Avouons-le: no matter how reasonable your prices or great your products are, some customers will want to return them. That’s why you need to have a return policy. It sets expectations for your customers and outlines what they can expect if they need to return a product.
Dans cet article, we’ll walk you through the basics of crafting a return policy, including what information to highlight. You’ll find out how to make your policy as customer-friendly as possible, all while increasing sales.
Bonus: we’ve included a template for crafting an effective return policy!
What Is a Return Policy?
A return policy is a set of guidelines that customers can refer to when they need to return a product. It spells out the conditions under which you, le propriétaire du magasin, will accept returns.
A return policy usually contains the following information:
- A list of return and refund options.
- A procedure for returning a purchased product.
- A procedure for returning a damaged, faulty, or incorrect item.
- A list of non-refundable items.
- A list of non-refundable cases.
- Fees and costs associated with a return.
Your return policy should be clear and easy to understand so that customers know what to expect before they make a purchase.
Une bonne politique de retour peut tourner autour une mauvaise expérience client. Play it right, and you can even turn it into a brand asset.
Why Your Business Needs a Return Policy
Returns are a part of online shopping. Si vous avez un magasin en ligne qui vend des produits, les retours sont inévitables. But why exactly do you need a return policy? Après tout, can’t you just state “No returns” on your online store’s homepage? Or accept them on a case-by-case basis?
A return policy is a vital part of the shopping experience and running a business. Here’s why you need it:
It Builds Trust with Customers
A return policy shows that you, as the store owner, are confident in your products. It also demonstrates that you’re willing to stand by your products and take responsibility if something goes wrong. This helps build trust with potential customers and encourages them to buy from you.
It Sets Customer Expectations
A return policy sets customer expectations by spelling out the conditions under which you, as the store owner, will accept returns. This helps to avoid misunderstandings and disappointed customers later on.
It Reduces Risk of Fraud
A return policy can help reduce the risk of fraud by making it clear what is and isn’t covered. Par exemple, you can state in your return policy that customers can return products only if they are defective.
It Is Required By Law
One of the main reasons for having a return policy is legal. Dans de nombreux pays, vous êtes tenu par la loi d'accepter les retours sur la plupart des marchandises dans un délai raisonnable (dire, 15-60 jours).
Par exemple, en Australie, signs saying “no returns,” “no refunds,” etc. sont illégales. Au royaume-UNI, the law les états that online shoppers “have the right to cancel their order for a limited time even if the goods aren’t faulty.”
En outre, UK law states, “Vous devez offrir un remboursement pour les clients si ils te l'ont dit dans les 14 jours de la réception de leurs marchandises qu'ils veulent annuler. Ils ont un autre 14 jours pour retourner la marchandise une fois qu'ils vous ai dit.”
Une politique de retour des marchandises assurez-vous que vous êtes sur le bon côté de la loi.
Customers Expect You to Have a Return Policy
Many shoppers will refuse to buy from you if you don’t offer easy returns. This especially applies to online stores because customers can’t try on or test products before buying them.
Having a return policy not only influences customers’ decision to buy from you, but also affects whether or not they’re going to shop with you again:
- L' survey conducted by Pitney Bowes states that 54% of shoppers are unlikely to purchase a product they want if the retailer has a poor or unclear return policy.
- 76% de shoppers believe free returns are an important consideration factor when shopping online.
- Selon l' survey by The Wilkes-Barre, 84% of respondents say a positive returns experience encourages them to shop with a retailer again.
Selon Power Reviews, free returns are the second most important consideration factor for online shoppers
Les données sont claires: there are legal and business reasons for crafting a strong return policy. Let’s find out how to create one for your own store.
Comment rédiger une politique de retour efficace
It’s important to think of customers that want to return a product as potential future buyers and free marketing. You should aim to improve their shopping experience in your store rather than treat them as a problem.
Remember the power of word of mouth. When you provide a transparent return policy and work with the customer to solve their problems, they might tell their friends and colleagues about their positive experience. That will spread the word about your business.
Avec cela à l'esprit, let’s look at how you should write a compelling return policy.
Keep Your Return Policy Transparent
Customers should be able to find your return policy easily. Place a link to it in the header or footer of your website, and make sure it’s visible on the product page.
Don’t make customers put in extra effort to find your return policy. While not everyone reads the return policy, having it up front and center reduces shoppers’ doubts.
Par exemple, shoppers can find the Amazon return policy by clicking the link in the footer of their website:
Un produit spécifique de la politique est également mentionné sur chaque page de produit:
Don’t forget to put a link to your ecommerce return policy in order confirmation emails. This makes your customers feel secure—they know that if they don’t like the product, ils peuvent toujours nous le retourner.
You can even provide examples with images for your customers in case they ever need to return the product.
If your customers are able to return a product in different ways, state the how-to for each option. Par exemple, the Ikea return policy explains how to return a product in-store, via a collection point, or pickup:
Don’t Blindly Copy Your Return Policy from Another Business
You should not copy some other business’s return policy. Not only does that look bad, but your return policy should be dependent on factors specific to your business. This includes industry type, business margins, and even business philosophy.
Par exemple, si vous êtes de vente de vêtements en ligne, you will need to personalize your return policy to your specific business and target audience. Vous pourriez vouloir accepter les retours sur certaines catégories de produits, tout en excluant les autres, such as underwear.
C'est une bonne idée d'avoir des instructions détaillées sur votre politique de retour pour les différentes catégories de produits ainsi.
Par exemple, the Target return policy includes a list of return exceptions:
There are various return policy templates you can use for your store instead of copying other brands’ policies. Cependant, make sure to adjust the template to your business.
Apart from providing your address and return procedures, you need to specify the product conditions you will accept. Par exemple, you may have a very detailed procedure for returning a damaged product, a unique list of non-refundable items, et ainsi de suite.
To make writing a return policy easier for you, we’ve prepared a template you can use. Download it and be sure to edit it to your business needs.
Make a Return Period Longer
Most online stores accept returns 30 ou 60 days after the purchase. Tout ce qui est bon pour l'amélioration de la fiabilité, if your return period lasts for 90 jours, 120 jours, 365 jours, or even for a lifetime, vous verrez probablement un saut dans votre chiffre d'affaires.
There are different reasons for extending return periods. Par exemple, during the coronavirus pandemic, many retailers extended their return and exchange periods to give consumers more flexibility to get refunds and let their service à la clientèle reps process returns safely.
Cependant, there are many reasons for extending your return period. One of them is that people are still skeptical of buying products online, especially big-ticket items. If you sell expensive products, consider extending your return policy.
Extend your policy as long as you can because the majority of the customers will keep the product. They just want that extra security in knowing you have a reasonable return policy.
Keep the Language Simple
Write your return policy as if you’re having a conversation with your target audience. Garder les phrases courtes et le point.
Il ne devrait pas prendre votre clientèle plus de un couple de minutes pour comprendre comment votre politique de retour des œuvres. Don’t make things overly complicated with legal jargon. It might confuse shoppers and increase the chances of them abandoning your website altogether.
When you use terms that are easy to understand, it becomes easier for your customers to follow your policy.
Par exemple, the Walmart return policy states from the very beginning that they “make returns easy.” All customers have to do is click a button and enter the transaction number on the receipt to find their items and start a return process.
Another example is the Home Depot return policy: before diving into the details of the return process, they sum it up to show that it’s as customer-friendly as possible.
The policy is written in simple language without any legal jargon. They simply state that “returns are free and easy.”
Define the Expected Condition of the Returned Item
When writing your company’s return policy, explicitly say what condition you expect the product to be in when returned. Aussi, include instructions for how you expect the product to be packaged if you do.
You want to have a friendly return policy. Mais en même temps, it has to be fair. You don’t want customers returning you a broken phone or torn clothes. Ne pas inclure cette information risque de mener à des clients à l'utilisation abusive de votre politique de retour.
Par exemple, the Best Buy return policy clearly states that items need to be returned in a “like-new condition.”
Decide Whether to Give a Full Refund or Store Credit
Sometimes customers want to return a product because they got the wrong size or color. You can offer them the option of in-store credit or a full refund.
Many customers demand a full refund of their money, and stores often refund purchases in full. Cependant, it’s worth offering in-store credit. Habituellement, banks charge a small fee for refunds, so it’s better to avoid it.
Do not push the in-store credit option. Au lieu de cela, politely ask customers if they want to go down that route and explain its benefits. Par exemple, you could offer to enroll them in your loyalty program if they continue to shop in your store.
In-store credit is also a way to boost sales. Customers are more likely to use in-store credit to shop for another product or even buy more than their store credit covers.
Another alternative to a refund is offering your customers a gift card equal to or more than the cost of the returned product.
Disclose Any Fees Associated With Returns
Êtes-vous le chargement de vos clients, pour les frais de retour? Ou êtes-vous en prenant soin de retours et des réassorts? You need to clearly state that in your policy.
Failing to state any and all return fees beforehand will upset your customers. De leur point de vue, non seulement avez-vous envoyer le mauvais produit, but you also want them to send it back to you at their expense.
Clients frustrés qui pourrait aller sur les médias sociaux et de se plaindre au sujet de votre entreprise. You definitely want to avoid that. Explain in your return policy when you expect your customers to pay and when you don’t.
Par exemple, the Sephora return policy states that there are no return shipping or handling fees:
Plus, providing free shipping only helps to keep customers. If you can afford it, paying for return shipping gives a customer more than enough reason to come back and shop again.
Create a FAQ Page
Having a FAQ page goes a long way. It allows customers to quickly find answers to their questions.
FAQs particularly work well with return-related questions, since customers often have similar questions. Par exemple:
- “How long does the return and exchange policy last?”
- “How do I place a return request?”
- “Dois-je renvoyer le produit moi-même?”
- “How do I check the status of my return?”
- Et ainsi de suite.
Pour l'inspiration, take a look at the FAQ for the SHEIN return policy:
Actively Promote Your Return Policy
Don’t just write a good return policy, but promote it everywhere you can: sur votre page d'accueil, panier, pages de paiement, des bulletins d'information, and even in your offline promotions.
Make sure you mention your return policy everywhere it makes sense. You’ll be surprised how many new customers you can get by promoting your return policies.
Selon Statista, 86% of global consumers surveyed responded that they looked for retailers with easy product return policies when deciding where to shop. 81% said they would switch to a different retailer if they had a bad experience with returning items.
Consumer attitudes towards return policy of retailers and its influence on their purchasing decision worldwide
By actively promoting your return policy, you can reel more customers in.
You could even go further by including a printed copy of your return policy inside every package you ship.
How to Use Your Return Policy to Increase Sales
Certaines entreprises ont réussi à construire un ensemble de l'entreprise autour de leurs politiques de retour. Zappos est l'un d'entre eux. Leurs 365 jours retour politique leur donne un avantage sur les concurrents. They are so proud of it that they highlight it via a banner visible on all pages of their website:
This extremely liberal return policy was used to make customers buy their products. Au fil du temps, comme Tony Hsieh (Zappos fondateur) documents in “Delivering Happiness,” it became the differentiating factor and the foundation of their business ethos.
En tant que petite entreprise, you could also take advantage of highlighting your return policies. That will improve your conversion rate and positively affect how people perceive your brand.
Here are some tips for how to go about it:
Share Testimonials of Customers Who’ve Successfully Returned Products
When a customer returns an item, se servir de leur expérience à votre profit.
Once you process the return, don’t be afraid to ask for a testimonial. Ask for their testimonial, nom, and photo. You can add it to your “Return Policy” page.
When shoppers see testimonials, ils sont plus susceptibles d'acheter chez vous. Always showcase the positive experiences of your customers on your business profiles on social media.
Be Liberal with Your Policies
Offering a generous return policy can act as a way to attract more customers. Cependant, be sure to calculate the cost of returns before committing to an overly generous one.
Pour les acheteurs, “Free Shipping and Returns” is a dream come true. Cela signifie qu'ils payent pour ce qu'ils voient. Si elles ne l'aiment pas, they can send it back.
Il est aussi plus juste pour le client. Surveys show that the main reason for online purchase returns worldwide is faulty, damaged, poor-quality goods, or products not being as described accurately online.
But for a seller, free shipping and returns could quickly become a logistical nightmare. Figuring out how much money you will lose on returned sales could be a bigger problem than it looks. Your profit margins will undoubtedly go down in the short term.
Cela dit, according to a survey by Power Reviews, 76% of respondents believe that free returns are important factors when shopping online.
Having a customer-friendly returns policy boils down to how well you manage your logistics. Vous pouvez récupérer votre perte de profits par l'amélioration de la logistique inverse. That process refers to moving goods from customers back to the sellers or manufacturers.
The returns process isn’t just about bringing the item back to the warehouse. Sometimes you have to get the returned item back in stock, return it to the manufacturer, or sell it on the secondary market (the channels that provide a means to sell and buy returned or excess goods).
Gardez cela à l'esprit lorsque vous créez une politique libérale. Calculez combien d'argent vous perdez à chaque retour, your average return rate, and the impact on your margin each return has.
Make Returns Quickly
Customers love when things happen quickly, whether it’s shipping or returns.
If you have the resources to accept returns within a couple of days, vous devriez vraiment le faire. Efficiency leaves a good impression on your customers.
A great example is Warby Parker. Avec leur “Essayer” de la politique, ils vous permettent d'essayer de cinq images pour 5 jours, and you get to keep the one you like. Plus, l'ensemble de la livraison et les retours sont gratuits.
Write Your Stellar Return Policy
You can’t run a successful ecommerce store without a return policy. Au lieu de traiter le retourne comme une corvée, see it as an opportunity to build your brand and flex your logistical muscles.
Use the above tips to craft a return policy that’s customer-focused. Start by following these steps:
- Identify your return rate. This is the percentage of total orders returned by customers. Voici la formule: (Cost of Orders Returned / Ventes totales) x 100.
- Keep your return rate in mind to calculate whether you can offer a more lenient return policy (dire, 90-180 jours).
- Choose a couple of stores whose return policy and policy page you admire. Choisir données exploitables à partir de chaque politique.
- Consulter un avocat et de l'artisanat à une politique qui encapsule votre philosophie de la marque et assiste les clients. This will depend on the country you live in, so it’s important to find a lawyer who understands your industry and works well with you.
Et n'oubliez pas: a return policy is a legal document. Use the advice in this article to guide you in the right direction. Cependant, you should definitely consult your lawyer before you commit to a return policy.
Now you know how to write an effective return policy. Once you get it up on your website, make sure it works for you and your customers. Not only can it strengthen your relationship with your customers, but it can also attract more buyers. Start working on setting up a fair and effective return policy today!
Voulez-vous en savoir plus sur les aspects juridiques de la gestion d'une boutique en ligne?
- Documents juridiques pour les boutiques en ligne: Protection et confiance
- Comment rédiger une politique de confidentialité pour votre boutique en ligne
- Comment rédiger une politique de retour efficace
- 25 Où trouver des conseils juridiques à faible coût
- 6 Échec majeur de la politique juridique des sociétés Fortune 500
- Comprendre la page des termes et conditions
- Enregistrement de votre entreprise de commerce électronique
- La protection de la Marque: Comment enregistrer une marque
