What returns reveal about an online shop

Not every return means the same thing

The EHI Retail Institute describes marked differences between product categories and notes that ordering a selection of items to choose from can be part of the business model, particularly in fashion retail. An overall return rate therefore explains very little. For a small shop, the initial priority is to understand what types of return occur. Was the size unexpected, was the colour perceived differently, or was the product damaged? Was a variant deliberately ordered only for comparison? These reasons call for different responses. A damaged delivery prompts a review of packaging and transport, while misunderstood dimensions call for a review of the product presentation. Customer statements should not, however, be hastily treated as a complete analysis of the causes. A brief reason for returning an item may encompass several problems. Only when combined with product data, customer service queries and recurring patterns does it provide a more reliable picture for further action.

The product page as the first place to check

The Nielsen Norman Group describes product pages as a combination of text, images and further information about features, price and availability. This is exactly where it is worth looking when an item is repeatedly returned for similar reasons. Are dimensions easy to find? Do images show the variant actually ordered? Is there an explanation of how a size measurement is arrived at? Inconsistent terminology can also make comparisons harder. A business can begin by revising a single frequently affected item and then observe whether queries and reasons for returns change. Other influences must still be taken into account, such as a change in the customer group or seasonal use. A before-and-after comparison alone does not prove causation. Combined with specific feedback, however, it provides useful indications of whether an information gap has been closed or another explanation is more likely.

Making returned goods usable again

A second task begins once a return is accepted: its condition must be checked and an appropriate further use determined. Unopened goods, used items and damaged products should not be mentally lumped together in a single residual category. Clear inspection steps make it easier to decide whether a product can be offered for sale again as normal, listed with a separate description or handled in another way. For small teams, clear documentation matters more than the most complicated classification possible. The time until an item becomes available again also deserves attention, because unresolved returns take up space and leave information in limbo. Careful processing combines customer service with product knowledge. It makes returns neither inherently good nor entirely avoidable. It does, however, prevent the same questions from having to be resolved afresh repeatedly and valuable insights from returns from going unused.

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