Happy returns all round
New research from Canada Post has indicated that “a good returns experience can create return customers”. Canada Post said that its newly-released E-commerce Returns Report “offers fresh insights into not just how significant the returns experience has become, but also how businesses can turn this reality into an opportunity to grow”.
According to Canada Post, the research shows that the “ease of making a return – regardless of whether a return is actually made – is a rising critical factor in a customer’s online decision-making process”.
Other interesting findings in the report included:
- One in three shoppers surveyed returned an online purchase last year. One in five were put off by a negative experience;
- two out of three shoppers now check the returns policy when looking to purchase from a merchant for the first time; and
- one in three shoppers are unlikely to purchase from a merchant again after a negative returns experience.
Canada Post said that the “three pillars” of returns wisdom are: clarity, simplicity and convenience.
Danielle Doiron, Director of Parcels Market Development at Canada Post, offered this advice: “It’s easy to see returns solely as lost sales. But our findings enable retailers to view returns in a different and valuable light – that a good returns process can lead to return customers.”
