eCommerce has forever changed the way we shop. Rather than roaming and selecting from one store to the other, eCommerce websites provided us the opportunity to choose from a spectrum of different commodities, products, and brands while we enjoy the comforts of our home. But at the final stage when it comes to making the transaction we start doubting the eCommerce website. We are troubled mainly by two thoughts. What if the product turns out to be defective or gets tampered while shipping? What if the product varies from that mentioned in the store?
And these two are one of the reasons behind shopping cart abandonment and why people think twice before checking out. So one of the best ways to avoid this scenario is to create a robust eCommerce return policy. A recent survey showed that 63% Americans check the return policy before a purchase while, 48% are more likely to shop with online retailers that offer hassle-free returns. This clearly indicates how important a return policy is for an eCommerce website. As people who shop online are physically not able to interact with the store person, an eCommerce return policy portrays that the eCommerce business owner stands by his word and believes in quality customer service.
Guidelines to Write an eCommerce Return Policy
A return policy is a document which actually mandates all the necessary regulations and rules an eCommerce website would abide by, and provide. It lays down the procedure and circumstances under which users can return purchased products without losing their investment. So such a document instills trust among the customers and provides a guideline to follow through, in case they want to return some product. So the essential points recommended in a robust return policy are as follows:
1- Never hide the policy – Even if an eCommerce website has a return policy in place, how would it serve its purpose if it is not at all visible by the general public. So, the website owner should make sure that the return policy is easily accessible. The ideal places to point to your web store’s return policy is either at the header, at banners or in the form of carousels. In this way, customers would know about the existence of such a policy and could also take a look at it with ease.
2. Never copy – Return policy for a particular web store is completely personal and can’t be generalized in any possible way. So while creating a policy, the website owner shouldn’t use the existing return policy from any other web store.
3. Reading friendly – The eCommerce policy must be constructed using simple English so that consumers irrespective of their educational background can understand and go through it. If fancy and ornamental English or sentence structure is used, it won’t serve the cause and raise more questions than solving the existing query.
4. Never pressurize the consumer – While penning down the return policy phrases, the likes of “you must”, “we are not responsible”, should be avoided. Such narration can scare them off. The policy itself should be simple and shouldn’t be tough when a consumer tries to return a product.
5. Laying down the web store’s expectations – The return policy should encompass everything that can be expected from the eCommerce website, in the case of a return. For example, the policy should state how the purchase amount would be credited to the consumer in case of a return. Whether the web store provides store credits, exchange with another product or return the entire sum.
6. Time frame limitations – When it comes to returning a product, an eCommerce store should always clearly state the time limitation within which a viable replace or payback can be expected. This will intimate the consumer and also keep confusion and misunderstanding at bay.
6. Laying down the customers’ expectations – In case of a return, the policy should also outline how, the product would be shipped back? Would providing the order slip be essential for the process? And, who would be paying for the shipping charges? Questions like these should always be provided so that the customers know what is expected on their behalf.
7. Knowledgeable staff – The business owner should strive to educate his staff about the return policy of the website so that they can cater to the needs and queries of the customer in general. Such knowledge transfer would help keep them up to date with the present norms and policy of the company.
8. Admitting faults – If the eCommerce store unknowingly shipped the wrong item or shipped a poorly packed product, he should ensure that the customers’ needs and expectations are met, given it satisfies the return policy. This would instill trust among the customer user base and attract a ton of potential customers.
