Optimize Your Return Process: 5 Customer-Centric Tips

Research shows that 86% of surveyed consumers prefer sellers with a simple, easy-to-understand return process. Furthermore, 81% of those interviewed indicated they would choose a different seller next time after a poor experience returning a product.

Customer satisfaction is essential to the success of your business. An unhappy customer can give a company a bad reputation in no time, while a satisfied customer can become a loyal brand advocate. It is therefore important to be as customer-centric as possible throughout the entire sales process—from the initial sale and customer service to the returns process. 

In this article, we provide five tips for optimizing your returns process. These five tips will contribute to overall customer satisfaction and help turn returns into new sales.

(1) Data collection and analysis

To optimize the returns process , it is essential to collect the right data and perform regular analyses. After all, the more insight you have into your returns, the better you can address areas for improvement. Continuous optimization results in satisfied customers and, consequently, more sales.

Therefore, regularly determine: 

• How many returns you receive on average per day
• The primary reasons for these returns 
• Which products are returned relatively often and which are not
• What customers think of your products and services and what could be improved (you can do this by reading online reviews or conducting a customer satisfaction survey, for example)
  

To gain clear insights from this data , it is recommended to use a comprehensive returns dashboard. This gives you an overview of all the data mentioned above at a glance, and you can even receive notifications if a product is returned more often than the benchmark, allowing you to respond immediately. Feel free to take a look at our website to learn more about this. 

(2) Digitize the return form 

Customers love convenience. The easier and faster the return process, the greater the chance that a customer will place another order. 

Consider choosing a digital return form. Instead of printing and sometimes even manually filling out a form, the customer can click through all the necessary questions in the digital version in no time. Which products are being returned and which are not? What is the reason for the return? Should the package be picked up or dropped off at a delivery point? At what exact address should the package be picked up? With the right software , the return request is created in just a few minutes.

(3) Real-time tracking information 

Ensure your customers are always kept up to date on the status of their return. Especially with a valuable shipment, a customer wants to be able to track the package's location at any time. If they can't? Then there is a high chance of dissatisfaction and your customer service team being flooded with calls.

Therefore, ensure that: 

• Customers receive a notification of important updates during the return process. Think, for example, of the package's arrival at the webshop or the refund date for the purchase amount. 
• Customers have access to a return portal on the website. A customer should be able to log in at any time to see where their package is currently located.
  

(4) Flexible choice

Consumers are becoming increasingly demanding. While a package used to simply be dropped off at a local post office, a huge variety of options is expected nowadays.

For example, if the customer wants the package picked up at their home, that should be possible. Or does the customer have a preference for a specific carrier? Flexibility is expected there as well.

Consumers have various reasons for preferring one carrier over another. However, the main reason for offering multiple carriers is the accessibility of parcel points. Does the customer happen to have a DHL or UPS point nearby? Then it is very convenient if the package can be dropped off there.

Fortunately, a flexible pickup service is easy to arrange. With the right partner and corresponding software, the customer can choose a pickup address and time of their choice in a convenient return portal. The new flexibility this service offers ensures that returning an item takes almost no effort for the customer. And this significantly lowers the barrier to making a purchase.

(5) Turn the return process into a sales process 

Has a customer placed an order that didn't meet their expectations? As an online store, you might be able to offer a replacement product that does. A return doesn't have to mean a cancelled purchase. Instead, it can lead to an exchange or the purchase of new products. This turns the return process into a sales opportunity.

Set up your returns portal smartly and always offer the following during a return: 

• The option to order a replacement product during the return process (for example, a garment in a different size) 
• Order additional products that might be of interest to that specific customer 
• Offer a coupon, perhaps with a discount, instead of a refund

Optimize your return process with Returnista  

With Returnista, returns are no longer a pain point. Increase customer satisfaction and reduce your costs. Do you want a returns portal in your own brand's style, just like Decathlon, Loavies, and Asos? Request a demo on our website today.