ZigZag: Peak is always a dog-fight

UK SMEs are heading into peak season unprepared for the returns surge so ZigZag has strengthened its Shopify App to bridge the gap for small retailers.

ZigZag found that 97% of SMEs acknowledged that delaying returns planning creates customer service strain and lost revenue, yet 44% still hadn’t finalised their peak strategy by the end of Q2.

The lag in planning is costly for SMEs as 86% of retailers believe earlier returns planning would deliver financial benefit. Smaller businesses feel the pain the most, with 74% citing peak returns as a “significant” strain on their business.

To help SMEs plug the returns gap and unlock enterprise-grade returns infrastructure in time for peak season, ZigZag is offering cross-border returns through its Shopify app to help small and mid-sized retailers offer international returns with fast customs clearance, quick refunds, and easy exchanges.

Al Gerrie, Founder & CEO of ZigZag, stated: “Peak is always a dog-fight, and retailers need support to ensure they are primed for returns during the busiest retail moment of the year. SMEs have the advantages of agility and faster decision-making speed against their enterprise counterparts, but they need to act on them.”

The ZigZag Returns & Exchanges app compliments the existing solution for enterprise retailers, bringing enterprise-grade functionality to Shopify merchants, and simplifying the cross-border returns process for SMEs. It takes two days to get set-up on ZigZag’s platform, where retailers can:

• Offer international returns with fast customers clearance

• Enable exchanges and store credit options that save the sale

• Integrate seamlessly with ZigZag’s 1,500+ carrier services across 170 countries

• Access ZigZag’s freemium UK returns plan – with no subscription or setup fees

Gerrie added: “Our new Shopify app will allow those retailers to quickly make up any lost ground and get ready for peak. In under 48 hours they can be cutting costs, refunding faster, and delighting customers with a sleek returns experience, all without paying any fees on top of carriage for UK returns.”

The new app’s simple set up and low financial barriers means SMEs with no technical expertise can access high-quality returns infrastructure, empowering smaller retailers with enterprise customer experience expectations without the overhead.