{"id":14589,"date":"2017-05-16T13:00:46","date_gmt":"2017-05-16T18:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/?p=14589"},"modified":"2024-10-09T09:41:59","modified_gmt":"2024-10-09T14:41:59","slug":"dont-lose-money-e-commerce-returns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/blog\/dont-lose-money-e-commerce-returns\/","title":{"rendered":"Don’t Lose Money on E-commerce Returns"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Embracing e-commerce returns<\/a> means more satisfied customers, better brand visibility, and more sales. Wait\u2014more<\/em> sales? I thought we were talking about returns. We are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But studies show that a great returns policy and easy handling = customers spending a lot<\/strong> more over the course of the next two years. So if you do embrace returns, how can you make sure you aren’t losing money on them? After all, an e-commerce return means shipping a product twice. So how can you keep costs down, considering online buyers tend to return at a rate of about 30%?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out a few of our ideas and let us know what you think:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pick the Right Service<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When you ship a product to a customer, you’re probably going to go with something a bit quicker than, say, Parcel Select Ground. But a priority-level service, that can compete with Prime, costs a lot. With a return, though, how much does speed matter to you? That’s the question you need to answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A faster return service is more expensive. A slower service, like the above-mentioned Parcel Select from USPS, is much, much cheaper. First Class is a good compromise\u2014speedier than Parcel Select, cheaper than Priority, AND it comes with tracking. Its limitation, though, is weight. So depending on what you ship, the service selected has to match the product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re thinking this sounds very similar to determining you’re customer-bound shipping strategy, that’s because it is. Certain services just won’t work depending on your product. We recommend making a list of questions you need to answer to determine your returns service:<\/p>\n\n\n\n