Article

Accept Returns, Win Customers

by Dan Pankratz · Dec 21, 2020

Accept Returns, Win a Customer

 

 

Online sales have grown more this year than they have in the past 10 years combined, up over 30% from last year. This means more customers are buying products that they have not seen in person. And this could mean the biggest year for returns.

 

“2020 is set to be the worst year on record for retailers with regards to return percentages,” LateShipment.com’s Sridhar said by email. “Every retailer is set to see returns that are 50% to 100% more than they have ever encountered in the past.” – Retail Drive

 

This does not mean retailer should be frightened that they will lose revenue due to returns. On the contrary this could be a huge win for the retailer that open their arms to returns as a way to win customers.

 

Most U.S. consumers, a whopping 92%, say they will be shopping after the holidays this year, up from the usual 72%, an indication that both sales and returns could be higher this season, according to research from Ware2Go. -Retail Dive

 

With more customers shopping after Christmas, using a creative approach to returns can bring more customers to shop with your store after the holidays.

 

One idea is to accept returns from customers that did not purchase from you. When grandma from across the country sends the wrong size of a t-shirt from a brand your store carries to her grandson, allowing him to return it for store credit to your store is a way to bring him in to spend his Christmas cash on top of the store credit. And if it is a style or item you don’t regularly carry just put it on the sale rack to recoup the cost.

 

This won’t just make grandson happy; you know the mom will be stoked that she did not have to figure out how to ship it back to whatever site it was purchased from, wait in line at the post office, or pay for shipping back.  And now you may have a new customer for life!

 

Adding solutions like Happy Returns can help streamline the return process for your customers

“Forward-thinking retailers choose Happy Returns. Together, we retain revenue, reduce costs, give shoppers choice, and make their supply chains sustainable—ultimately making returns beautiful for shoppers, retailers, and the planet.
Happy Returns is the industry’s only end-to-end returns solution, now with over 2,500 locations nationwide for box-free return drop-off. ” -Happy Returns
No matter how you choose to handle returns, the customers perspective will always win. The saying, ” The customer is always right” is not correct. I feel it is better said “The Customer is always the Customer.” So if you want more customers be flexible with your return policy so you can win customers over.