For any e-commerce merchant, store returns are a fact of life. There are things you can do to minimize the number of returns, but you can also leverage them as a way to get more sales, with a friendly store return policy.
First, of course, do try to minimize the volume of returns.
You’ll avoid the extra hassle, restocking, and other costs with some careful forethought. Thinking through a couple of steps in advance helps keep returns down.
1. Review your site and take a hard look at your product pages, with special consideration of the potential fault lines that might trigger a return.
- Is the information trustworthy?
- Could it be giving any false impressions about the product?
- Do you feature sizing charts and color palettes on-page (rather than a drop-down menu)?
- Are photos and descriptions detailed enough, with accurately rendered colors?
- Are there featured reviews from past customers?
2. Make sure shoppers can easily find your Return policy on the ordering page.
83% of online shoppers read the Store Return Policy before buying. Make it easy for them to find–that’s a trust indicator right there. The rest of this article will explain why a store return policy with friendly terms can help you build customer trust, loyalty, and generate even more store traffic.
Win the trust of wary shoppers, and more will convert to a sale.
Given that most customers will read your returns policy, this is one of your first chances to gain enough of their trust for them to convert. It tells them whether or not their experience with you is likely to be positive. The easier you make it for them to return items, the more trust you build. Some return policies are daunting, or they penalize the customer. And it can easily then become a lost sale. A friendly, no-strings store return policy promises satisfaction for them–and more sales for you.
Use returns as a way to build lifetime customers.
A friendly, easy, no-strings returns process has the potential to build the kind of trust and loyalty that makes someone become a lifetime customer. You should view your store return policy as a step in the sales cycle, as well as customer service. An easy return will often make the customer so happy that they will want to buy from you again.
Many companies try to help push this sale along by offering deals or coupons along with the return receipt or e-mail notice.
Including a personal note with the return receipt, if you’re a smaller seller, can also “delight” in a way that builds loyalty.
A good store return policy can increase your average order value.
41% of customers purchase multiple sizes or colors of the same item, planning to return whatever doesn’t work. Knowing that they can easily return items makes a shopper feel safe to buy more from you at a time, thus increasing your average order value. Some will buy an item in two different colors or sizes to try out. Oftentimes, they will end up keeping both or giving one away as a gift instead of doing the return. Use this inertia to your advantage!
Another way to encourage this behavior is to offer a longer time frame for returns. Research confirms that longer time frames for returns reduce the number of items coming back. If you reduce the urgency to return something and give the buyer enough time to ‘live with it’, they’ll often decide to keep it after all. Again, let inertia work on your behalf.
A friendly store return policy can even turn some shoppers into brand ambassadors.
80% of shoppers won’t buy from you again if they’ve had a bad experience trying to return something because your return policy was overly strict or inconvenient. Conversely, 83% are more likely to buy again if they’ve had a positive return experience. And, there’s a bonus from that too.
An especially positive experience with your returns process (fast return shipping, prompt item receipt acknowledgment with refund confirmation, and perhaps a personal note) can sometimes turn a buyer into a brand ambassador for your store. They will tell others about it, either in person, online via reviews, or on social media. This free marketing can result in a continual flow of new customers. As this word spreads, your business can build organically over time.
Tips for creating a friendly store return policy
1. Make it completely your own – don’t just copy off a template.
This applies to anything on your store site. But a store return policy is not one-size-fits-all. Look at other policies for ideas, but don’t copy them. The best practice is to personalize it to your specific business and target audience.
Use the policy to reiterate your commitment to customer satisfaction.
2. Make it no-strings.
Many stores will have a 2-part return policy that asks questions about the reason for the return, with some reasons qualifying for free shipping while others – like “changed my mind” or “ordered wrong size by mistake,” for example, require a customer to pay for return shipping. For the reasons outlined above, we recommend eating the cost of any mistaken purchase with a no-strings policy, because it will keep them from looking elsewhere next time they want something.
3. Use customer return reviews like testimonials.
You can also ask them for a review of their return experience (if you’re confident your policy is working well). Post any positive reviews right next to the return policy on the page to reinforce brand loyalty.
Boosting conversions is not always a matter of boosting promotions. As with strategies to reduce cart abandonment, fine-tuning your returns process and having a friendly store return policy can be another, highly effective way to generate more sales in an online store.
