"Whaaat!!!? I increase my sales if I make it easier for the customer to return products they just bought from my online store?"
Sounds slightly illogical, but it's not.
The current period favors shoppers. With inflation and prices still high, their appetite to spend is lower. Stagnating or even shrinking markets in some categories are pushing more and more retailers out of their traditional areas and looking for new customers, in new product categories, digital sales channels or in other territories through cross-border trade. Supply is high, demand is low, and shoppers who want to buy are aware of it and demand high product quality, high levels of service, at the best possible prices.
At times like these, customer loyalty is one of the best strategies for increasing sales. Because the effort in time and money to attract new customers is always high. An existing customer knows where to find you, and you already know who they are and what they want or need. You don't have to convince him or her, you just have to make them feel good and important. And offer something of value to them.
On this topic you will find useful details in our previous articles about the main attributes that customers expect from the online store and the benefits of a customer-centric delivery strategy. So let's waste no time and dive straight into today's topic and see how easier returns can help you sell more.
At Postis, we've talked a lot about the integrated Click-to-Door experience and even launched a study on conversion rates and online sales success, analyzing the interdependencies between the communication channel from which the website visit was generated, the interactions within the online store with the products and available information, the payment and delivery options listed in the shopping cart, and the delivery and post-delivery experience.
According to a PwC study, 32% of customers would stop buying from you if the experience you provide is inconsistent. And in an environment where products look alike and prices can't be lowered any further because profitability hit the rock bottom, the experience becomes even more important.
Online shopping never ends when the order is placed, simply because it can be declined on delivery or even returned within 15 days. As a result, it is critical that the experience you provide, including delivery, unboxing, and use, is simple, intuitive, predictable, secure, and as tailored as possible to each shopper's lifestyle.
No retailer wants products marked as successful sales to be returned. Last year, we calculated that the average loss for an online fashion retailer was €10-15 per returned package, including delivery, return, restocking, replacement packaging or resale at a reduced price if the original packaging was unsealed. So, this is a part of the process that needs to be analyzed and optimized.
You can reduce returns through clear communication and detailed product descriptions on the site, so the customer knows that what they saw online is what they'll get in the package.
You reduce returns through a good, intuitive end-to-end shopping experience, with predictable, flexible, on-time delivery.
You also reduce returns by staying close to your customers. With real-time delivery status updates. Or by proactively communicating with the customer and offering solutions when problems arise.
And when you do get returns for reasons that really aren't your fault, make it easy and show them out in the open.
One of the biggest concerns about e-commerce is safety. About online card payments. About secure delivery without bumps and scratches. About getting the exact product you read about on the website in your package. And about not being left with a product you don't want if there's a problem or you simply change your mind.
Giving shoppers an easy way to return and get a refund builds trust in your brand. The customer will know that you have nothing to hide, that you trust the products you sell, and that you care. Even if they don't use the return service, it's "reassurance".
Simply put, you're building loyalty, which translates into more frequent, higher-value purchases over longer periods of time, reducing the dependence on high cost of acquiring new customers.
Delivery to easybox lockers has revolutionized the courier market and the online shopping experience, becoming the preferred delivery method for more than 81% of online shoppers*, some of whom may even be from your store. What's more, easybox is already a criterion for choosing an online store, according to 67% of surveyed customers*.
Online buyers who regularly choose easybox delivery want simplicity, predictability and security with every purchase. Now you can give them the same benefits when it comes to returns.
The easybox returns service is just as simple, fast and flexible. Customers no longer have to print out their AWB, they no longer have to wait for the courier to pick up the package. They can drop it off at any of the 3,700 lockers in the easybox network in Romania.
As a 100% digital service, easybox returns offers simple process integration, security and real-time control. By placing in your website a link to the ready made returns form, you offer immediate access and the customer quickly receives a returns PIN code to use at their preferred easybox locker. The tracking and notification processes via email and SMS are automatically directed to you and the buyer from the moment the request is initiated until the package is in your possession.
*According to research commissioned by Sameday, October 2021 and May 2022.
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And if there's anything else we can do to help you get better, we're always around.
