40% of consumers want to “try before they buy”

Some two in five consumers still expect to “try before they buy” when shopping online. Increasingly, people expect to order a range of items, with the full expectation of returning some of them.

To meet evolving consumer expectations, retailers must develop a returns process that gives customers the experience they desire. nShift, the global leader in delivery management, has released a new guide about how retailers can use their returns process to improve the customer experience, build loyalty and retain revenue.

In the new guide, “Seamless Returns”, nShift explores how retailers can optimize their returns process. With a digital process, retailers can:

1. Make returns simple and easy for consumers – by building a better returns experience and creating processes that are straight forward for the consumer and efficient for the merchant.
2. Choose refund or exchange – making it easier for the retailer to retain revenue or offer other environmentally friendly options.
3. Quickly check items back in - so they can be ready for resale once more.
4. Gain valuable data insights - helping to make processes and marketing more effective.

Philipp Goldberg, Product Director, Returns at nShift, said: “Too many retailers still see returns as what happens when something goes wrong. The consequence of a consumer finding fault with the product they’ve purchased. But such a mindset fails to reflect the way people are shopping online today.

“Shoppers have always liked to “try before they buy.” Many see no reason to change that simply because they are buying online. When a retailer cannot give them the simple returns experience they need, they are prepared to shop around for a better one.

“Some 83% of online shoppers admit to being frustrated with retailers that don’t offer easy returns. In fact, a similar number will actually reject a retailer that offers a poor returns experience.^[1]”

Download the guide, “Seamless Returns: strengthening the customer experience with a digital process” here.