Why Returns Matter and What You Can Do About It [Infographic]

Endicia recently surveyed more than 1,000 consumers about their online shopping habits, specifically with regard to returns. What we found should come as no surprise – returns are still a pain point for the online shopper.

As for what consumers want from the returns process: free return shipping reigns supreme. Couple that with an overwhelming desire for convenience – more than 60 percent of shoppers want either a return label in their original shipment or an easy-to-print option – and we get a pretty clear picture of what the “perfect returns experience” looks like.

But when it comes to creating this “perfect returns experience,” ecommerce businesses often find challenges striking a balance between offering great customer service and running their business efficiently.

We at Endicia want to help online sellers overcome these challenges and grow their businesses, so we’re happy to announce a new service that eliminates the hassle of product returns for both parties: Pay-on-Use Returns.

With Pay-on-Use Returns – available exclusively through Endicia – ecommerce businesses can create USPS shipping labels that are not charged postage until they are actually used and scanned in the mail stream. This means businesses can offer customers the convenience of a USPS return shipping label in their outbound package, or provide a printable return label upon request – all without sellers needing to spend time refunding their unused labels later, which can be time-consuming activity for the usual pre-paid USPS return labels.

As for addressing customers’ cost concerns, Pay-on-Use labels allow sellers to offer the same, affordable shipping services they get with the USPS, which is especially handy when looking for ways to minimize the price of shipping.

With 89 percent of shoppers saying they’ll revisit an online store after a positive returns experience, ecommerce businesses have a BIG incentive to make returns simple, cost-effective and convenient. With Pay-on-Use Returns and the USPS, online sellers can create an experience that makes shoppers comfortable and willing to come back for more.

For more insight, check out our ecommerce tips and trends page.