2 out of 5 UK Retailers Fail to Communicate With Customers During Returns Process – Report Finds
2024年7月16日 - 10:24PM
ビジネスワイヤ(英語)
And nearly 60% don’t use sustainable packaging,
falling short of customer expectations
A new report by post-purchase customer experience provider
parcelLab and e-commerce customer care and fulfilment specialist
Salesupply, reveals alarming gaps in retail returns and packaging
practices, highlighting a disconnect between retailers and the
changing expectations of shoppers.
Returns management
The UK’s Top 100 Retailers’ Post-Purchase Secrets Report 2024
found that nearly a third (28%) of retailers do not offer free
returns which may deter customers who prioritise flexible return
policies.
It also highlighted that communication during the returns
process is a key failure with 40% of retailers not keeping
customers informed, leading to frustration and lost loyalty.
Nearly half of retailers take more than a week to process
refunds, with an average refund time of eight days. Surprisingly,
only 9% allow item exchanges through their returns portals, missing
a crucial chance to boost customer satisfaction and repeat
business.
The report also revealed that 64% of retailers offer a return
period of up to 30 days, while 21% allow up to 14 days.
Interestingly, 15% of retailers offer return periods longer than 30
days. Homeware retailers offer the longest return periods,
averaging 73 days, followed by DIY (42 days) and fashion &
apparel (41 days).
When it comes to return methods, over a quarter (26%) of
retailers use retailer-owned portals and the same amount rely on
third-party portals. 19% of retailers use carrier portals for
managing returns. Less common methods include customer service
queries, paper labels and self-organised postage.
Sustainable practices – a major blind spot
Despite a heightened focus on sustainability, 58% of surveyed
retailers still use plastic packaging. Only 36% provide
environmental information on their parcels, missing a critical
chance to educate and engage eco-conscious consumers. Although 80%
of retailers ship products in appropriately sized packaging, only
6% offer CO2-neutral shipping.
Tobias Buxhoidt, CEO at parcelLab, said: “These report findings
underscore a critical need for UK retailers to rethink their
returns management and sustainability strategies. This is a
critical step for them to create an improved post-purchase
experience for the consumer, building stronger customer trust and
loyalty which will ultimately drive repeat business and customer
retention. We’ve helped customers increase AOV by up to 60% for
returning customers. By addressing the inefficiencies in the
current returns processes including communication gaps and lengthy
refund times, retailers can significantly enhance their service
quality and increase customer loyalty.
As Sustainability grows in importance, these methods meet the
growing and increasingly expected consumer demand for eco-friendly
options but also positions retailers as responsible and socially
conscious businesses that shoppers will want to affiliate
themselves with in the future.”
Click here to read the full report.
About parcelLab
parcelLab is the only truly global enterprise post-purchase
software provider, enabling brands to increase top-line revenue,
decrease operational cost, and optimize customer experience in an
unprecedented way. Our award-winning post-purchase platform
empowers brands to transform mundane operational touchpoints into
the most differentiated and personalized experience, creating
unique moments of pure joy for their customers. Trusted by over
800+ brands, including IKEA, Chico's, H&M, and Yeti, we
actively manage the post-purchase experience across 175 countries
and track shipping data from more than 350 carriers worldwide. Find
out more at www.parcelLab.com.
About Salesupply
Salesupply is a global e-commerce services provider specialized
in e-commerce customer care and fulfillment. Salesupply offers
native customer care in 36 languages in 3 continents. Salesupply's
scalable and flexible fulfilment platform enables online stores to
compete with local players worldwide through local storage and
delivery. More than 500 online brands and retailers worldwide rely
on the services of Salesupply, including Carhartt, Tory Burch,
Segway Ninebot and Panasonic. Salesupply's head office is based in
Nijmegen in the Netherlands and the company also has branches in
amongst others the United Kingdom, the U.S., Germany and Spain.
More information: https://www.salesupply.co.uk/
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240716460579/en/
Media Articulate Communications for parcelLab
parcelLab@articulatecomms.com