How to reduce product returns in e-commerce

Have you ever wondered how product returns negatively impact your e-commerce business? How much money do they cause your business to lose? If you are asking yourself these questions, then you are certainly an entrepreneur attentive to all the complicated dynamics surrounding digital commerce. 

Returns are part of the game, especially when selling products online that customers can't touch or see up close

However, it is possible, indeed a duty, to limit the number of returns as much as possible, so as to increase profits and limit expenses.

Want to know how to reduce e-commerce returns? We at We Are Fiber are by your side to offer you an adequate and customized solution for your needs.

Read on to understand the critical issues that often determine whether a product will be returned and what countermeasures you ought to adopt.

Choose good quality, clearly visible photos

As previously mentioned, users cannot see the product up close, so they have to trust what you write and show them about a product.

It is therefore important to make sure you provide short, but complete, descriptions of any details that may be helpful. Next, you need to post quality photos, where at least 2 pictures is optimal, from different angles and with a white background to bring out the colors. In this way, users have a clear and complete view of the product and can choose the option they prefer. For clothing e-commerce, it is of fundamental importance to show the differences in shades between one color and another for a particular item. A tutorial video is another idea which adds value for online shoppers. Remember, a picture often says more than a thousand words, so make yours count.

The importance of customer reviews

How to reduce product returns in e-commerce

We Are Fiber is passionate about the customer being at the center of the business. Firstly, it is the customer who fuels business activity, so satisfying him/her implies triggering further success. In addition, today, the customer plays an increasingly active role in your business, since his/her reviews and comments can determine the success or failure of a product. Have you ever bought anything with a heap of negative reviews and very few positive reviews? Likely, the answer is no and the same can be said for your customers.

What can you do about getting positive reviews? Obviously, you have to offer quality products, capable of truly satisfying the needs of your customers. An item that has many positive reviews will be purchased more readily and the chances of it being returned are minimal. But paradoxically, negative reviews are even more important than positive ones. When you get a negative review, you need to understand why the customer is dissatisfied, what the gaps in the product are, and how you can provide the right support.

Why have an effective and professional customer care service?

Sometimes, customers return a product not because they aren't satisfied with it, but simply because they don't understand its use. Obviously your product sheet has not been drawn up correctly or there are no video tutorials. You can always remedy the error with a multi-channel customer care service, that is, a service reachable through different channels, such as chat, chatbot, telephone, etc. In this case, the buyer can speak in real time with an assistant, who is ready to answer questions or put him/her in contact with the right person who is able to provide support. Very often the problem is thus solved, drastically reducing the percentage of returns to the benefit of business profit.

An assistance service is also useful to support a customer in the return phase. If the buyer decides to return a product, something has clearly gone wrong, although this doesn't mean you should abandon the customer. Indeed, if you provide all the assistance necessary to make the return, the customer will be pleasantly surprised and, in all likelihood, return to buy from you, because your support and professionalism is appreciated.

We at We Are Fiber specialize in providing assistance and customer care as outsourced solutions, so freeing up your time and giving you the opportunity to focus on the core business of your company.

How to collect user data? 

Collecting the reasons that prompted your customers to make returns is a fundamental, but long and tedious, operation. We Are Fiber is here to step in, where our specialized CRM can store the data obtained, process this, and provide you with a complete list of the critical issues which resulted in returns.

For instance, we could find that your customers often return goods because the packaging is poor and the products arrive broken or misshapen. In this case, it is simply a matter of changing the packaging methodology. Perhaps, many customers are not satisfied with the color of a product, because it is not clearly visible on the website, so it is sufficient to publish sharper photos with a greater zoom.

As you can see, it, in fact, takes very little to find the defect in the gear of your company machine and, after having pinpointed the issues, remedying these, to significantly reduce the percentage of returns. 

If you wish to know more, contact us. We’re waiting to become your loyal and reliable partners in business.

 

Contact us!

 

Email: info@wearefiber.com

Telephone (It): +39 024 210 1122

Telephone (UK): +44 203 870 4408

Related Posts

How to reduce document management costs?

Document managementis essential to maintaining information control in your company. Every document...

CONTINUE READING

Looking to reduce ticket management costs? Outsourcing is the answer!

For businesses whose teams solve tickets all day, it is important to reduce ticket costs, while...

CONTINUE READING

Digitalization of medical records: A guide on how to do it and why you need outsourcing!

In recent years, healthcare providers have increasingly turned to digitalizing their medical...

CONTINUE READING