It might not seem like it, but getting a returns management software is among the best investments you’ll make for your business. There’s no denying that product returns hurt and get under your skin. One might you’re happy that you’ve made a sale only to have the customer ship it back with some complaint.
While some returns are justified, others are done on a whim with no tangible reason. You need to understand that product returns are a regular part of the business process. Instead of letting it get under your skin, you should use it to improve the customer experience.
Make it painless
While that might seem like a rub, you should make it easy for your customers to return any product they’re not happy with. Making people jump through a thousand hoops to give back a product is harmful to your brand. You will succeed in driving them into the waiting arms of the competition.
See, eliminating paperwork, bureaucratic policies, and restocking fees bolster consumer confidence. They’re confident that they will get value for money when shopping with you and can return a product that doesn’t live up to expectations.
A hassle-free return process builds brand loyalty and buys you lots of goodwill with your shoppers. It paints you as a business that holds their best interest at heart, and they are likely to share their sentiments with friends and family.
Garner insights from the returns
With the right technology, you can mine and analyze the data on your returns and use the findings to improve your business. The returns can give you lots of useful feedback about your customers, products, and even marketing strategy.
Therefore, you should always seek feedback with each return you process or exchange. You can then act on the reasons underlying the returns to improve service delivery and business processes. You can also you the feedback to improve the quality of the products.
You can even get to develop and refine your marketing process as it exposes any shortcomings that might exist. The data might reveal that you’re targeting the wrong market, giving a chance to rectify that.
Extend the holiday return policy
Making an exception to the standard cutoff of 30 days for the holiday season is likely to impress your customer and endear your brand to them. Most people shop for gifts as early as November, meaning that anyone looking to return unwanted gifts will do it in January.
Again, the holiday season is a busy period for most people and as such, won’t prioritize sending items back. Giving people the leeway to return their unwanted items in January can land you in their good graces and make them loyal customers.
Shoppers send back almost 10 percent of the products they buy for various complaints that fall into multiple categories. Instead of letting such returns get under your skin, you should focus on making the process seamless and painless for your customers. With the right system, you can get to the root of the matter and solve the problem and ensure that your clients have a great experience shopping with you.