Published
Aug 23, 2018
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Returns 'silence' upsets UK shoppers, hurts brands - report

Published
Aug 23, 2018

UK online retailers are risking unhappy customers by minimising the communications and information flow during the returns process, new research shows.


Returns may be on their way back but not letting consumers know risks losing their trust



And given that fashion is one of the biggest categories online - as well as one of the biggest for returns - retailers in this category are at the forefront of this problem area.

Of course, unhappy customers mean potential future sales that have been lost, but while retailers seem to realise this up to the point of delivery, they don’t seem to take account of how big the impact of a weak information flow is after that.

Returns management platform ReBound spoke to 1,000 UK e-shoppers and found that despite numerous touchpoints up to the point of delivery, when it comes to returns, consumers meet a wall of silence. This is particularly problematic for the shopper who is concerned about knowing that the item has been returned safely and that his or her money will be refunded quickly.

Some 49% of consumers only hear about the status of their item after the refund has been processed and a surprising 11% receive no communication whatsoever from the retailer or brand.

And it seems that retailers are still putting barriers up against fuss-free returns with 35% of respondents saying retailers don’t make it easy to send items back. That might not be a problem were it not for the fact that 46% of those surveyed said they’ve actually stopped buying from a particular retailer because returns were difficult or the process was unclear.

ReBound also cited its own data showing consumer confusion around many returns processes which means that as many as 55% of returns forms are either incorrectly filled in or not filled in at all. This also adds to the time it takes for the shopper to get a refund. And for retailers, apart from the risk of losing customers, it also means data gaps and confusion over the reason for the item being sent back.

ReBound said that huge strides have been made in improving delivery in recent years but the same progress hasn’t been seen when items go back. This is despite shoppers citing a strong returns policy as a key reason for deciding to shop with a particular vendor.

Earlier research from the firm showed 90% of consumers citing returns as key to shopping decisions with 68% going as far as checking the returns policy before placing an order.

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