The return and exchange policies in an e-commerce refer to everything that the customer needs to know about the exchange and return flows of a purchased product. If you sell online and still don’t have clear return policies, you’re probably losing sales.
Why is it important to have a return policy?
Having a clear and flexible return policy will allow your potential customers to lose their fear of buying from your store and reduce the risk of losing money, either due to failures or simply because the product was not what they expected.
Additionally, these policies are an excellent customer loyalty tool and generate a good shopping experience.
For example, years ago I bought from one of the major e-commerce sites. As there were several products, these were sent in two boxes. The first box arrived perfect, but I never received the second one.
Consequently, I wrote an email telling the situation, which they responded in a few minutes informing that they had sent the entire order again. This is an experience I will never forget. Typically, this problem would have involved an endless exchange of emails explaining the incident, but in this case, just one email was enough for them to remove any uncertainty and solve my problem.
One would think that they lost money by submitting the order twice, however, after this experience, I became a loyal buyer of the site to this day, and it never occurred to me to even check out a competitor. They obviously made a lot more money in the long run.
Aspects to take into account to create your return and exchange policies
Avoid the fear of return
A frequent objection to implementation of return policies it is the fear of losing money because of an excessive number of returns. First of all, no customer likes to return a product. If he bought a product it was because he needed it. Having to exchange or return it wastes time and potentially money.
But let’s say you did receive a significant number of returns. In that case, keep in mind that this situation is the consequence of another problem, and not the problem itself.
For example, a product failure or a confusing communication on the product page which makes it not meet customer expectations.
Consequently, a good return policy allows you to identify these areas for improvement without compromising the customer satisfaction. Without the possibility to return or exchange the product, the customer will be left with a bad shopping experience in your store.
Additionally, the return policy is an excellent methodology to show your customer that you care that he is happy with his purchase, and not just that he buys.
Learn how to measure how satisfied your customers are with your brand
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Communicate your return policy
You can have the best return policy and it won’t do any good if your customers don’t know about it. To communicate it you can in your store clearly detailing your policy. Then, reflect on the steps of the purchase process in which your client can need this information.
For example, many times the purchase decision is taken in the shopping cart. It is precisely in this step when the client observes the products that he added and decides whether to proceed with the payment.
Therefore, including a link to your exchange and return policy on the shopping cart page can give your potential customer peace of mind and thus make them finally decide to buy.
Likewise, it is also useful to include a link on the page of “frequent questions“, the page of “how to buy” and in the description of the products for which the policy applies.
Write your return policy for your customer
If you want your clients to know and value your policy, then make sure you write it for them and not for a lawyer specializing in the subject.
Use a language analogous to the one you use in the rest of your store.
Details the products for which it applies
Your return policy may apply to a certain set of products, but not to all. For example, if you sell technology you can offer money back for the hardware but not for him software.
If this is your case, be transparent with your client in the policies. Clearly specify the products or categories for which the changes and returns apply. For clarity, you can also specify the categories for which it does not apply.
Explain what will be returned
as in any sales processIt is essential to correctly set the expectations of your client. “Return” is a broad word and there are several alternatives: money back, product change for an equal one, exchange the product for another from the store, delivery of a coupon of purchase in the store for the amount of the returned product, and more.
Do not forget to clearly specify which are the available possibilities and, as in the previous point, which ones you do not offer.
Clarify what happens with shipping costs
You have to consider that there are two shipping costs: the cost associated with returning the product to your business and shipping the new product.
Of course, the recommendation is that you assume these costs yourself. But whatever the case may be, let your customer know which of those costs your store will bear and which they will bear.
Be clear about time limits
Surely your policy applies to purchases made in a certain period. For example, you only allow changes within 60 days of purchase. If so, it is essential that you clarify this in the return policies and, optionally, in the email that you send to your customer when they completed their purchase.
On the other hand, you must also be transparent about how long the entire process takes, that is, when the customer will receive the new product.
Remember that the most important thing about a return policy is that your customer can easily understand it, do not feel cheated and solve their problem as soon as possible so that they are happy with their purchase.
8 tips to avoid returns and exchanges
1. Product photos and descriptions
Being clear on these two aspects will reduce the number of changes and returns. By faithfully transmitting product information, we make the customer buy more safely and there are fewer mistakes.
If you have a sufficient budget, we recommend hiring a professional photographer, but if you are just starting to sell online and cannot invest in it, you can achieve good ones on your own. There are 3 basic aspects for your photos to be clear:
- A clean white background: It can be a wall, a cardboard or any material that is white (as long as the product itself is not white). This will create contrast and highlight the features of what you are selling.
- Good lighting: print even light on your product, on both sides, to avoid shadows that confuse the customer as to its shape and size.
- a tripod: by fixing the camera with a tripod you make sure that the image comes out sharp and therefore that the characteristics of the product are well reflected. In addition, it allows you to establish a style pattern in all your product photos.
See the detail of these tips in our video:
2. Have a size table
As we all know, when buying online you cannot be sure that the size will be the right one and that the garment will fit as we wanted. For this reason, it is important to offer the consumer the greatest possible security regarding the size of the product.
The more you inform your potential client about how to measure themselves, the more successful each purchase will be, and there will be fewer changes and returns of products (therefore, you will spend less extra money).
3. Show what other customers think
A good way to give the consumer more security is to include testimonials from people who have already bought your products on the different product pages. If you have a Tiendanube, you can install it to allow your customers to leave comments.
4. Create a strategy blogging
For those who have an online store in a more advanced stage, investing in it can be a good strategy. An excellent way to do this is through a blog: create a company blog and write informative and relevant content for your target audience, as this will help not only the relationship with your customers, but also clear up doubts and your search engine positioning. (SEO).
Learn more about blogging:
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5. Have a FAQ page
The FAQ page (FAQ- Frequent Asked Questions) is one of the most important aspects of an online store and is, paradoxically, frequently ignored. When creating your online store, pay attention to all the aspects that could generate doubts in the users.
A good practice to identify things that are not very clear is to ask someone you know (it could be a family member or friend) to thoroughly explore your page and tell you where they think something needs to be clarified.
Many of these questions will come from your own customers; and when you identify that one is repeated a lot, add it to your FAQ page. By offering the information served in the same place, you will avoid confusion, and therefore, changes and returns.
6. Get amazing customer service
It is important that you leave your contact information visible in your online store so that customers can easily consult you when something is not entirely clear. If a potential customer manages to talk to you before making the purchase, the chances of them getting frustrated and returning or exchanging the product are less likely.
7. Always deliver within the same period and offer a tracking code
A good part of the changes and returns of an online store occur due to the carelessness of the store owner. Delivering the product outside the stipulated period may be one of the reasons for the dissatisfied customer to return the product.
In addition to paying attention to that important detail, you can also offer a Tracking code so that your consumers can know the shipping status of what they bought.
Finally, always remember to check the product you are sending. It happens quite a lot in e-commerce that the wrong packages are sent, and that can cause extra costs in returns and new shipments.
8. Analyze and understand why changes occur
Do you have a product that is being returned or exchanged very often? If so, there may be something wrong with it. Try to investigate the reasons why this happens, ask your customers for opinions in order to understand what is happening and improve your business.
conclusion
We hope this article has been of…
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