Restarting a Success Story: How fahrrad.de Manages Smart Returns with 8returns

fahrrad.de – A New Chapter for a Leading Brand

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In 2003, René Marius Köhler founded fahrrad.de, initially as a hobby project. The shop grew rapidly and was even named Online Shop of the Year in 2007. Köhler sold the company in 2016 and stepped down from management. After a turbulent time under the new owner Signa Sports United and its insolvency in 2023, Köhler bought back the brands and domains in March 2024 through an asset deal. Within just six weeks, an ambitious relaunch was implemented. In addition to its online shop, fahrrad.de now operates five brick-and-mortar stores in Stuttgart, Stuttgart Vaihingen, Dortmund, Düsseldorf, and Hamburg.

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“We were practically starting from scratch: no systems, no logistics, just the domains. A quick start with smooth processes was absolutely crucial,”
explains Elif Durmus, Head of Supply Chain Management & Operational Processes at fahrrad.de.

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The Returns Challenge – Simple and Digital

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fahrrad.de urgently needed a fast, paperless returns solution.

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“We wanted to drastically reduce manual effort and customer inquiries, as the first orders were already shipping out and there was no time to waste,”
adds Loreen Mateo Ramirez, Consultant Customer Care & Leasing.

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Internal solutions and various apps had been tested before – but none were convincing.

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The Right Tip from Industry Insiders

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Through a connection at Asphaltgold, an online store for premium sneakers & streetwear, the team heard about 8returns. The decision was made quickly:

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“From day one, working with 8returns was simply pleasant. Every question was answered quickly, every issue solved easily,”
says Denise Deuschle, Teamlead Customer Care, about her experience.

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The technical setup went smoothly:

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“Connecting to the shop, setting up carriers (DHL, DHL International Returns & Swiss Post) and defining specific rules all worked quickly and without any problems. Everything was well-documented and intuitively understandable,” adds Loreen.

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Results: More Time, Less Stress, Happy Customers

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Since introducing 8returns, fahrrad.de’s returns processes run digitally and automatically:

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• 5–8 hours saved per week in Customer Care
• Significantly fewer customer inquiries
• Automated handling, especially for small-part returns
• Transparent analytics for purchasing and supplier management
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“Thanks to 8returns, we can continue to grow our revenue without needing to scale the team. Plus, 8returns makes our day-to-day work so much easier!”
sums up Loreen.

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The automated analytics now help the team make strategic decisions: Which products are returned most often? Which suppliers have high return rates? These insights feed directly into purchasing and supplier negotiations.

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Conclusion

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With 8returns, fahrrad.de has found a hassle-free solution that made the relaunch much easier: less effort, happy customers, and finally time to focus on other important topics.

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