The good news is that a good returns process can encourage customer loyalty—every business wants to keep customers. After all, attracting new customers can cost five times as much as retaining existing ones. It may come as a surprise that the e-commerce returns feature affects a new customer's first purchase. One report states that 68% of U.S. shoppers prefer to shop on sites that offer automated returns. They are interested in the return process before they buy.
Once a customer makes their first purchase, it pays to keep them happy — that doesn't mean they won't return it. The report also noted that 96% of consumers said they would buy from a retailer again based on a good return experience. Ease of shipping, no restocking fees, and fast refund processing or replacements are all factors in industry mailing list satisfaction. But one of the most important outcomes of a return can actually be a better product. 4. Reverse Logistics of Product Improvement Good reverse logistics data can identify if there are quality control issues.
For example, if a particular product has a higher-than-average return frequency, there may be a problem with that product. Merchants may recall manufacturing defects from the manufacturer, which means sending the product back further through the supply chain. Collecting return information is critical to product development, so it is important to actively use data from these returns and identify patterns. Artificial intelligence systems are beginning to be used to analyze vast amounts of e-commerce data as well as other digital tools.