Tech startup manages returns and resale of products directly in a dedicated marketplace, aiming to redefine the recommerce category.

Founded in 2022, Helsinki-based AI-based recommerce startup Renow works to disrupt the supply chain through virtual warehouses. For retailers and 3PLs, the company also houses a grading engine offered with a freemium model. For consumers, Renow offers high-quality 2nd-cycle products from top brands at discounted prices. The goal? To make recommerce mainstream and decrease waste.

The startup has now teamed up with CDON, one of the largest e-commerce marketplaces in the Nordics, in a long-term partnership to inspect and resell returned products directly in CDON’s marketplace. The partnership aims to solve the logistical and operational challenges of open-box product returns while building the resale category to increase the lifecycle of returned products. 

The marketplaces serve customers in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland. With products being sold by merchants across Europe, managing returns is both a complex and sometimes expensive operation for the customer. With the introduction of Renow’s local logistical network, CDON will reduce the cost and time spent for its customers. At the same time, making them available to customers in a fast and cost-efficient way.

For CDON’s merchants, the benefits are clear. Returned products can be resold locally instead of being shipped back to the country of origin, thereby reducing logistics costs. Customers gain value from a fast and easy return, while the merchant avoids a total loss. Through this process, CDON adds a new service layer that strengthens its relationships with merchants and enhances overall sustainability performance.

Kattis Åström, CCO at CDON, sees recommerce as a natural next step, both for the company, and for e-commerce at large.

– It’s about reducing waste, helping our merchants cut costs, and giving customers more affordable and sustainable choices. Renow brings the technology, infrastructure, and mindset needed to make this happen.

Reselling returned goods has historically been a slow and inefficient process, often resulting in bulk disposal or warehouse buildup. By integrating Renow’s AI-powered recommerce infrastructure and decentralised logistics network, CDON can now handle returned products locally, inspect and grade them using Renow’s technology, before reselling them to consumers directly on its marketplaces. The resellable returns are processed and relisted in a special recommerce category. Customers can purchase quality-verified, discounted products with buyer protection and fast delivery. Each product is inspected and graded by Renow’s AI system, which integrates directly with CDON’s customer service workflows to streamline the process from return to resale.

– For ecommerce platforms, returns are typically seen as a headache, says Kalle Koutajoki, CEO and co-founder of Renow. With CDON, we’re turning that challenge into a scalable circular model. Our platform helps process returns locally, reduces unnecessary transport and waste, and extends the life of products that still have plenty of value to offer.

With circular commerce gaining traction and new EU regulations promoting more sustainable practices, the partnership not only serves as an example for the Nordic e-commerce ecosystem. It also signals a new opportunity for merchants across the region.

– Our goal is to make it easy for marketplaces and merchants to participate in recommerce without building everything from scratch. With CDON, we’re showing what’s possible. We’re ready to expand this model with other players in the region, Koutajoki concludes.