A man stands at a counter and looks at the screen of an open laptop. The man has dark hair and a beard and holds one hand to his chin as if in deep thought. Behind him is a large warehouse with yellow shelving units filled with cardboard boxes. To the left, two people in yellow high-visibility vests push and pull an orange dolly cart holding two piles of cardboard boxes into the warehouse.
Many return programs let customers exchange unwanted items, which may be preferable if the customer just needs the item in a different size and allows the company to keep the sale. — Getty Images/Marko Geber

If you own a retail business, it’s only a matter of time before a customer wants to return their purchase. Customer returns are especially common for e-commerce businesses, with an average return rate between 20–30%. Here are the six best options for managing customer returns.

[Read more: How Brick-and-Mortar Businesses Can Add E-Commerce]

Loop

You'll want to check out Loop if you run your business through Shopify. You can use Loop to create a branded portal to automate the customer returns process. Customers can request a return at any time, regardless of whether your team is available to help them.

Customers are encouraged to exchange their items, which could help retain more revenue. Exchanges are easy for customers to complete, and the portal automatically checks inventory levels for you.

Every time a customer returns an item, Loop will generate a feedback form. This information will give you insights that can help you reduce customer returns in the future. Plus, Loop integrates with dozens of other popular business apps like UPS, FedEx, and EcoCart.

ReturnLogic

ReturnLogic helps you automate the customer returns process, and the app will save you time and money. According to the company, the software saves an average of 15 minutes per return and reduces the percentage of refunds by 30%.

You can automate tasks like printing labels and tracking inventory, and ReturnLogic allows customers to submit warranty claims through the portal. The customer will choose which product to submit their warranty claim for, and if the item is discounted or out-of-stock, they can choose a replacement option.

ReturnLogic also encourages customers to exchange items or choose store credit instead of returning them.​​ And customers can exchange different-priced items, which gives you the opportunity to upsell the customer.

AfterShip

AfterShip provides a self-service returns portal with flexible exchange and refund options. If you have a brick-and-mortar store, you can encourage online customers to do in-store exchanges. This option is convenient for customers, encourages foot traffic in your store, and creates opportunities for more sales. You can also accept partial returns from customers that placed large orders but only want to return or exchange one or two items.

You’ll also have access to AfterShip’s global carrier network to offer label generation and return pickups. This network covers 95% of customers worldwide.

[Read more: How to Decide if Your E-Commerce Business Should Open a Physical Location]

With every return, you’ll receive insights into what customers liked or didn’t like about your products.

Returnly

Returnly provides a quick and efficient returns process for customers while reducing the work for your team. Customers can start a return at any time through the self-service portal, and they can select easy drop-off mail options with QR codes.

Returnly engages your customers at every point of the returns process. And if customers choose to exchange items, the company will automatically send tracking updates, reducing the number of support calls you receive.

Return Rabbit

Return Rabbit is a Shopify solution that makes it easy for customers to do returns or exchanges. When customers start the return process, the software provides smart recommendations to increase the likelihood of an exchange.

With every return, you’ll receive insights into what customers liked or didn’t like about your products. You can use the analytics dashboard to see which products perform the best and which have the highest rate of returns.

New software often comes with a bit of a learning curve. That’s why Return Rabbit provides onboarding so you can feel confident that you understand how to use the software.

Happy Returns

According to Happy Returns, the majority of customer returns are due to sizing issues, so the company offers one-click exchanges. If the problem is a sizing issue, they’ll automatically be offered the next size up or down if it’s available.

You can use Happy Returns to accept international exchanges with flexible shipping options. The shopper experience is available in multiple languages, and multiple-destination returns are available.

[Read more: How to Choose E-commerce Shipping Software]

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