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79% of shoppers are unwilling to purchase from a brand again if they have a poor returns experience.
Yet, building the necessary infrastructure and systems for a dedicated returns department is often time-consuming, complex, and costly.
Brands in this situation typically turn to outsourced logistics companies (3PLs) to ensure reliable returns for their customers.
If you’re considering which 3PL returns platforms to use for your online store, we’ve put together our list of the top 3PL returns software for e-commerce in 2025, along with considerations to help you choose.
Choosing the best 3PL solution for your business shouldn’t be complicated. If you’re unsure about how to pick the best option, here’s what to look for:
If you’re looking for a best-in-class solution to manage 3PL returns, ZigZag Global is a top choice for e-commerce businesses of all sizes.
Think of it as an all-in-one solution for managing returns, with easy-to-use integrations, powerful tools, and robust reporting capabilities.
Note: Even though ZigZag Global is our product, we aim to provide an unbiased perspective on why our solution is the best 3PL return software for e-commerce.
ZigZag white-label returns portal can be customised and easily added to your online store, allowing you to begin quickly offering 3PL returns in multiple countries.
Businesses can handle product returns at an individual level and implement measures to stop serial returners or people with a history of staging, bracketing, and overordering.
The result is a system that makes your life easier and your business more responsive to customer needs without having to lift a finger.
➡️ ZigZag allows e-commerce stores to build custom workflows for a variety of return and refund situations automatically.
For example:
ZigZag offers retailers multiple methods of integrating its return software. Our Shopify plugin is easy to set up and use if you're a retail business that uses Shopify. We also offer API-based integrations for other web platforms and systems.
With an extensive network of 1500 carriers in over 170 origin countries and 500,000+ drop-off locations, ZigZag provides a secure and reliable solution for international returns.
Additionally, our Return Portal supports over 30 languages and accepts multiple currencies, which allows businesses to offer returns no matter where their customers are.
Watch our guided product demo to see how it works:
Customising your business’s returns experience is a great way to lower costs, personalise your returns process, and enhance the post-purchase experience.
ZigZag’s Returns platform allows you to add multiple return options to reduce time spent and return costs. For example, businesses can offer in-store drop-offs, paperless returns, and parcel locker returns in their area.
Here are some of the return options ZigZag supports:
In-store returns are an excellent cost-reducing option that lets customers choose to return items purchased online in person.
Adding in-store returns to your offering is an excellent way to reduce shipping costs, increase foot traffic, and give shoppers more options for returning their items.
Return-to-store credit allows customers to opt for store credit instead of a refund when they return an item. Adding this option to your returns process can help you retain revenue and reduce the time spent processing refunds.
Charging a small fee to cover return costs is a growing trend in e-commerce that all businesses should consider, especially international brands that deal with high logistics costs and 3PL providers.
While some retailers may be worried about customer reactions, we’ve found that a growing number of shoppers (61%) are happy to buy from retail businesses that charge for online returns.
Here are a few reasons to consider introducing paid returns:
Our 3PL returns software includes advanced reporting features so that businesses can monitor and manage returns in one place. This capability can help e-commerce retailers:
ECCO partnered with ZigZag to transform its returns process after facing issues such as:
A lack of tracking visibility was causing high volumes of customer service calls.
Incomplete data on the reasons behind their product returns.
Slow refund times caused by lengthy lead times back to its central warehouse.
After switching to ZigZag, ECCO gained access to a diverse carrier network and introduced flexible options to customers in different regions.
As ECCO’s team put it, “We’ve used flexible options like InPost in Poland… and have changed carriers where we saw immediate issues.”
These measures have led to faster refunds, enhanced tracking visibility, and richer returns data. Customers now benefit from traceable returns and quicker refunds, while ECCO has gained deeper data insights that help it identify potential product and return issues early on.
✅ A fully customisable returns portal that supports multiple languages and currencies.
✅ A large established network of 3PL providers with 1,500+ international carriers.
✅ Supports and enables a range of returning options that can help lower costs and also offer customers a better post-purchase experience.
✅ Advanced analytics and reporting features to help businesses understand their returns.
✅ Multiple integration options, including a Shopify plugin for retailers who need a quick setup option.
❌ Some users have mentioned shipping delays for certain regions.
❌ Other users have noted that some carriers can be slower than others.
To learn more about ECCO’s journey with ZigZag and how you could achieve similar results, book a demo and see the returns portal in action.
Aftership is a global software company that offers multiple products to improve e-commerce brands' checkout, delivery, and return processes.
Its strong integration with various logistics providers makes it ideal for online retailers who want to gain more control over their reverse logistics.
Aftership offers multiple pricing tiers starting at $19/month. Higher tiers provide additional features and support for increased return volumes.
✅ Extensive carrier and platform integrations.
✅ Flexible plan options for businesses of all sizes.
✅ Higher plans include advanced features and analytics, such as AI predictive delivery dates.
❌ Complex pricing structures can make it challenging to predict monthly costs.
❌ Higher levels of support (Silver or Gold) are an extra charge.
❌ Initial setup, particularly for more advanced features, may require technical expertise and support unlike alternatives to Aftership.
Sendcloud is an e-commerce shipping solutions provider that was founded in 2012. It bridges the gap between e-commerce and 3PL logistics with its easy-to-use returns management platform. It’s particularly well-suited for growing online stores that require efficient, automated international returns.
Sendcloud offers a free plan with basic features. However, you’ll need to sign up for a paid plan to access better discount shipping rates and higher shipment quotas. All paid plans are billed on a per-month basis and per label.
✅ Offers a self-service returns portal that auto-generates shipping labels and sends branded tracking notifications.
✅ Integrations with a variety of e‑commerce platforms, marketplaces, and ERPs.
✅ Free plan for businesses that are just starting with returns management.
❌ Advanced analytics are only available on premium plans.
❌ Currently has fewer carriers than other solutions.
❌ Shipping options are limited primarily to Europe.
ClickPost is a delivery and returns logistics management platform that offers various products to help businesses looking to manage, track, and automate their returns processes.
ClickPost doesn’t advertise set pricing plans, as it bills clients based on the volume of shipments. However, it does state that its minimum billing amount is $250 per user per month.
✅ Offers a wide range of e-commerce store integrations.
✅ Automation tools for order creation, carrier allocation, and label generation.
✅ Machine learning features to reduce manual processing and errors.
❌ Fewer carrier options than competitors.
❌ Some G2 users mention that the platform is challenging to navigate and use, when compared to competitors.
❌ Minimum monthly costs may be too high for smaller businesses.
Loop Returns is a dedicated 3PL returns management solution, offering an end-to-end customised portal that integrates directly with your logistics partners.
It offers a comprehensive reverse logistics solution with a range of return options for end users and automation features to help streamline return processes.
Loop Returns has three usage-based plan options with various features and tools for each tier.
✅ Supports a wide range of return alternatives, such as instant exchanges, shop now functionality, and offline returns.
✅ Includes return fraud and abuse prevention tools.
✅ Allows businesses to create custom workflows for a variety of returns scenarios.
❌ Some Shopify users noted that the setup process was complex.
❌ Penalties for exceeding monthly plan quotas can add up quickly.
❌ Large price jump between their Starter plan and Essential plan, check out other reverse logistics solutions.
❌ Past customers have mentioned they would like more customisation options for return processes and carrier integrations.
ReturnGO is a sustainability-focused returns management platform founded in 2020 and headquartered in the US. It offers fulfilment, returns, and customer support tools for e-commerce businesses to improve customer experience and reduce their operations' environmental impact.
ReturnGO offers three plan options for merchants, each with tiered performance and features.
✅ Offers free return insurance at checkout to help lower return costs.
✅ Allows e-commerce businesses to automate various return processes.
✅ Supports multiple return options such as “donate for store credit” and “refund to gift card.”
❌ High plan costs make it unaffordable for smaller businesses, when you compare ReturnGo to other returns solutions.
❌ Tracking functionality is available as an add-on or with the Enterprise plan.
❌ Only offers Shopify integration for Premium and Pro plans.
Outvio is a checkout, fulfilment, and returns management software provider that works with local and international e-commerce brands. A key part of their offering is empowering global brands through automation and localisation.
Like other providers on our list, Outvio charges a set monthly rate and a per-order processing fee that starts at €0.10. They currently offer two plans for returns management:
✅ Returns portal that is available in over 30 languages.
✅ Includes decent tracking features across all plans.
✅ Supports exchanges, refunds, coupons, and gift cards.
❌ Phone support is only available with Enterprise plans.
❌ Fewer carriers than other 3PL returns software providers, if you are a large retailer you might want to compare Outvio to other returns solutions.
❌ Limited features for returns, automation, and analytics with its entry-level plan. Check out Outvio alternatives here.
nShift is a delivery and returns management platform that offers checkout, delivery, a post-purchase experience, and emissions tracking tools. It’s a smart choice for businesses that want to reduce their carbon footprint while effectively managing returns.
nShift offers custom pricing for its solutions. However, it does indicate that it has three plans: Essential, Professional and Premium.
✅ A range of products to manage checkout, delivery, and returns.
✅ Offers various return options, including returns, refunds, and exchanges.
✅ Large network of global carriers (1,000+)
❌ Automation features are only available with its higher-tier plans.
❌ Some users have found their platform hard to navigate.
❌ Reported issues with customer support in the past, check out the alternatives to nShift.
Most e-commerce brands recognise that returns can be costly and complicated, a significant barrier to growth. A 3PL returns platform with the right features, carrier network, and tools can dramatically improve the post-purchase experience and lower costs.
At ZigZag, we understand these challenges and have built our returns platform to meet the needs of e-commerce retailers that rely on 3PLs.
We’ve already helped companies like New Look, ECCO, Sportshoes.com, and Boden streamline their returns processes and keep customers coming back.
With ZigZag, you get:
Book a demo with ZigZag to see how our returns software can help you deliver a world-class 3PL returns experience.
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