Lessen Your Amazon Return Rate in 8 Ways

Nowadays, most people worldwide prefer to shop on Amazon more than on any other e-commerce site. It is one of the main reasons many people often consider starting their e-commerce businesses on this platform.

However, selling on the Amazon marketplace can also have downsides that beginners may not know about until they start selling. Because Amazon prioritizes the buyers’ satisfaction and experience, it is easy for customers to return products they have purchased. After all, they cannot personally see the products, making it more difficult for them to decide whether to purchase or not.

Even if it does not seem favorable to third-party sellers like you, you must understand your customers’ concerns about online shopping. Therefore, it would be best to look for effective methods to reduce product returns and avoid losses and account suspension.

In this article, you will learn eight ways to lessen your return rates to help you maintain a good reputation and satisfy your customers.

1. Write a very precise product description

Most of the time, images attract the attention of customers. Once they like what they see, they are more likely to purchase the product, sometimes impulsively. But some online shoppers also read the product description to gather more information about the item before purchasing.

Doing this allows them to visualize how the product looks in actuality, despite not seeing it personally. So as an Amazon seller, you can help them make an informed decision by writing detailed product descriptions in your listing. This will not only help you for SEO purposes but also reduce your product returns.

In the product description, you must provide helpful information, such as:

• sizing and color variants;
• product dimensions;
• materials or ingredients used;
• warranty information;
• satisfaction guarantee;
• link to Amazon Return Policy;
• expectations on the package; and
• instructions on using or assembling the product.

The more details you provide, the more likely you prevent customers from leaving comments about misleading advertisements or incorrect information. Providing precise details will also make you trustworthy as an Amazon seller, influencing the customers to purchase again or refrain from returning products to an Amazon warehouse out of whim.

2. Provide a sizing guide

As mentioned above, you must provide detailed information about your item on the listing, including giving a sizing guide or chart. This best suits businesses that offer items with several varieties, especially in sizes, shapes, and measurements.

If this will help your customers make an informed decision, ensure that you put all the necessary and precise numerical values, like height, width, and length. Through this, they can measure their body parts, walls, tables, etc., and choose the variant that suits their needs the most. 

If you are not completely familiar with this information before selling, it would be best to discuss it with your supplier and ask for the details you need to include in your product listings. If you have a customer service representative, inform them about these things. By doing these things, you can prevent receiving Amazon return notifications.

3. Upload high-quality 360-degree images

Current technologies allow other shops to provide a 3D product view to help their customers clearly see their items before buying. Unfortunately, this feature is not available on Amazon. So in the meantime, you can help in the buyers’ decision-making process by uploading high-quality 360-degree images instead.

While providing high-quality photos can help you rank well on the search engine results page (SERP), they can also help lessen your product refunds and returns, especially by using 360-degree images. In addition, it will help the customers better visualize the item by seeing all of its sides from the top, bottom, front, and back. 

But if you do not necessarily have to show multiple angles of your product, provide its zoomed-in or close-up shots instead. Furthermore, it would help to do this for all style or color variations. Lastly, ensure that your photos are high-quality to capture the small details when zoomed in.

4. Include a product video

If you think that the 360-degree photos are not enough to provide details to your customers, you should try creating a product video and include it in your listing. Even though this feature is relatively new on the Amazon marketplace, it would be best to maximize it for your advantage.

The product video can serve multiple purposes for your brand. You can use it to attract more customers to purchase your products by presenting how the items would look in real life.

Furthermore, it can demonstrate the different ways of using the item and highlight its key benefits as listed on your bulleted features. Lastly, you can use it as a marketing strategy to better showcase your products’ qualities and brand story.

If you intend to create product videos for your product listings, it would be best to develop a storyline or theme and hire professionals to shoot and edit the videos for you.

5. Offer real-time customer service

Sometimes, customers have difficulty understanding the details found in the product descriptions. Or, they might need confirmation about the product’s suitability for their needs. Because of these reasons, they prefer to speak with a customer service representative who can address their anxieties and answer their questions.

Therefore, you should consider offering real-time customer service that is always available to respond to customer queries about your products. Moreover, they should be used to provide assistance related to checking out, return policies, or Amazon Prime shipping services, if applicable.

Indeed, having a dedicated Amazon customer service representative for your online store can minimize your product return rate and ensure higher customer satisfaction.

6. Gather previous Amazon return data

As a business owner, you know how important data is to make decisions for your business. For example, data about market trends can help you manage your inventory and adjust pricing. Meanwhile, your data about product returns can help you change your business operations and item quality.

So, you must collect data from your customers’ returns and refunds to discover the trends and their common reasons for returning your products. Look for information about:

• which products are returned often;
• what reasons do customers cite for returning the products;
• which seasons or months do customers often return items; and
• who often return your products.

By doing this, you can figure out which products and selling phase you should improve on afterward. Additionally, you can use this information to determine which customers are more likely to send a return request so that you can refrain from giving them promotions and discounts. In this way, you can turn your return issues in your favor.

7. Coordinate with your suppliers

Low-quality and faulty products usually prompt buyers to return the products, which usually end up being sold in Amazon return stores. Because your customers want to get their money’s worth, they would not hesitate to return the items, especially since Amazon offers free return shipping.

In this case, it would be best to coordinate with your suppliers if you do not manufacture or create your products. Ensure to check the item packaging, especially if you have received several complaints about broken items occurring during shipment. Additionally, you should ask them to be strict in their quality control if your customers give negative feedback about the products’ quality. 

Afterward, advise your suppliers to improve the packaging to avoid customer returns and be strict in their quality control to maintain a good reputation on Amazon and grow your business.

8. Ask your customers to give detailed feedback

One of the best ways to identify your problems related to returns is through your customers’ feedback. Amazon has provided an avenue for sellers to communicate with their customers directly through the Buyer-Seller Messaging Service found on Seller Central. So you can use this platform to know and understand your buyers, especially those who returned items, and their concerns about your products and services.

Moreover, the comments left by your previous buyers can already speak for your brand. Their reviews will prove whether your products met their expectations or not. If your potential customers read their comments, they will most likely purchase your products without thinking of shipping them to the returns center because of their trust.

Bottom Line

In conclusion, you can try several methods to reduce your product returns if you want to grow your business on Amazon, like writing precise product descriptions or providing sizing guides. Moreover, you can upload 360-degree images and product videos, offer real-time customer service, and coordinate with your suppliers. Lastly, it would be best to gather data from past transactions and maximize customer reviews to make critical improvements for your brand.

However, you can also look for professionals who can help you with Amazon returns, refunds, and reimbursements to manage your business more efficiently. If you are interested in working with a reputable company, Seller Interactive is available to attend to your needs.

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