9 Factors To Consider When Choosing Returns Management Software

Are you trying to figure out how you can purchase your first (or second) returns management provider?

Regardless of whether you operate a small local brand or an international corporation, you cannot afford to go with the wrong provider.

Choosing the wrong returns provider can typically result in:

• Your end users being dissatisfied with their return experience (e.g., there was no nearby drop-off location) and the fact that they had to spend a good amount of money on returning it.
• Your brand spending thousands on software that is further losing you revenue.
• Your store losing reputation in the long run.
• Your organisation losing track (or never knowing in the first place) why shoppers return orders.

In this article, we’ll go over the 9 factors to consider when buying a returns management tool.

The 9 Factors To Consider When Buying Returns Management Software

Here are the factors that we’d take into consideration if we were in your shoes and we had to sign up for a returns management tool:

#1: End-User Experience

I assume that the reason why you’re looking for a returns management provider is because you need a tool that would provide your shoppers with a seamless experience (and hopefully help you offset return costs).

Here’s a breakdown of what a good end-user experience means in the context of returns management:

• An intuitive, easy-to-use return portal that guides them through each step of their return journey, including selecting the reason for return and generating a return label.
• Being able to select how they want to be compensated, in either a full refund, store credit, or a product exchange.
• Being able to schedule a drop-off in a convenient location near them.
• Receiving status updates on their refund or exchange.
• Customer support in case they have a ‘’WISMO’’ query and you need to figure out what has happened.

What that means for you is that you should take into account the interface of the provider, its customisability (more on that later) and drop-off locations across the country or across the world.

➡️ The best place to find out about the consumer experience with a brand is to look at their Trustpilot reviews, where B2C customers usually leave their feedback.

For example, we found plenty of dissatisfied shoppers on Trustpilot who expressed their concerns about using a tool like ReBound.

One of the reviewers in the US claims that their parcel has not moved in two weeks, and they had to pay almost $30 for postage.

💡 That positive user experience should also be scalable, with a tool that can deal with thousands of returns per month and provide each shopper with a satisfactory return process.

#2: Ease of Use & Set Up

The #2 most important factor should be the ease of use and set-up of the returns management system.

Tools like Narvar take a notoriously long time to set up, such as months.

If time is of the essence for your brand, you should opt for a tool that would quote you a shorter set-up time.

Naturally, there’d be return tools that’d have native CMS integrations, such as a Shopify returns app, and let you set up the platform with as little effort as a few minutes, such as ZigZag Global’s Shopify App (that’s us).

➡️ Similar to the previous section, the best place to learn more about the ease of use and time of set-up would be through the providers’ G2 reviews.

#3: Range & Return Options (To Offset Costs)

Next up, you should take into consideration the range of return options that the returns tool will provide you with.

➡️ A comprehensive range of return options will provide your shoppers with more choice and enable your brand to keep capital in the business.

Here are some examples of return options that can help you offset costs:

Free In-Store Returns

When shoppers return the product to your store in person, to save the costs of a paid return online.

You can implement free in-store returns to slash shipping costs, boost foot traffic to your physical store, and give consumers more ways to get a refund.

💡 For example, ZigZag Global also offers in-store drop-off kiosks that are hassle-free for your shoppers.

Store Credit | Gift Card

Return to store credit is when consumers get a refund in the form of a gift card to your store, instead of a monetary refund in their bank account.

We’ve found that consumers are happy to accept store credit instead of a refund (since it’s usually a greater value), and this can help you ‘’save the sale.’’

💡 Our research on returns found that 57% of consumers who are considering returning items would accept a gift card as a refund.

Paid Returns

Paid returns are when you ask consumers to pay a small fee to return their product.

More and more merchants have adopted this return option to help them cover the cost of returns, so their business is not on the losing end of practices like wardrobing and staging.

➡️ It’s also a good way to prevent your shoppers from exploiting a free returns policy, and we’ve found that consumers are more likely to make better buying decisions if they know that they’ll have to pay to return it, battling bracketing.

Having such as diverse range of return options will give your customers flexibility in how they want their returns to be managed and improve customer loyalty.

💡 If you’re interested in learning more about ZigZag Global and our return options, you can book a demo and talk to one of our experts!

Book a demo

#4: Customer Support & Account Management

Customer support and account management are important in case there are issues with returns or if you have any questions about the platform or concerns (e.g., misrouted shipments or policy disputes).

There are enterprise-grade returns management solutions that only offer good customer service to their high-value accounts and top spenders, but we believe both small and large enterprises should have access to the same level of customer support and level of detail.

➡️ A good returns management provider will assign an account manager who will conduct periodic reviews, share performance insights, and suggest process optimisation.

#5: Depth of Carriers

The reason why you want to look for return platforms with a big range of carrier options is that they can help you:

• Optimise your logistics operations.
• Reduce your expenses.
• Give you access to discounted rates.

➡️ Bonus points if the returns provider has their carrier accounts, so you wouldn’t have to create accounts with carriers like DHL or FedEx and negotiate with them yourself.

#6: Global Returns Management Capabilities

If you’re a global retailer or a small merchant that wants to expand internationally eventually, you should consider the tool’s global returns management capabilities.

Because what happens otherwise is that you end up with a different return tool for your different countries of operation, such as using a tool like AfterShip for France and a tool like Outvio for Italy.

This is why it’s important to consider the international returns tool’s:

• Global carriers: The global carriers that the platform works with.
• International drop-off locations: The best return solutions have hundreds of thousands of drop-off locations for the convenience of your customers.
• Total global network: The international coverage in terms of countries served.

➡️ A tool like ZigZag Global that has been built for global brands is best for international returns, as our platform facilitates international returns in 170+ countries by connecting you with 1,500+ global carriers.

Our international network ensures efficient returns management worldwide due to our partnerships that improve customs clearance with optimised routing.

We’ve got an in-house facility in Germany that provides control and innovation for our customers, reducing their international return costs by up to 30%.

➡️ Our platform also offers consumers 500,000+ drop-off locations across the world.

#7: Returns Analytics & Reporting

To efficiently battle return fraud, you’ll need to have access to advanced return analytics and reporting.

Here’s what that usually includes:

• Comparing the popularity of the return options.
• Evaluating the most common reasons why customers return products.
• Reviewing revenue generated from paid returns.
• Detecting suspicious return behaviour from shoppers.

#8: Customisation Options

The best return apps help you customise your return policy, return portal, and even return rules to help you ensure that there’s limited return fraud and a positive, on-brand return experience.

A customisable returns portal will also help you white-label the portal to reflect your brand.

💡 You can adapt various new return solutions (such as a gift card, exchange, or cash refund) depending on your shoppers’ reasons for returning.

For example, possible reasons could be that the product was faulty, did not fit, or was unsuitable.

➡️ Our returns portal can also accept multiple currencies & provides different language settings for international consumers.

Get a feel of how ZigZag’s platform works in our guided demo: 👇

#9: Pricing Structure

Last but not least, you should take the pricing structure into consideration when comparing different return solutions.

You might be thinking that returns software is as cheap as ice cream, but our Narvar pricing guide revealed that some of the Enterprise-grade return solutions can cost up to 6 figures a year.

Popular returns management tools calculate their pricing based on a few criteria, including (but not limited to):

• Return volume per year (e.g., 10,000 returns per year).
• The features that you want to access (e.g., paid returns).
• The number of carriers that you want to use. Some platforms charge you per carrier.

➡️ The software should align with your budget and expected returns.

Next Steps: Offer More Return Options To Offset Costs & Battle Return Fraud With ZigZag Global

We went over the 9 factors to consider when buying a returns management solution to help you make an informed decision.

Each tool that we reviewed has its strengths, weaknesses, and pros & cons.

Built for merchants who operate globally and locally, ZigZag offers an all-in-one returns platform that is designed to take over any online store’s post-purchase experience.

If you’re an e-commerce leader looking for a returns management platform that offers:

• A customisable returns portal that can be personalised to your shoppers.
• Wide range of return options, such as paid returns, return to store credit, and return to gift card.
• Access to detailed analytics and reports on what drives shoppers to return products.

Then you can book a demo to learn more about ZigZag Global.

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