Jul 08 2020

Making Your Parcels Returns Ready

The idea of your parcels being returned might be one that you want to push to the back of your mind. Returned parcels are, however, normal for any eCommerce seller, and for anyone selling online, chances are you will eventually have to deal with them in one form or another. Giving some time and thought to making your parcels returns ready can be extremely beneficial for your customers, and therefore you as a business.

Transaction

Returns Policy

Before doing anything, you will want to make sure that you have a clear returns policy that is easy for your customers to understand. Important factors to consider are: time frame for returns (we suggest leaving this as the legally required 30 days but you can extend this if you wish) and whether you’ll offer free returns or expect the customer to cover the expenses. Free returns can be extremely attractive for your customers and can increase the likelihood of them purchasing from you, however it can be quite costly if you are selling a product that generally has a high return rate due to the customer simply changing their mind, for example clothing. Alternatively you can just cover the costs of returning any orders that are damaged or have mistakes due to actions on your end and ask the customer to cover returns costs if they decide to change their mind or have errors that have arisen from any mistakes from their end. This allows you to have the best of both worlds, fixing any of your errors and maintaining happy customers without taking on extra costs through no fault of your own.

Make sure that your return policy is in an easy to find location for your customers to see before purchasing the product as it can avoid issues further down the line. Making the returns process easy to initiate can help to reduce any frustration that your customers may already feel from having to return their order. Adding the initiation for the returns process at areas such as the confirmation email or their order history on your website are great places to start, as they are easy for your customers to find.

Returns Form and Packaging

Once your customer has initiated the returns process you can make their life even easier. By providing a returns form within your parcels you’ll be making your customers life even easier as all they’ll have to do is attach it over the original address label and have it sent off or arrange for collection. As well as sending the returns form in your parcels you can add them to your website or on your order confirmation emails. On top of that, picking the right packaging can also make it much easier for your customers to return your products. Packaging such as the ColomPac® Returns Packaging has been specially designed with two self-sealing strips that allows them to be resealed after opening. Similarly, some of our Paper Mailing Bags also feature two self-sealing strips that allows them to easily be returned if needed. Although these packaging items have been optimised the best for returns, many of our postal boxes come with locking tabs making them easy to re secure.

ColomPac® Returns Packaging

Optimising your orders for the returns process might seem counterproductive, after all, who wants to have to see their orders being returned? However, in the long run, making life that little bit easier for your customers will pay dividends in the long run and can help create a more positive experience, leading to more loyal customers and repeat orders in the future.