Ways to Improve Ecommerce Business through Effective Return Policy

Product return process is the hot topic in ecommerce business. Small and large businesses are implementing policies to make it easier for the customers to return the products if they have justifying reasons. Nevertheless, many of the people in ecommerce industry wonder whether making it convenient for the customers to return products can affect the business revenue. Well the answer is simple; Yes, but positively. There are many reasons that can show how positive would it be for your business if you have an effective and robust product return policy in place.

With that said, it would be worth mentioning a few ideas that can actually help you get the most of your business while having a return policy as a part of your business rule book.

Ensure accuracy of your orders

There are many instances when people got entirely wrong orders. Wrong order means the order wouldn’t have all of the contents that customer paid for, or the package wouldn’t have the items the customer gave order for, or the order is delivered to someone else (address mistake at shipper’s end).

The best way to ensure that package has accurately all of the items and that it is being delivered to the right recipient is to eliminate the manual work and use shipping software instead. With the help of shipping software, you can check the order as soon as it is entered by the customer, confirm address, quickly check the status of inventory and assign items from it instantly. After the manual work of packaging, the same software can help you in printing the slips that will help you confirm that there is everything packed properly in the cardboard boxes.

Make sure that you have clear return policy

There are some items for which return policy can’t be lenient. And there are also the products which can’t be the returned at all. Specify those items prominently on the portal that customers use to order online for your products. This mentioning will help the customers to stay away from any confusion while ordering for any product.

The return process should be convenient

According to a stat share by UPS, 53% of the shoppers have been found satisfied with the return policy of the store they shopped from. Thus, you wouldn’t really be willing to be one of those 47% infamous dealers.

The reason that finding new customers can be pretty difficult, which is evident from the tougher marketing practices to promote ecommerce businesses. Hence, a lenient return policy will help you retain your customer due to a seller-customer relationship based only on trust.

One of the best ways you can make product return an easier process for the customers is to include scan-based return labels in the packages you send to the customers. These labels provide win-win scenario for both you and the customer. The customer will have ease in returning the product and you will be charged for the return transportation of package when it is actually returned. Hence, it will be of no cost if you have printed bulk of labels.

Minimal Touch Packaging for Automation Only Warehouses

One unique rise in the world are fulfillment centers that aren’t majority manned by humans, but instead machines. Some of them don’t have humans at all, from the onset of the order, until it gets shipped to a courier.   While these are rare, more companies are opening up to the idea of using automation for this.

Robots bring about their own set of challenges, and some companies might wonder what they can add to make shipments better, and more effective. Here, we will go over the rise in such minimal-touch packaging, and how this packaging changes when there is no human factor added into the fray.

The Packaging Made for Robot Hands 

Robotic handling differs from human handling for a few reasons.

First, you need to be exact. Human hands differ in size, but robot hands are a sort of one-size-fits-all ordeal for many companies, so if you're going to use this, the packaging needs to be the same each time. so, either have a singular product, or factor in different arms.

Another big thing is the zone of grip. Some robots have a stronger grip than others, so you want to make sure that the packaging factors this in. make sure the packaging isn’t so flimsy that they crush it upon handling, but also not so hard and awkward that it can’t give them a good hold.

There's also RFID readable surfaces, which are surfaces with RFID on them, and of course, with such an addition, it adds in the security protocol of such, giving it a better touch that really makes the packaging stand out.

Supplies for Auto-Pack Lines 

You want to make sure that you have the right materials on there for the auto pack capabilities.

Auto-fold cartons are one of them, which are cartons that will fold and adjust as needed. It will help create a sort of automatic, methodical process that’s easy to put together.

Smart void fillers are another.   These void fillers are quick, efficient, and will wrap around the item without too much trouble or issues.

Finally, you have auto-seal flaps. These are flaps that, when pushed together, will automatically seal. In some cases, there might be tape added to help reinforce this, and you’ll definitely want to use this.

If you’re going auto-pack, consider all of these and see for yourself just what it’s capable of.

Focus on Efficiency, not Branding 

This type of packaging is not for every company. If branding is your biggest focus, you may want to have some packaging that’s designed for multiple, different types of boxes and use cases. With this type of packaging, your goal is to get it out the door. 

Speed is the name of the game, not aesthetics, so you want to put branding on the backseat. 

That isn’t to say you can’t add minimal branding to this. a logo here and there, maybe specific colors, or something to make it stand out might work.

But, if you’re going to get hundreds of thousands of shipments out, you need something that’s quick and efficient, and doesn’t leave room for pause.

Most of the time, we see this with big-name stores and brands because this is something that they use. However, other companies are also considering this type of packaging too, and it might be good.

Overall, if you’re looking to improve your packaging incentives and stand out, and are willing to go automation, then consider these for your fully-automated businesses out there, and see if it’s fitting for your needs. Again, not for everyone, but a window to consider.