does not change progress and the operator can scan the next product.

The order cannot be processed through logistic return if the scanned product is not on the order, if the product is not mapped in the catalog, if the lot/serial identity does not match, or if the total of scanned and missing products does not match what Putaway WMS expects.

Lots, serial numbers, and fast scanning

For products with lots, Putaway WMS asks for the correct lot. For serialized products, Putaway WMS asks for the exact serial number. If the lot or serial number does not match the order, the scan is rejected.

Fast scanning can send the product code together with the lot or serial number, in this format:

BARCODE;LOT:LOT-123;SN:SERIAL-1

With this format, Putaway WMS can directly select the lot or serial number if the information matches the expected product.

Product condition

Before scanning, the operator chooses the condition for the scanned product:

• Good: the product is recorded as a good product in the returns location;
• Damaged: the product returns but must not be treated as a good product;
• Quarantine: the product must be isolated for checking.

The selected condition applies to the scanned product. All three conditions enter the selected returns location, but with the correct condition on the product. Quarantine does not automatically move the product to a quarantine location; it records it in returns with quarantine condition.

If the same return contains products in different conditions, change the condition before scanning each group. Each product card shows three counters: Good, Damaged, and Quarantine.

For a scan made with the wrong condition, press the quantity displayed for that condition to decrease the scan, then select the correct condition and scan the product again.

Missing products from the returned parcel

If not all expected products physically returned, the displayed button is Complete with missing products, and Putaway WMS asks for confirmation before completion.

There is no separate button on each product for “missing”. Missing products are the quantities that remain unscanned at the moment of completion.

If the parcel contains none of the expected products, the operator does not scan products. All quantities remain unscanned, and completion is done only through Complete with missing products and explicit confirmation.

After confirmation, missing products do not increase final stock. Putaway WMS records them for traceability in the returns location, then removes them through a negative adjustment. This keeps it clear that the product was expected in the parcel but was not physically found.

Do not confirm missing products if the product is in the parcel but was not scanned correctly. First check the barcode, lot, serial number, and displayed product.

If all expected products have been scanned, the warning disappears and the displayed button is Complete return.

What happens after completion

After completion:

• scanned products enter the returns location with the selected condition;
• products keep the origin and traceability with which they left on the order;
• the order is marked as returned;
• the shipment is marked as returned to sender;
• if there are missing products, the related adjustment is created;
• order history and stock traceability are updated.

For later checks, use Orders, Stock, Traceability, and Documents -> Adjustments if the return generated an adjustment.

Rejected cases

Putaway WMS stops the flow when:

• no warehouse is selected;
• the user does not have access to the warehouse or to logistic returns;
• the scanned location is not returns-type;
• the order does not exist in the current warehouse;
• the order is not in a status eligible for logistic return;
• the customer search does not identify the order clearly enough and the operator does not select an order;
• the scanned product does not belong to the order;
• the product is not mapped in the catalog;
• the lot or serial number does not match the expected product;
• scanned and missing quantities do not cover exactly the expected quantity;
• missing products were not confirmed;
• the returns location would mix similar products with different traceability;
• the adjustment for missing products cannot be created.

After the return

After the logistic return:

• check Orders for the order status and change history;
• check Stock for the quantity entered into the returns location;
• check Traceability for product entries and any removals through adjustment;
• check Documents -> Adjustments if the return had missing products.

Do not use logistic return as a shortcut for general inventory corrections. If the product has not physically returned or does not belong to an eligible order, use the dedicated flows for inventory, adjustments, or operational checks.