Online businesses often have unexpected problems, complaints, and returned products that will have to be packaged and sold again. However, behind each problem there are several possible reasons for the consumer, and many (often negative) consequences for the company.

In this first article, we will talk about returns, and what impact has on the stores.

Returns

According to the Consumer Returns in the Retail Industry report published by Appriss, product returns cost more than $ 350 billion to American businesses each year. This number is mainly affected by the ecommerce industry: compared to physical sales establishments, where the return ratio is 8.89%, at least 30% of all products ordered online will be returned over time.

The return policy is a declaration stipulated by the merchant who is willing to accept previously purchased items and reimburse the customer for the purchase money (in whole or in part), provided that certain conditions have been met. These conditions depend on the return policy of each trade, but as a general rule, consumers can request a refund in the following cases:

• The product arrived damaged or defective
• The product received does not match your description on the website
• The trade sent the wrong product
• The purchase did not arrive on time, or arrived when the customer no longer needed it

As for the purchase of clothing, many times the product is returned because it did not meet expectations, or it was the wrong size.

Taking into account that online shopping usually requires that the product be paid before delivery, this process can cause a lot of inconvenience for consumers, especially if the product received does not meet their expectations. For this reason, to reduce potential risks and encourage online purchase, the industry implemented return policies to ensure reimbursement to consumers in the event that they were not satisfied with their purchase.

As a conclusion, the request for reimbursement is a voluntary act initiated by the consumer within the period stipulated in the return policy (normally between 14 and 30 days).

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