A Wren Says

Ah the comfort of sitting on your own couch, browsing websites with a cup of coffee, and adding everything you could possibly want to cart. And then promptly returning it all because it didn’t fit. No harm done to you, at least you tried. But businesses however, are trying to cut down on that because it is hurting their bottom line, even though they created the beast.

Free return policies reduced the fear associated with buying items online sight unseen. There is the added security of, “Well, if it doesn’t work out, at least I can return it and get my money back.” Personally, when I try new online retailers, the return policy is one of the first things I check before I add to cart. I am leery of online shops that have returns policies that make the process difficult. Making returns easy and low stress is a way to encourage people to take the chance to buy. Unfortunately, it also gives them the freedom to return those same items.

On average people return between 20 and 30% of their online purchases, largely due to issues of fit. Not only does that clearly affect sales goals, it means the businesses need to devote resources to receiving the returns, processing the returns, getting you your money back, and making the items ready for sale again. Not to mention the additional environmental cost that comes from shipping the items back. Because of this strain, you have likely noticed more places with a fee for returns. They are shifting the burden on the consumer to cover the costs (and maybe make you think twice before shipping items back). However, you will also notice site changes that try to reduce your need for returns by giving you more information up front. This includes using videos to display multiple angles of the products as well as better depict how fabrics move and behave in motion. You will notice richer descriptions to give you a better basis to make your purchase decision. And last, you will notice more find your size tools and avatars to help you visualize how the clothing will hopefully fit on you. This last one is an exciting development that I am learning more about and will bring to you in upcoming posts.