Dive Brief:

• First-mile shipping startup Shyp noticed that many customers were using its services for returns, and has responded with a dedicated app feature called Shyp Returns that’s designed to make the process even easier.

• Now when a customer indicates that something is a return, the item can be brought directly to a warehouse or the courier can ensure a prepaid is affixed.

• The company, which has expanded from operations in San Francisco to New York and Miami as well, picks up packages at homes and businesses and works with traditional shippers to get those packages on their way. 

Dive Insight:

Shyp has found a niche that is sort of tucked away from much of the fierce whirlwind of competition in retail delivery by concentrating on the first mile rather then the last. As TechCrunch notes, it could really get entrenched if it were to solidify relationships with retailers, with a “Returns powered by Shyp” program.