5 common resons for ecommerce returns and how to avoid

With the e-commerce, we are now able to order anything with few taps on mobile apps and websites. with increasing popularity, competition also increased and shopping sites start trying to get top in front of users in e-commerce website industry with different tactics like free shipping, refund and return policy. users got to benefit from free shipping and it becomes more flexible for users to return the item. some shopping sites are literally encouraging users to return the item if they don't like it after delivery within some time period. with all these trends the rate of returns increased and now it becomes one of the most difficult to handle the issue for any e-commerce sites

here are some of the reasons why any e-commerce product returns 

1) difference between products displayed and delivered

it is the responsibility of the seller to provide exact product description and clear images of products. from the e-commerce statistics, 54% of returns caused by this reason. item is not as per description or displayed. you can avoid this by providing exact and not spammed product description with clear product images you are going to send the order.

2) delivery of  wrong product

it is the second major reason for returns with 23% of the total. delivery of wrong product or merchandise will definitely turn in returned product. again this need to handled by the sellers and be careful at this point. you can heal this issue by training your employees and improve some channels to pass clear instructions.

3) products failing to match  expectations:

return will be the only option if you get the products that not match your expectations. you can think of the customer's shoe what if you get this type of product which is of lower quality than expected. sometimes sellers post different images to attract buyers and then send low-quality products.

4) irrational customers:

not every time the sellers are responsible for e-commerce returns. many sellers provide free shipping and free return as well. so customers order more than what they want to spend and not intended to buy on first place.

5) absence of sizing charts 

mostly in foot wear and clothing, the sizing chart is required. many sellers do not post sizing chart for the products. customers will buy and return the item if they don't find the proper fit. this can be solved by providing simple size chart on the product page to guide the buyers on available sizes.


these are some common reasons why any e-commerce product returned. every time an item returned, the seller has to pay upfront costs which are not feasible for any business vendors. another side, they can't deny providing easy returns as it attracts the big amount of sales and leaves a positive impact on your business. so you need to find the exact issues what causing the return for your products and try to decrease it.

also read how to get top rated seller rating on eBay