How to Prevent Returns to Your Retail Store
Experts are predicting that around £29 million of unwanted presents will be returned to online outlets worth an estimated value of £600 million in January 2015, so OrderDynamics advises retailers on how to prevent returns.
As a retailer, preparing for high returns and figuring out the cause for returns is difficult. Below are some top tips on how retailers can reduce returns:
Pause promotion on high return items
Identify products with higher than usual returns early and suspend marketing and promotional activity driving traffic to that product. For example, one of our clients found that there was a high return rate on a product due to a fault and so paused its promotions on that item, until the problem was fixed.
Read the reviews
Customer reviews are the voice of your buyers, so track ratings and comments. Gather customer review data from across your entire product line and compare that to return rates.
Provide return options that customers actually want
In 2014 OrderDynamics commissioned a survey of 2,000 shoppers which identified that the most favoured way to return online purchases was by taking them to a brick-and-mortar store (32%), followed by having a courier collect them (24%). Fewer preferred to post items (23%) back by only providing free postal returns might be costing you unnecessarily and inconveniencing your customers.
Match high returns with order details and product descriptions
We worked with a retailer who discovered that one colour of trousers was returned more than others. On closer investigation, it found its supplier had switched to a different fabric manufacturer for that particular colour. Not only was the colour different but the quality was not as good. It went back to its original manufacturer and the problem was resolved.
Deliver on your promise
Especially in peak trading times, if orders don’t arrive in time for Christmas or New Year’s Eve, particularly food items or party clothes, they may no longer be needed when they do arrive – and returned. If you know it won’t arrive in time, contact the customer with the option to cancel the order before you dispatch.
Link reasons for returns with product descriptions
For example, one clothing retailer had a high return rate for a particular dress and noted that customers stated the dress was much longer than expected. It updated the product’s sizing guide to include length and cross-promoted the dress with taller heels and a banner ad highlighting its tailoring service.
Only by integrating both on and offline information from across the business, including reviews, products, operations and returns data can you better prepare for a surge in unwanted gifts.
