How can you reduce your returns when you sell online?

Returns are a natural result of online retail. Customer reasons for sending an item back to you can vary hugely, from stating it’s not what they expected to finding it simply doesn’t fit.

Though these reasons for return are often valid, it doesn’t mean it’s not awkward for you as a lingerie drop shipping retailer. You have the operational and administrative burden of processing the return and the financial requirement to give money back to the customer.

We can’t expect returns to disappear completely. Yet as your sales ramp up as we hit the festive and seasonal discounts time of the year, let’s explore how to minimise returns when selling in an online environment.

Use clear product images and descriptions

‘Doesn’t look like the item on the website’ is an often cited reason on online forms for why customers decide to return a product. Poor quality or even inaccurate images don’t represent your lingerie products fairly, so when customers receive them they feel disappointed that the item doesn’t match the photo and description that persuaded them to buy from your website.

To tackle this, access and use Alterego’s premium files. This gives you more than 10,000 product images, which you can freely download, use and upload to your own website. These are professionally taken, and give your customers the chance to see the product perfectly and make a more accurate, informed decision before they buy – reducing the chance of returns.

Make sure your stock availability is accurate

At Alterego, we share our stock files with you, which are updated hourly. This provides you with unrivalled access to what’s in stock, and is especially important when using our warehouse as your own. Yet it’s important to remember that these files don’t automatically update the stock levels on your own website.

You need to make sure you’re running the correct updates to keep your stock levels accurate. If you don’t do this, a customer can easily place an order for an out-of-stock item, meaning you’re having to process a refund for an item that was never even dispatched. Yet with completely accurate and updated stock information, you’ll simply avoid a customer ever being able to place an order for an item that’s unavailable, eliminating the need to process a return.

Check your lingerie products arrive with your customer

There’s nothing more frustrating than processing a refund for an item that’s lost in transit. If a customer doesn’t receive a product they’ve paid for, they’ll naturally need a refund. Yet if you don’t have the product either, you’re completely out of pocket.

With Alterego lingerie drop shipping, you’ll benefit from a range of great delivery options, including tracked and signed dispatch and delivery services from DHL, DPD, FedEx and Royal Mail. That way, you’ll know exactly where every customer’s order is, and when, so if it doesn’t arrive you can claim the cost back – minimising refund stress for undelivered and missing items.

At Alterego, we want your lingerie business to grow and thrive. It’s why we’re always here at the end of the phone to support you with advice, from finding new benefits to using our premium files to our resources and guides available on our website and blog. And, as the festive season rapidly approaches, don’t forget to take a look at the latest Christmas lingerie in our range, with a stunning new collection from Yesx.

For more product advice and tips and tricks to help you minimise your returns when selling in an online environment, talk to our friendly, experienced team.