Reducing Product Returns – A Priority for the New Normal

As you will have read many times during this article series, the number of products being returned to online retailers is skyrocketing, and with each return costing the company between $10-20, the damage to the bottom line can soon add up.

Customer rights and good old fashioned human decency dictates that retailers must have some mechanism in place for products to be returned – whether damaged or no longer needed – but they need to make sure they are creating an environment where this needs to happen as little as possible.

Fraudulent behavior such as wardrobing, or bracketing are very much their own topic, and you’ll find them covered in detail elsewhere in this series. However, the goal of this article is to guide you through some simple methods of making sure customers get the right product – in good condition – first time.

Fantastic product images

The first way you can reduce the chances of returns is to make sure customers can get a good look at your products on your ecommerce platform.

All too many online stores only have a single image of each product and it’s shocking how many of these are poorly framed and low resolution. The best ecommerce sites in 2022 have multiple images which show the product from almost every possible angle. And, for those angles which aren’t featured in the static shots, they have 360-degree images which the customer can manipulate to their hearts content.

Making sure customers can view your products properly will significantly reduce the chances of them being disappointed by some hidden detail they weren’t expecting.

Terrific Product Descriptions

We’ve all seen those memes online which declare "The [insert pop culture reference]" you ordered from Wish.

These memes have gained such popularity because Wish had become notorious for obfuscating critical details about its products – most often they’re actual size – to sell the idea that its low-price catalogue represents better value than it actual does.

Avoid comparisons with Wish – and the increased returns which no doubt come with them – by making sure your product descriptions are packed with as many details regarding the item as possible. Size is particularly important, but any details you have access to should be on the product listing to help customers make the most informed choices possible and reduce the chance of dissatisfaction.

Adequate Packaging

As someone who facies themselves a bit of a chef, this author has lost count of the times they’ve had to order specialist ingredients online, only for them to arrive with the – usually glass – vessel they are contained in completely destroyed.

Brands which fail to properly package their goods are just asking for returns and refunds to go through the roof. You might know your product is fragile, but there’s no guarantee, even with an appropriate sticker, one of the many hands the package will pass through between your store and the customer’s address, will notice or even care.

Fragile items should never be able to contact the outer walls of the packaging and should be packed with enough material – even paper will suffice – to prevent it shifting during transit.

You cannot control everything and even the best packaged items may still be drop-kicked over someone’s fence by an incompetent courier but give your product the best chance possible of arriving unharmed.

Great Communication

Making sure customers are kept informed at every step of the purchasing journey is a solid way to reduce the chances of returns.

When retailers don’t offer regular updates or communication – especially if a product is going to be late – customers will often become impatient and order the same item again from a different store. Then, whichever item arrives second gets returned, and the retailer incurs the costs.

There really is no excuse in 2022 to not be offering customers fully tracked purchases and regular updates – either via email or notifications – on the progress of their order. When things are delayed, make sure the customers know what is going on and how long they should expect to have to wait before their item finally arrives.

The customer can then make an informed decision about whether they want to wait for the order or cancel. If they cancel, you have saved your brand the time and expense of dispatching it and – while you’ve lost out on the sale – it’s a net zero result for everyone involved.

Final Thoughts

There are just a few remarkably simple ways of making your ecommerce platform less prone to returns. Information is key and making sure your customers are fully informed is the best weapon in your arsenal when it comes to getting every order right first time.

Reducing returns and refunds are sure to be hot topics at Consumer Returns 2022, taking place in October at the Hyatt Regency Austin, TX.

Download the agenda today for more information and insights.