Chapter 5: Complex, Manual Process

Reduce Consumer Friction

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Complex, Manual Process Header image with woman staring at phone next to a delivery notification email that includes how to register a return if needed.

parcelLab Returns Study Found...

of customers are unlikely to reengage with a brand after a poor returns experience

of shoppers are influenced by a brand's return policy

Read the study

Returns are a key area that exposes a retailer’s manual, cost-prohibitive process. This can create a confusing customer experience and make it difficult to retain revenue. Here’s why…

Friction

Confusing Return Policies

A brand’s return policy greatly impacts whether shoppers purchase an item. When a policy is hard to find, difficult to understand, or presents numerous limitations, retailers make it hard to gain and retain revenue.

A wrist watch that has an image of a restrictive returns policy over it.

Friction

Complex Processes

When returning an item, you may require customers to share documents, create multiple labels, or figure out split returns. The more challenging and time–consuming your returns process is, the higher the probability that a customer will reach out to customer service and increase costs.

A blue ice pack and a return portal that will not process a return due to the image provided.

Friction

Limited Options

Providing customers with only one option, such as contacting customer service to register and track returns, prevents them from having any ownership over the process. This only leads to customer frustration as well as operational complexity and cost.

A blender with an overlayed image of a customer service hotline number and availability hours.

Solution

Empower Consumers

Transform your returns process and improve the customer journey with a returns management solution that includes intuitive digital processes to:

Simplify multi-item returns requiring more than one label
Enable customers to register and track returns at their convenience
Design personalized return journeys based on customer and other data segments
Show bespoke return reasons for different product categories
Manage return methods based on warehouse/store location

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Options to select a return method such as a UPS drop off or return to store.

Case Study: Outdoor Recreational Products Retailer

With an annual global revenue of over $1 billion, this brand is simplifying their returns process while boosting customer loyalty.

Then

Poor Split Shipment Experience

The brand’s tracking page lacked clarity when it came to displaying split shipments. Each click changed the layout of the page and then another split shipment would populate, leaving customers confused and unable to see an immediate clear summary of shipments.

Register Your Return page that only allows one label per order for a red insulated lunch bag.

Then

Single-Label Process

Customers looking to return more than one item from their purchase were stuck with a single label. This meant that returned products were coming back damaged due to customers being forced to fit items oddly in a box because of one label.

A Returns Label next to a dark green camping chair.

Now

Flexible and Simple Returns

This retailer was able to leverage pre-built templates for shipments, multi-label and custom business order experiences, and flexible data attributes to create an intuitive digital process for their customers. They improved the returns experience for both the consumer and the retailer while recovering revenue that would be lost to damaged products.