Why Return-to-Origin Is Holding Back Bharat's MSMEs And How Tech Can Fix It

Bharat are scaling faster than ever, but MSMEs are losing margins quickly and consistently, growth at exactly the stage where momentum matters most.

- 

Bharat' s digital entrepreneurs are scaling faster than ever, but one opera tional gap continues to eat into margins quietly and consistently, Return to Origin (RTO).

For a young business, a single failed delivery is not a minor setback. It blocks working capital, disrupts cash flow, erodes courier performance scores, and slows growth at exactly the stage where momentum matters most.

Across the ecosystem, the levers that reduce RTO are already known. And they start far earlier than dispatch. A checkout that loads fast, builds trust, and filters out risky intent. Addresses verified upfront. Payment journeys built for COD-heavy buyers. Clear expectations on product pages so doorstep surprises don't turn into doorstep refusals. On the fulfilment side, matching the parcel to the right courier on the right route improves first-attempt success. And when a delivery attempt fails, fast NDR engagement via WhatsApp, IVR, and SMS often brings the order back into circulation before it slips into RTO. These levers are real, proven, and effective. The challenge? Availability. Most MSMEs do not have the tech, the teams, or the capital to build these workflows themselves. That is where Shiprocket steps in.

Checkout: The First Line of RTO Prevention