Returns do not fall with a tougher policy: they fall when you know why things come back. Reason, SKU, size and channel, per 100 shipments, is the table to look at every month.
Published · Vialog Fulfillment
Returns per 100 shipments, by reason (wrong size, not as expected, arrived damaged, arrived late) and by SKU. Two or three SKUs usually account for half the problem.
A real size guide on the product page, photos of the product in use, measurements in centimetres, packaging that protects fragile items, and a fast reply to the buyer with tracking so they do not cancel out of impatience. And returns inspected the same day with the exchange shipping without delay.
There is no single figure: it varies widely by sector, and in fashion and footwear it is considerably higher than in accessories or technical products because of sizing. What helps is measuring your returns per 100 shipments, month by month and by SKU, and looking at those that stray from your own average.
It does not reduce the number of returns, but it does reduce what you lose on them: if the buyer swaps size or colour instead of asking for a refund, you keep the sale. For it to work, the exchange has to be fast: the return is inspected when it reaches the warehouse and the new unit ships without waiting.
Yes, with those caused by logistics: verifying every line by barcode stops the wrong item or size being shipped, and suitable packaging cuts the number of products arriving damaged. And if it inspects every return with photos and records the reason, you have the data to fix product pages and SKUs.
You may also like
Returns management (reverse logistics)
Returns management for your online store: we receive and inspect them with photos, and you decide in your portal what goes back to stock.
E-commerce returns: process and law
E-commerce returns and the law: the 14-day withdrawal right, who pays return shipping, what you can deduct and a process that keeps sales.
Fashion and footwear logistics
Sizes, colours, seasons and returns: logistics for fashion and footwear brands with careful packing, fast exchanges and returns inspected with photos.
How to pack orders so they arrive intact
How to pack orders for your online store: right-sized box, void fill, tape and label to cut breakage and claims without raising shipping costs.
Would you rather we did it for you?
Tell us what you sell and how many orders you ship a month: within one working day we tell you what it would cost and how we would start.