Convenient online shopping becomes a habit for the majority of people. It is actually time-saving, and you can find everything you need from a wide selection. Besides, e-commerce businesses usually offer free shipping and return, so why shouldn’t customers buy online from them?
While it sounds like a paradise for buyers, e-commerce business owners try to find a solution how to avoid product returns. It is impossible to do that unless you set a high price for that, but then nobody is going to buy from you. Well, you should know that you will have to deal with returns, but there are ways how to minimize them.
Provide accurate and detailed descriptions
Everything starts with descriptions. There are only a few people who skip the main information and just buy items without reading about them. Each product should have a detailed description. Include such information like size, material, weight, features. Do not forget size guides if you sell fashion goods. Not including such information is the most common mistake of fashion e-shops. It is not surprising that fashion businesses have the highest return rate, so make sure you provide all the necessary information in the product description. You have to ensure that your customer understands how the item looks and which size should be chosen.
Focus on high-quality photos and other visual information
Product descriptions always give the first impression of how the item looks. It is a great way to advertise what you are selling and convince your customers to buy it. Actually, when people are shopping online, pictures are the only opportunity to view the product. Make sure that the colors are accurate. You can even inform buyers that colors may look different due to different screen colors. Insert good looking pictures, but don’t try to make your products look better than they actually are. This can be a huge mistake, which leads to an increased number of product returns. Your customers may believe in perfect looking pictures and shiny products, but the real appearance will disappoint them and make them return the item. Besides, you can lose many customers even if you offer reasonable prices, but your photos are not realistic.
If you want to provide an even more accurate view of your products, you can make videos of them. A lot of sellers of electronic devices include video reviews and unboxing videos. Customers can get the impression, compare the product with other similar ones, and choose the best one.
Include customer reviews
Customers tend to not believe in sellers and see them only as businessmen who try to earn as much as possible. With customers, the situation is different. People trust other people who have already bought goods from your shop. Therefore, customer reviews can help you to increase sales because reviews usually contain additional and valuable information. It may be hard for sellers to describe the product. So, your potential customers can compare your description and experiences of others and decide if the product meets his requirements. Also, a product with a lot of good reviews looks more attractive, and this can increase your sales and minimize the number of returns.
Provide excellent real-time customer service
When people buy online, they usually have many doubts about products. They can’t touch them and try on, so they don’t know which size, color to choose. Also, a lot of people have many different questions about the products and can’t find information in the description. In this situation, real-time customer service can be an option. The opportunity to get an answer from a live person always encourages the customer to make a purchase. Besides, a live person can actually provide valuable information, which will help customers to choose the right model, size, or quantity. It will result in satisfied client and less refunds.
Many e-commerce businesses still have a high return rates when it is actually quite easy to minimize them. You can become a top online shop among your competitors and attract a lot of customers if you follow the simple tips that were described above. Always pay attention to how you present your product. Make sure you provide accurate information and always answer all the questions that your clients ask.
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Online shopping, returns, return rates, return rate, product returns
