Study: Returns process key to customer loyalty

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The really good news from this is that most (70%) of consumers surveyed said their most recent return experience was easy. But, about one-third of shoppers say they have kept unwanted items because they “don’t want the hassle” of returning the item, and of those who mail-in returns, nearly one-third worry about the return getting lost in the mail.

Here is where things can get hairy for retailers, though:

â–ª 69% of shoppers say they won’t buy from a retailer again if they have to pay returns postage
â–ª 67% say they won’t buy from a retailer again if they have to pay restocking fees

Conversely, 96% of those surveyed said a positive returns experience would prompt them to visit a merchant again.

“More and more, consumers are demanding to be kept in the loop throughout their shopping journey, which includes returns. Shoppers are even willing to put in a little more effort in exchange for clear and proactive updates,” said Amit Sharma, founder and CEO, Narvar. “Retailers will need to treat returns as a critical moment of opportunity in the customer experience.”

Merchants and retailers who aren’t sure where their returns measure up should take a cue from Amazon – the online giant’s customers are mostly happy with the returns process – 75% say returning items to Amazon “is easy”. Most Amazon shoppers need only to print a return label to return a product, and 39% say they received confirmations when their refunds were processed.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kristina Knight-1
Kristina Knight, Journalist , BA
Content Writer & Editor
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Kristina Knight is a freelance writer with more than 15 years of experience writing on varied topics. Kristina’s focus for the past 10 years has been the small business, online marketing, and banking sectors, however, she keeps things interesting by writing about her experiences as an adoptive mom, parenting, and education issues. Kristina’s work has appeared with BizReport.com, NBC News, Soaps.com, DisasterNewsNetwork, and many more publications.