Return policy: Tips to write for your e-commerce business

Working in the world of eCommerce has its limitations, and part of your job as an online store owner is to overcome them. One such limitation is that when you’re navigating your retail brand through the seemingly enormous world of eCommerce, sometimes things slip through the cracks, and often times your return policy is one of those things. 

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Your eCommerce return policy is crucial for making returns and exchanges easy for both you and the customer. The clearer your return, exchange, and refund policies, the better. Every small business needs a well-written return policy for the best results. So now we’re going to take a look at some tips to build a seamless, yet elegant e-commerce return policy – one that will benefit not only your customer but also your business.

1. Keep the language simple and straightforward

Return policy

Simple and straightforward language

The general rule of thumb here is to write in a speaking tone. If you’re not a lawyer, don’t act like it. Use verbiage your customers can relate to, and feel free to give your return policy some personality. So long as it’s clear, concise, and not open for interpretation, you’re good to go. Filling your return policy with complicated language and/or jargon as well as slang will only confuse your customers and lead to an increase in service requests. This costs time and money that could have easily been saved by having an awesome return policy in place.

2. Stipulate a time frame for returns

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Return policy: time frame 

It’s important to let your customers know how long they have to return a product. Generally speaking, 15-30 days is standard, although some businesses opt for 90 days. Either way, you won’t be doing yourself any favors by accepting returns beyond that time. Fail to disclose a time frame for returns and you’ll find customers trying to ship back items months, even years after they’ve been purchased. Needless to say, this is not a good thing for online store owners. Several large businesses have suffered losses due to open-ended return periods, to the point that most have introduced stricter rules.

3. Define the expected condition of returns

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Expected condition according to the return policy

It’s one thing to accept a return if the customer is immediately unhappy with a product or the product is defective. It’s quite different to accept a return if a product has been used, broken, or devalued in any way by the buyer. When structuring your company’s return policy, define the condition a product must be in before a return can be processed. If you fail to include this information, customers will attempt to return merchandise in conditions too poor to be resold. In this case, you’ll be forced to take a loss.

4. Choose refund or in-store credit

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Refund or in-store credit?

Customers want to know how you plan to compensate them before they return a product. Many will demand a full refund while others may settle for in-store credit. As an e-store owner, you need to make a choice between the two. We suggest offering customers a full refund on all returned merchandise so long as it meets the requirements of your return policy. At your discretion, you can decide to offer store credit for certain types of returns. If you decide to do this, make sure you explain the exact circumstances in your policy. Used properly, a store credit can simplify and enhance your returns process. If you elect to offer in-store credit only, however, many of your current and future customers will not be happy.

5. Disclose any fees associated with returns

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Fee disclosure associated with returns

When a shopper wants to return an item they’ve purchased in your store, who will cover the cost of return like shipping and restocking? Things like this need to be clearly defined in your return policy. There’s nothing worse, from a consumer’s perspective than receiving a product you don’t like only to find out that you have to pay out of pocket to send it back. If you expect your customers to assume financial responsibility for returned items, make sure this is clearly spelled out inside your policy. Failing to do so will create a gaggle of upset customers that will surely judge your site.

6. List return requirements

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List return requirements

If you have requirements that must be met before a return can be processed, you need to let customers know ahead of time. You should also let customers know if they need an authorization number, shipping address, purchase receipt, etc. Whatever conditions you choose, state them clearly for all to see. One simple way to handle this is to use a Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) system. This allows you to request information and images from the customer. If you decide to accept the return, you issue an authorization. If your business covers return shipping, you’ll send the customer a shipping label along with the authorization.

7. Promote your return policy

Policy promotion

Policy promotion

A return policy is only as good as its visibility. If no one can find it, then it doesn’t exist, and that spells trouble for online owners. It’s always a good idea to feature your return policy on the homepage of your website. The footer is a popular spot for this and some even like making it a part of the checkout process. In addition to homepage placement, we suggest you do the following two things. First, include a printed copy of your return policy inside every package you ship. Second, feature your policy inside the purchase confirmation email you send to customers.

Conclusion

In conclusion, think of your return policy as an extension of your company. It should represent your business’ core philosophies, attitude, and tone. Your return policy could very well be the most-read document on your website. It’s not just a way of explaining your return requirements and process, but also a means of making a good impression. Take what you’ve learned and use it to create an awesome return policy that fits your business. We – MageSolution offers a comprehensive Magento Website Development service that helps you write a proper return policy. For more information, you should contact us by clicking here: MageSolution