Reduce Returns

Fit Or Don't Fit? You'll Never Know Until You Buy

Approximately one-third of all online purchases are returned for one reason or another. In online apparel industry the numbers vary from 25% to 40% depending on the item's style and how fashion-forward it was. Among the reasons why customers return clothes bought online you can name “technical” ones like wrong item received, the item being damaged or looking different from what was described on the web site. But the main reasons are still size and fit. There is always an element of uncertainty when you buy products online, but fashion and apparel industry seems to be the most prominent case.

Retailer's Return Policy Directly Affects Customers' Shopping Decisions

While returned items may remain a problem for most retailers convenient return policy has become an essential part of online business experience. Retailers realize that return policy is key for most of online shoppers. According to Trueship.com 80% of consumers desire hassle-free returns and 92% are willing to buy more if the return policies are friendly. On the other hand 82% of consumers won’t buy something again if returns are not easy. In addition to the statistics companies are discovering that not only lenient return policies increase purchases but customers with the highest return rate are actually their best customers spending the most in their stores.

This leaves online apparel retailers no choice but embrace inevitable returns and even encourage more lenient return policies. Many online brands offer free two-way shipping, in-store returns of items bought online, No Questions Asked return policy and so on. Extended periods of return are also used as an effective tool to persuade customers to keep products. Some retailers offer extended periods of return during holidays, some use them throughout the whole year as it is considered that the longer consumers possess a product the more attached they become and less likely they are to return it.

What Does Your Customer Really Want?

Most of the consumers want and expect lenient return policies from online retailers. And it is understandable that people want the opportunity not to waste money on something they eventually don't want. But isn't it even more precious when there is no need to waste time? For a customer returning items is also sort of a problem. When not certain about the size and fit people pay for several items to try them on at home and see which one fits, if any. And then send back the rest. For time-pressed consumers wouldn't it be perfect to be able to find clothes that fit exactly the way they want right away? And do so whenever they have time? That's a Win-Win situation for both – customer and the retailer. And you can do this today.

High rates of returns don't have to be an essential part of online apparel business. You can reduce them immensely and make returns more of an exception than a rule. You really can. What you need to do is close effectively the gap between the present online shopping experience and what customers would prefer it to be.