Flexible return policies and hassle-free returns culture contribute to the high return rates in ecommerce as shoppers have found ways to abuse convenient returns.
However, hassle-free returns have become an expectation of online shopping. In fact, ecommerce merchants without flexible return policies could lose out on customers as shoppers boycott companies who don’t offer such convenience.
This means retail sustainability initiatives are all but pointless when high return rates are still producing enough waste to harm the environment.
It seems like returns are a lose-lose situation for retailers: the options are to have a flexible return policy that can hurt your bottom line and the environment or don’t have one and struggle to acquire any customers at all.
Seems like quite the Catch-22.
Can Retail Sustainability and Ecommerce Returns Co-Exist?
Return rates in retail have reached an all-time high and the planet is paying the price. We can never expect return rates to drop to zero, but that’s no excuse not to try to limit its effects on our environment.
If retailers want to lower their carbon footprint, then looking at how they manage their returns would be the proper next step.
Having a returns management solution that prioritizes optimizing the reverse supply chain can limit the negative impact processing returns has on the environment.
This can be done by partnering with third-party returns management solutions like ReturnLogic which specialize in collecting and analyzing returns data.
Companies like this work with ecommerce retailers to provide insight on their returns performance so they can make more insightful sustainable business decisions.
Consumers will never love everything they buy, every single time. Returns happen, but that does not mean our planet should suffer because of it. We’re at a point in history where the way we shop and how we create sustainable business practices are more important than ever
Protecting the planet will take initiatives from shoppers and retailers alike and it starts with getting in control of ecommerce returns.
Together, we can encourage more conscious commerce and leave a positive, lasting impact on our planet.
