How to Reduce Return Rates in E-Commerce

Return rates in e-commerce can climb as high as 30%. At the same time, 92% of customers say they'd shop again with a retailer if they had a smooth return experience.

So why do customers return items? And how can we lower return rates?

Why Do Customers Return Products?

• 23%: They receive an entirely different product than what they ordered

• 22%: The product differs from how it was described on the site

• 20%: The product arrives damaged

• 35%: Customer changed their mind or other personal reasons

What Should Our Return Policy Look Like? And How Can We Reduce Return Rates?

1. Make Your Return Policy Clear and Easy to Follow: 67% of customers read a site's return policy before making a purchase, and 58% specifically want to see a clearly stated policy. Spell out your return conditions, timelines, and process clearly, and offer a simple online return form.

2. Offer In-Store Returns: 62% of customers say they'd feel more confident purchasing if they knew they could return the item in-store. Offer returns both online and in-store, and adopt an omnichannel strategy overall.

3. Don't Charge Extra Shipping Fees for Returns: Free returns tend to increase sales.

4. Keep Your Product Information Detailed: Product features, materials, sizing, gender information, size charts, and usage instructions should all be detailed and accurate. The more information customers have upfront, the lower your return rate will be.

5. Show Detailed Product Photos: Show your products from every angle, and include video wherever possible.

6. Provide Size Charts for Apparel Items: This makes it easy for customers to find the right size for themselves online.

7. Offer Live Customer Support: Phone and live chat support let customers ask anylingering questions before ordering, reducing the chance the product arrives as an unwelcome surprise, and ultimately lowering your return rate.

8. Prevent Damage During Shipping: Use extra protective packaging, especially for fragile items, to prevent damage in transit.

9. Display Customer Reviews: Reviews from other customers, particularly ones covering sizing and color, help set accurate expectations and reduce return rates.

10. Analyze Your Returns Data: Look into which products get returned most often, what the most common return reasons are, and what customer feedback reveals.

11. Focus on Quality Control: For products with especially high return rates, review and improve their quality, or remove them from sale altogether if quality issues can't be resolved.