{"id":3713,"date":"2018-09-20T15:11:26","date_gmt":"2018-09-20T22:11:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.parcelpending.com\/?p=3713"},"modified":"2024-10-10T12:43:17","modified_gmt":"2024-10-10T12:43:17","slug":"streamlining-your-returns-process-pays-dividends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.parcelpending.com\/en-us\/blog\/streamlining-your-returns-process-pays-dividends\/","title":{"rendered":"Streamlining Your Returns Process Pays Dividends"},"content":{"rendered":"

Online shopping is booming. Returns are not.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sure, lots of consumers are buying online. However, only a fraction of them are <\/span>returning an item.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to NPR\/Marist poll, 91% of online shoppers said they \u201conly rarely\u201d or \u201cnever\u201d return things they buy online. And even more \u2014 94%\u2014 said they \u201conly rarely\u201d or \u201cnever\u201d make an order expecting to return at least part of it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Returns are supposed to be enjoyable for consumers because they get their money back on something they purchased but no longer want. However, most consumers don\u2019t return items because they find the return process to be cumbersome, time-consuming and inconvenient. It\u2019s a hassle that they don\u2019t want to deal with. No one wants to find a box, package up an item, deal with a shipping label and then drive to a drop-off location to send the package back. Moreover, consumers also worry if <\/span>the merchandise<\/span> will actually make it back to the <\/span>seller<\/span>. Additionally, consumers fret over whether or not the vendor will give them a full refund request or instead give them store credit claiming the item is damaged. There is a missing human element when it comes to <\/span>returning an item<\/span> via mail versus in-store.<\/span><\/p>\n

On the other end of the spectrum, returns are also a major pain for retailers. In fact, returns top the list of retailer challenges at 48% followed by customer issues with packing\/shipping items for return at 39%. For retailers, The Washington Post notes that e-commerce returns can take time to process, due to return shipping periods and returns processing on the retailer\u2019s end. This means that customers are left waiting for the return to credit back to their payment accounts, which creates another source of frustration.<\/span><\/p>\n

By streamlining their returns process, retailers can help to boost their customer loyalty and ultimately their bottom line. Emerging studies, notes the Huffington Post, are finding that sales, customer loyalty, long-term retention and word-of-mouth drastically improve when a hassle-free returns policy is in place.<\/span><\/p>\n

Additional statistics on the returns process report that:<\/span><\/p>\n