Return policies and serial returners refer to shoppers who often return items. So, consider this question. How should retailers such as Amazon deal with serial returners?
In prior posts, we studied return policies from the consumer’s perspective. For example, see:
- What Consumers Want in Returning Items
- Better Understanding Returns of Online Purchases
- Customer Service Means a Good Return Policy
Before we examine current retailer practices, we ask. Are YOU a serial returner. How should firms handle you?
What to Do? Return Policies and Serial Returners
As Krista Garcia reports for eMarketer:
“Return policies used to be viewed as a necessary evil. Behind the scenes, logistics can create a lot of headaches for retailers. But consumers expect a seamless process. Flexible returns may be a differentiating factor that can make or break customer loyalty.”
“More online buyers means there are also likely to be more returns and exchanges. Plus, ‘bracketing,’ the practice of buying multiple versions of an item to determine the one a shopper likes best and returning the rest, is becoming a common practice. According to a survey of digital buyers who returned an item in the past six months, 41% say they use bracketing some of the time. And luxury shoppers do this at an even higher rate (51%).”
“Some retailers are considering blacklisting serial returners. Yet, they should also take caution against alienating customers with legitimate reasons for sending back a purchase. It is to a retailer’s advantage to provide fast exchanges and immediate refunds, as most shoppers actually replace the item they returned (57%).”
What do YOU think about the findings shown below?
