CUSTOMER RETURNS
ILLUSTRATION PROVIDED BY ADOBE STOCK
WANTED
CUSTOMERS : UNWANTED PRODUCTS HOW TO HANDLE CUSTOMER SERVICE FRICTION FROM RETAIL RETURNS .
BY TOM BEHNKE , BOXZOOKA
In the world of retail , eCommerce has proven its weight in gold in recent years . But at the same time , it comes with a mounting issue that brands and retailers are struggling to solve : “ The Returns Conundrum ,” the problem of returned merchandise and lost value for retailers .
Year to year , growth in online shopping has bolstered retail overall , including bricks-and-mortar stores , even during the toughest economic conditions .
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True since the dawn of eCommerce , the more online sales grow , the more customers return some items . It ’ s the nature of the beast , after all . Buying online comes with some degree of uncertainty , meaning purchases have a higher chance of not meeting customers ’ expectations .
Items are returned for many reasons : from a tight fit to compatibility , and to damaged goods . But the occurrence of returns in an eCommerce-centric world has been growing consistently .
The COVID-19 pandemic , more than any other recent event , magnified this reality , as the majority of consumers around the globe were forced into lockdowns . Shopping online became an easy workaround and third-party logistics providers ( 3PLs ) were quickly categorized as “ essential ” services .
CUSTOMER FRUSTRATION WILL REIGN SUPREME , UNDERSTANDABLY , WHEN REFUNDS OR REPLACEMENT ITEMS ARE DELAYED OR FAIL TO MEET THEIR EXPECTATIONS .