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Retailers and consumers want fast and easy returns solutions. Because without them, research reveals:
79% of UK-based online consumers will shop elsewhere following a poor returns experience.
An efficient, dynamic returns system changes things for a business – increasing customer loyalty, slashing returns costs, and pivoting profits. As such, post-sale systems are a welcomed ally for merchants that are intent on succeeding.
While Narvar is the choice returns platform for many, several Capterra and G2 reviews reveal this software is losing its edge, in comparison to alternative post-sale software.
Narvar prides itself on offering the best-in-class post-purchase software, working with leading retailers like Brooklinen, Sonos and Dyson. It’s a decent option for US retailers but has a scaled back operation across the UK and Europe compared to some of its competitors that we will look into later.
However, Narvar can also cost a little bit more than some other returns management solutions, and as revealed below experiences reoccurring issues motivating merchants to switch.
The reviewer above explains his lack of confidence in Narvar's onboarding process, admitting the setup took one year to complete . They were unable to customise their solution due to ongoing technical issues. Less creative freedom and platform personalisation prevent merchants from maintaining a consistent brand image and service across all channels.
Narvar software, according to reviews, is difficult to set up and takes a while to do so.
Business owners want more from their post-purchase analytics, including details for tracking deliveries and feedback categorised in a readable format that will assist in improving products and services . ZigZag, for example, offers users the ability to monitor carrier performance, check portal drop-off rates, enhance returns revenue, identify toxic products, and much more.
As described above, Narvar is missing a carrier comparison section which allows consumers to compare the available options and prices.
Post-sale software should empower businesses to simplify, automate and streamline their returns system. The outcome is, that companies save time and money.
Learning more about returns solutions better suited to your company's size, budget, and challenges is imperative before making a selection. So, discover 8 alternatives to Narvar here, alongside each provider's top features, pricing and pros and cons.
Customer support is a keystone of any business, and it’s not considered a Narvar strength by many consumers across Europe and the UK. They have slowly started to focus their efforts on the US and thus, it can be difficult to get the help you need if you operate predominantly outside of North America.
Enterprise businesses in particular often require knowledgeable Account Managers that are ready to resolve issues at a moment’s notice. Thousands of customers can be left in the lurch if a returns management solution doesn’t offer its retailers the support resource necessary, leading to frustrated customers that don’t shop with that retailer again.
ZigZag is a market-leading returns provider, with 9 years of experience, creating and developing software that seamlessly orchestrates smarter returns, benefiting retailers, customers and the planet.
Let’s review the features that make ZigZag the best alternative to Narvar for businesses needing more from their returns software.
Alongside changing a returns portal's aesthetic to reflect a brand's image, the ZigZag portal permits merchants to change returns rules too.
For example, a retailer can adapt returns solutions (such as a gift card, exchange, or cash refund) depending on a customer's reason (such as faulty, doesn’t fit, or unsuitable) for returning.
ZigZag is also able to ensure you offer a flexible paid returns model. ZigZag enables you to offer free returns or paid returns depending on the return reason. For example, a retailer might want to charge for ‘Doesn’t Suit Me’, but offer free returns for ‘Arrived Too Late’ or ‘Damaged’. You can also set certain carrier options are free, perhaps Return to Store, but charge for others, like home collection.
ZigZag facilitates seamless international returns in 170+ countries by connecting retailers with 1,500+ global carriers, accepting multiple currencies, and providing different language settings on its portal.
ZigZag is a UK-based returns management solution with a strong presence across Europe, lots of leading brands use our warehouse in Germany to consolidate and even grade returns before they head back to the UK or other parts of Europe.
You can read here about the importance for retailers to offer multiple carrier services and its impact on the customer experience and business flexibility.
ZigZag encourages retailers to implement free in-store returns to slash shipping costs, boost foot traffic in-store, and give customers more ways to get a refund. The ZigZag Return to Store functionality is a leading solution update that enables retailers to seamlessly take in returns through the online portal and move them across their supply chain.
With 57% of consumers happy to accept store credit instead of a refund, ZigZag can add this option to a retailer's portal, to keep money in the business and allow consumers faster refunds.
Whether comparing the popularity of refund solutions, reviewing revenue generated from paid returns, or detecting suspicious returns behaviour. ZigZag’s reporting software tracks everything for clients to view and manage on one portal.
Research reveals that 48% of consumers are happy paying for returns to support smaller businesses and with a 32% rise in paid returns since 2023 evidently retailer and consumer behaviours towards paid returns are changing.
ZigZag is inspiring more retailers to take the plunge and add paid returns to their policies.
The benefits being returned costs are covered, consumers can’t exploit the free returns policy and customers are likely to make better buying decisions.
To summarise, ZigZag has developed adaptable, research-rich, customer-centric returns service retailers such as Puma, Zara, Sports Direct and Ted Baker London and more trust and continuously invest in.
To learn more about smarter returns with ZigZag, book a demo to see the portal in action and discuss tailoring a solution for your business.
New Look partnered with ZigZag to introduce free and paid return options, where the in-store returns were free of charge, and there was a charge of £2.50 for online returns.
The online retailer transformed its returns experience and has:
Each return solution has its strengths. For Narvar, its reputation for working with leading retailers may convince a lot of companies that it’s the best platform for them, and it has a strong presence across the US.
In comparison, ZigZag supports and offers its expertise to businesses across the scale, catering to small, medium and large companies' returns system needs and shipping requirements means ZigZag has the expertise and resources to assist all retailers.
Consequently, as ZigZag is constantly connected to and serving a wide range of companies, consumers and carriers, they’re continuously gaining new knowledge and insights to perfect their offering to suit any merchant.
Another attractive benefit of choosing ZigZag over Narvar is how easy it is to customise the portal and analytics board to suit a business's unique wants and needs.
Encouraging businesses to personalise their portals and make the most out of their data collection and insight, empowers retailers to continuously adapt and improve their returns system.
Furthermore, the review featured towards the top of this post reveals Narvar has difficulty expediting returns systems efficiently. Causing a lack of confidence in clients motivated to transform their post-sales experience quickly.
ZigZag effectively manages consumer expectations by providing a realistic timeframe for the portal's setup.
The in-house technical team, engineers, and account managers work in unison to create, develop and perfect each returns platform for each company. Providing updates to customers along the way, to ensure they’re kept in the loop.
In a nutshell, ZigZag provides returns solutions to suit a variety of companies, a user-friendly adaptable portal for companies to make their own, and a supportive knowledgeable team to keep customers updated and on track towards their returns system launch. As such, it’s the platform of choice compared to Narvar, especially for retailers operating in Europe and the UK.
Rebound is an omnichannel returns management solution focusing on making returns simple and scalable by leveraging a global logistics network for big brands such as River Island, ASOS, Debenhams, and up until recently Boden, namely in fashion retail and technology.
ReBound does not publicly disclose their pricing but typically price themselves out of SME market entirely.
While ReBound’s order tracking feature and multiple returns options entice businesses to try this software, Trustpilot reviews show multiple consumers have lost orders using ReBounds service, revealing Rebound’s chosen carriers are not all reliable and are more geared to consolidation in Europe. ReBound typically don’t work with smaller or mid-size retailers, so for retailers with less than 50,000 returns a year or so, you might want to look elsewhere. Check out ReBound alternatives here!
The open-post purchase platform ReturnGo offers sustainable solutions to stop returns from going to landfill, protect a company's bottom line, and promote an eco-conscious brand image.
Small to large e-commerce brands such as Passenger, Decathlon, FINN Design, and Pink Boutique rely on ReturnGO.
Prices start from £17 per month for a starter package, from £90 monthly for a premium account, £230 for a pro account, and over £300 a month for an enterprise account.
ReturnGo is a responsive, solution-orientated customer service and its detailed analytics reports empowering businesses to improve products and services.
For the cons, platform customisation is limited, there’s no mobile app to manage returns and its ReturnGo is more expensive than other software.
Loop’s automated platform features a customisable platform and a range of return options, such as variant exchanges, instant exchange, Bonus Credit, and Shop Now & Later. Loop typically supports smaller brands that are new to the world of fashion, but they do have some larger brands like Princess Polly, Marine Layer, and Allbirds. They lack carrier operations so traditionally will resort to working with partners.
A usage-based plan starts from £22 a month, the starter pack from £45 per month, the essential option from £125 and the advanced package is £280 upwards a month.
Loop is currently only available for Shopify retailers, so if you aren’t using Shopify or want to maintain flexibility for future tech switches, Loop is not the supplier for your business. Recent reviews from Shopify explain Loop’s technical support is hit and miss, setup takes a while, and the pricing model penalises companies for exceeding their returns limit with high charges. But they offer easy-to-follow resources and continuously release new features and improvements to enhance the service.
Clickpost’s exceptional delivery management service assists various online businesses, retailers and e-commerce brands such as Walmart, Meesho, Decathlon, and Agrim with their returns logistics by automating tasks and managing customers.
Starting from £230 a month depending on what package, for example, pre-dispatch, post-dispatch, Returns Pro and EDD, clients want to invest in.
Consumers are happy with Clickpost's real-time updates for tracking and its performance-based carrier allocation. However, there are mixed reviews regarding technical integration and support for clients during the onboarding process.
Empowering business teams with automated software to handle large volumes of returns, and scale business, Shipstation sells software that's quick and easy to set up.
Businesses such as Stamp.com and Lazarus Naturals use Shipstation to manage their returns.
Plans start from £25 a month for a Startup subscription, £75 for the Accelerate plan, the Scale option costs £175 monthly and Enterprise fees are available on request.
The downsides are, updates for specific carriers, such as DPD, are not visible on ShipStation's platform. And orders can’t be deleted if for instance the wrong label was created.
With a plethora of tools to manage post-purchase experiences for customers, Aftership focuses on simplifying e-commerce returns, to create a streamlined service for merchants.
There are four monthly plans. Essentials is £7, Pro is £75, Premium costs £152 and customised pricing is needed for an Enterprise package.
Extra features and benefits of using Aftership include great customer support and the platform's compatibility with multiple carrier companies allowing a fluid exchange of information to better serve customers. The cons are, that analytics and data insight are restricted depending on what plan is purchased. Here are some alternatives to AfterShip on Shopify. You can also review alternatives to Aftership here.
With a number of alternative returns solutions to choose from, retailers needn’t settle. Taking the time to explore new, better options could save your company time and money, and help businesses build a thriving relationship with new and existing customers.
After all, a complex returns process can deter customers from engaging with a platform. As such, it’s paramount to pick post-sale software that fulfils consumer wants and needs from the start.
Otherwise, retailers could risk losing interest from new and existing customers.
To help you whittle down which alternative is best, here are a few key components to consider when shopping for returns software, such as whether it has, or your business requires;
If you require the above, ZigZag could be your go-to platform.
ZigZag’s all-in-one platform is designed to take over any company’s post-sales experience. From the expertise to the technology, ZigZag offers a holistic approach to help businesses get the most out of their returns system.
Moreover, ZigZag educates and motivates companies to push the boundaries of their existing returns management system. Whether suggesting adding live exchanges or offering store credit for returns, ZigZag instils smart returns techniques to ensure businesses save the sale, cut returns expenses, and build profits.
Here’s a prime example of what ZigZag has done to help a company to succeed. Will from fashion retailer Matches had a problem he needed ZigZags' help with;
“We felt our previous returns method was wasting time and resources for our staff and customers.”
Since using ZigZag, 57% of Matches customers have accepted store credit as a returns solution. And 146% used the store credit in full.
ZigZag's influence and expertise encouraged Matches to adopt new returns methods that made a difference. By promoting store credit, Matches kept numerous sales that would have otherwise been refunded.
To achieve more with less effort and in less time by automating returns processes, ZigZag focuses on cutting costs for companies with easy post-sale customer experiences that benefit businesses and consumers.
Lastly, the adaptable nature of ZigZag’s platform leaves room for businesses to change their returns system over time by split testing returns solutions and its data analytics helps businesses identify and fix issues quickly such as suspicious returns behaviour. ZigZag’s reporting hub empowers a company to investigate problems and find solutions quickly.
As the choice-supportive market-leading returns partner for the e-commerce sector, on a mission to make returns quick and hassle-free, ZigZag is the top pick for a company's returns management needs.
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