I want to make a return!

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“Free returns” have become the new “free shipping.” They pose a major problem for retailers after major holidays like Christmas and New Year, as they significantly reduce their business profitability. According to statistics, about a third of shoppers know in advance that they will return some of their purchases to the store. Although this trend is especially pronounced in the retail sector, wholesale sales are also under attack.

This article will be useful for those who are engaged in wholesale or retail sales, who turkey whatsapp list encounter returns and react painfully to them. After reading it, you will understand that returns of goods are an inevitable part of business operations. And if so, then you need to learn to accept them, not avoid them, and gradually reduce them to a minimum. Since returns depend, among other things, on how the transaction was made, we will touch on the psychology of sales a little.

After the 2023 Christmas holidays, according to the WSJ, Americans returned 16.5% of the goods they purchased to sellers, worth $817 billion. This is almost twice the volume of returns in pre-pandemic 2019. A similar picture is observed around the world. Similar statistics for Russia were found for 2021: then buyers of online stores alone returned goods worth 105.6 billion rubles. This is 8.25% of all purchases made online in 2021.

Sellers complain that only 30% of all returned goods are resold, so their losses due to returns reach 50%.

Unfortunately, the problem of product returns is present in all areas of business. But there is good news. Regardless of the reasons why customers ask for refunds, returns can be a great opportunity for sellers to improve their products and services. With this positive idea in mind, use our simple tips for handling returns in sales.

1. Ask for feedback
Bulk returns don’t happen out of nowhere. In most cases, customers ask for a refund because your product didn’t live up to their expectations. Knowing the real reasons for this behavior will help you improve what you sell. We also recommend keeping a product portfolio of customer reviews, especially those who abandoned their purchase.

Ask customers to take a closer look at your products and share their opinions. Ask open-ended questions: “Why did you decide to return the batch?” and “What problems did you have with the product?” Remember: you are not asking to change their mind and “sell” the product again, but to find out its shortcomings and then fix them.

Did you know that you can use the Kanban method to handle returns and complaints? It can be used regardless of what process, methodology or framework you use. Join our webinar on March 5 at 11:00 to learn how to truly use an electronic Kanban board effectively. Participation is free, but registration is required

Back to our topic. Returns may not only be due to a product problem. Incorrect ordering or poor delivery can also play a role. The most common reasons for returns in sales are incorrect sizes, color mismatch, and poor packaging. In the worst case, products are returned because the buyer was misled by insufficient or inaccurate information.

To achieve customer satisfaction, give them the opportunity to speak out about the quality of products and service.

2. Describe products in detail
The Internet has made sales much easier from a technical point of view, but it has also added many complexities to the interaction process. If you describe your product’s capabilities poorly, you increase the risk of it being returned because it will not meet customer standards. Therefore, always provide accurate and complete descriptions of your products: key characteristics and features.

Be as accurate in your descriptions as possible and don't shy away from mentioning product limitations.

Your customers will definitely appreciate clear photos taken from different angles, as well as detailed video reviews. This will help them better understand the appearance, functions, and operating features. Customers always expect to receive a product that looks and works exactly as shown in your presentation. Therefore, by providing them with truthful and extensive information about the product, you prevent possible complaints in the future.

Using a clear benchmark to describe a product's strengths is another way to influence how closely buyers consider it. For example, saying that your product is twice as fast as its closest competitor may influence a purchase decision more than saying that your product takes 10 seconds to generate a report.