Having a clear and fair returns policy is critical for all retail businesses, particularly those online. Making it easy for your customers to return faulty products or items they are not satisfied with is important in maintaining a good business reputation. According to a survey carried out by the US returns company Redbound, over 50% of customers will stop shopping with a business if they’ve had a poor returns experience.

Having an effective returns policy is paramount. Here are some tips for how to do it.

Ensure Your Policy is Flexible

Most consumers will consider your returns policy before making a purchase. Ensuring your policy is flexible and doesn’t deter customers is therefore important in securing sales.

There are a number of ways you can go about this. Firstly, you need to make sure you have a generous returns window. Most companies will opt for a window of at least 30 days. You should also offer returns for ‘change of mind’ as well as for faulty products. This will give your consumers more confidence in their purchases and create a better customer experience.

Lastly, if you can afford it, you should offer free shipping. This will be a big driver in generating sales and encouraging customers to shop with you in the future.

Make Your Returns Quick and Easy

Returning an item can be a nightmare for customers. Making it easy to lodge returns online and including pre-paid return labels with your orders can therefore make for a much more positive experience for you, your employees, and your customers.

Some businesses even offer to have couriers pick up the item from their customer’s doorstep or a post box near them so that they don’t have to make a trip to the post office.

Minimise the Occurrence of Returns

The best way to reduce the amount o f returns is to avoid them. If you’re a clothing retailer, having an accurate and clear sizing guide will help save you and many of your customers from the hassle of lodging and processing returns.

Providing as much information as possible about your products and uploading plenty of photos will ensure your products meet your customers’ expectations as closely as possible.

For help with your business's logistics, get in touch with ISS today!