How To Reduce Product Returns to Your Online Store
Shoppers love to buy online, and many businesses are getting into e-commerce. This means that there is a lot of competition in the industry, with companies implementing policies and features that give them an edge. One such policy is the return policy, which has been shown to be a strong advantage in e-commerce sales in a survey done by Deloitte.
It all makes sense from the customer’s perspective. If your customer can easily return a product, the customer is much more likely to purchase it. However, since it’s pretty standard for a return policy to have free return shipping, the company employing the policy stands to lose money with every returned product. This is why it’s important to reduce your return rates. But how? Here are three strategies that will help you minimize the risk of returns.
- Use product reviews
User generated product reviews are good for everyone involved. First of all, it gives customers a chance to get an honest opinion of the product from one of their peers. If a product review section allows for both a 1 out of 5 star rating, and a written comment, it is much more efficient at conveying the value and benefits of a product.
For the company, it is a customer survey and a way to test for the best products in your catalog. If you have a product that routinely gets bad reviews, you can simply take it out of the offer, and even before you do, customers will avoid buying it. On the other hand, good products will have great ratings and reviews, and they will have a much smaller chance of triggering a refund.
- Maintain product quality as you scale
As you grow and automate your operations, it’s usual to notice a drop in quality. This is a simple mathematical fact, since more variables come into play. Defects and damages can occur during the purchasing of materials, manufacturing or delivery, and the company is always held responsible.
To keep your customers happy, and your bottom line healthy, you have to keep quality testing in mind at every step of the supply, production and distribution process. Make sure to have a quality supply chain from trusted providers, and that your delivery system is top-notch. This may require extra investment, but not only will you reduce refund rates, you will also build a more loyal customer base.
- Make good use of data
Data will immediately show you which products trigger the most returns. This provides you with a great opportunity, because it signals products that could either be improved, or taken off the shelves. Check out product reviews to see what customers really think about a product, and then make improvements from there. Not only will this data help you with products that are having problems at the time, it will also help you avoid those problems in the future.
For more information on how to reduce return rates or to sign up for a merchant account, please call (888) 924-2743 or go to Charge.com.
