6 Best Practices for Designing Your eCommerce Site for Returns

In eCommerce, your website is more than just a digital storefront – it’s the face of your brand and the main touchpoint for customer interactions.

Make sure to keep returns in mind when designing your eCommerce site, as a well-designed, return-friendly website can boost your bottom line and improve brand perception.

Why a Return-Friendly Storefront Matters

A return-friendly storefront can have a significant impact on your eCommerce business. Here’s how:

Higher conversion rates – When customers see that you have a transparent, fair return policy clearly displayed, they’re more likely to make a purchase. It acts as a safety net that encourages them to take the leap.

Reduced customer service workload – A well-designed return process means fewer confused customers bombarding your support team with questions. This frees up your staff to focus on more complex issues and improve the overall customer experience.

Improved brand reputation – A smooth return process can turn a potentially negative experience into a positive one, and happy customers are more likely to become repeat buyers and brand advocates.

Turning returns into exchanges or new sales – With the right approach, you can guide customers towards exchanges or alternative products, saving the sale and even increasing the order value.

How to Design Your eCommerce Website for Returns

Now that we’ve established the importance of a return-friendly storefront, let’s explore the key design elements and best practices to implement:

1. Prominently Display the Return Policy

The first step in designing a return-friendly storefront is making sure your return policy is easy to find. Make your return policy easily accessible to customers by displaying it prominently on your website.

Here are some strategic locations to consider:

Header or footer links – Add links to your return policy in your website’s header or footer, making it easy for customers to find.
Product pages – Include a section on product pages that outlines your return policy and any specific requirements for returning that item.
FAQ section – Link to your return policy in your FAQ section that answers common questions.
Search function – Implement a site-wide search function to make it easy for customers to find the information they need.

Strategically placing return information throughout your website can boost customer confidence and potentially reduce unnecessary returns.

By highlighting free returns (if relevant) in prominent areas like your header or homepage, you immediately address a common concern for online customers. This can be a powerful selling point, especially for customers who are on the fence about making a purchase.

Including return policy highlights on product pages is equally important. This is especially crucial for products with historically high return rates. By being upfront about return conditions, you set clear expectations and help customers make more informed decisions.

3. Integrate a Return and Exchange Portal

An embedded return portal can help maintain brand consistency and make the return process more seamless for customers. By integrating the return process into your website, you can provide a consistent brand experience and make it easy for customers to initiate a return.

Adding a branded return and exchange portal to your site can help build customer trust and improve brand perception.

Another advantage of an integrated portal is that it makes it easy for customers to initiate a return and track its progress, which in turn can drastically reduce inquiries to customer service related to returns and exchanges.

4. Create Clear Product Pages

Detailed and accurate product information is your first line of defense against returns. When customers have a clear understanding of what they’re buying, they’re less likely to be disappointed upon receiving the item.

Your product descriptions should cover all relevant features, materials, dimensions, and potential limitations of the product. Be honest about both the strengths and potential drawbacks – this transparency builds trust and helps customers make informed decisions.

Accompany your descriptions with high-quality images. Provide multiple high-resolution photos showing the product from various angles, in different settings, and in use. If possible, include a zoom functionality so customers can examine details more closely.
Additionally, encourage and display customer-submitted photos. 80% of customers find photos from other customers more valuable than photos from brands. Real-life images give customers a more authentic view of the product, helping to manage expectations and reduce the likelihood of returns caused by mismatched expectations.

Size-related issues are often a major cause of returns. Remedy this by creating interactive size guides to help customers find their perfect fit. Include detailed measurements for each size, conversion charts for international sizing, and even tools that use customer input (like height, weight, and body shape) to recommend the best size.

Take your specifications to the next level by providing information about the cut and style of garments, whether they run true to size, and how the material might affect the fit.5. Make an FAQ for Returns and Exchanges

A well-structured FAQ section can preemptively answer many customer queries about returns, reducing the load on your customer service team and providing instant information to customers.

Address common questions like “How long do I have to return an item?”, “Do I have to pay for return shipping?”, and “What condition does the item need to be in for a return?”.

By anticipating and answering these questions upfront, you can alleviate customer concerns and streamline the return process.

Organize your FAQ into logical categories for easy navigation. You might have sections for general return policy, exceptions, exchange process, and refund timelines.

Use expandable sections or accordions to keep the page clean and uncluttered while still providing detailed information. This enables customers to quickly scan for their specific question without being overwhelmed by text.

6. Provide a Smooth Experience on All Devices

With mobile commerce on the rise, it’s crucial to optimize your return process for smaller screens.

Apply responsive design principles to all your return-related pages, ensuring that text is readable, buttons are easily tappable, and forms are simple to fill out on mobile devices.

Your return policy, FAQs, and any other relevant information should be just as accessible and easy to navigate on a smartphone as they are on a desktop computer.

Consider using a mobile-friendly return and exchange portal like ReturnGO’s to provide a seamless experience across all devices. Offer a portal that’s designed with mobile users in mind, offering an intuitive interface that works well on smaller screens.

Turn Returns into Opportunities

Designing a return-friendly storefront is about more than just minimizing losses – it’s about maximizing opportunities.

By implementing these best practices, you can make managing returns easier while building trust, enhancing the customer experience, and ultimately boosting your bottom line.

So make sure your website is well-designed, and pair it with a smooth returns process using ReturnGO to unlock the full potential of your eCommerce brand.