As a retail organization, it’s important to understand that eliminating all returns is impossible. Mistakes happen, whether that be on the side of the customer or the side of the retailer. While returns are impossible to stop, they’re certainly able to be slowed down. Retailers have to prioritize ways in which they can successfully deliver the products their customers are purchasing. This post will detail a number of the ways retailers are accomplishing this, in addition to the ways they’re mitigating the number of returns per year.

Reducing returns and improving website conversion can be done simultaneously. Of the top reasons for returns, products not matching the images or descriptions provided are atop the list. Customers that receive an item unlike what they believe they order will almost guarantee a swift return. Retailers must prioritize honest descriptions and images, unedited by the major image editing software for the best results. It’s also worth mentioning that sizing has a huge impact on returns, with nearly 52% of all returns being attributed to inaccurate size estimates.

Improving sales and reducing returns is actually made more possible through free shipping and free return policies. While this may seem counterintuitive, more customers are willing to purchase products knowing they’re being shipped to them for free and if they’re unpleased with them they’ll be able to return them with ease. Often times customers receive the products they order and decide not to return them. This increases the retailers sales while also improving the relationship between the customer and the retailer.

With the volume of online orders for retailers rising at such rates, the rate at which returns are made also increased. Within 2020, retailers saw a nearly 70% jump between the previous year for returns. With online shoppers looking to abuse retailers through scam practices known as “wardrobing” and “bracketing,” more and more retailers were forced to deal with excessive returns. Limiting the ways in which they’re able to exploited is imperative for retailers hoping to eliminate excess returns.

Even worse than returns, retailers sometimes have to deal with the hassle of fraudulent purchases. Conniving customers may purchase products from a retailer through a stolen credit card, then try to return the products in order to launder money to their cards. With the right anti-fraud tools, any retailer would be protected from the first swipe of the stolen card. These tools even allow the retailer to offer refunds to the original card with no issues. Though these techniques may leave retailers confused, the right partnership between an agency offering these professionals services can reduce the likelihood of falling victim to fraud or abuse.

Occupying the retail space is a never-ending challenge. Retailers must continue to innovate in the way they communicate and understand their customers’ needs in order to retain success. For more information on how to do so effectively, in addition to how to reduce the rate of returns from your customers, take a minute to check out the infographic included alongside this post. Courtesy of Signature Payments.