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Looking for the best automation returns management software to streamline and optimise your returns process while cutting return costs?
Automated returns management tools streamline the returns process by simplifying return requests, tracking inventory, and providing timely updates, which reduces operational costs for your store while enhancing customer satisfaction through a hassle-free return experience.
In this buyer guide, we’ll review the 8 best return automation software for e-commerce brands in 2025.
What To Consider When Buying Returns Automation Software For Your Online Store?
When evaluating the best return automations platforms to make this comprehensive guide, we considered the following criteria:
Let’s now go over the best returns platforms that meet this criteria:
ZigZag offers the best return automation software on the market for retailers looking to streamline, optimise, and automate their returns process.
Our software lets you set up a custom returns portal and offer your shoppers different return options.
Note: Even though ZigZag is our returns platform, we’ll aim to provide an unbiased perspective on why our returns management solution is the best ReBound alternative in 2025.
Did you know that 53% of shoppers avoid purchases due to unfavourable returns policies?
This is why more and more retailers come to us looking for ways to automate their returns process and offer multiple return options.
Let’s review the features 👇 that large retailers like SportsDirect, Ted Baker, Puma and Swarovski love about ZigZag.
Our returns portal can be fully customised, enabling you to change returns rules alongside white-labelling the portal.
Advanced return rules are pre-defined actions based on the conditions your brand chooses.
It is possible to set advanced return rules to automatically approve or reject return requests from your shoppers, saving you time and effort.
➡️ You can set up an automation for returns depending on the customer’s reason for returning, such as receiving a gift card, an exchange, or a cash refund.
For example, possible reasons for returning the product could be that the product was faulty, did not fit, or was unsuitable.
You can set up other automations, such as order discount codes if you want to approve orders that have used a discount code.
You can get a feel of how ZigZag’s platform works in our guided product demo: 👇
Our returns management solution can also be set up on Shopify with as little effort as one click.
Here’s why the merchants who work with us love our Shopify integration:
💡 Did you know that 57% of customers who are considering returning items would accept a gift card as a refund?
This return option allows you to ‘’save the sale’’ by keeping capital in your business while benefiting customers with a gift card option they can use on your store.
ZigZag is ideal for global retailers who want to automate their returns process worldwide.
Our platform lets you connect with 1,500+ global carriers in more than 170 origin countries and enables your consumers to get access to 500,000+ drop-off locations.
➡️ ZigZag’s return portal is also capable of accepting multiple currencies and provides different language settings for international consumers.
The goal of our returns platform is not only to manage your returns operations but to help your online store save time, and money, and improve your consumers’ loyalty by providing them with a seamless returns experience.
This is why ZigZag Global offers the following returns options for shoppers:
In-store returns are when customers would rather save on the cost of returning a product by going to your store in person.
Implementing free in-store returns can help you slash shipping costs, boost foot traffic to your physical store, and give shoppers more ways to get a refund.
Return to store credit is when customers get a refund in the form of a gift card to your store, instead of a monetary refund in their bank account.
We add this return option to our retailers’ portal to help you keep the sale and allow your shoppers to continue shopping on your website.
💡 As 48% of consumers are happy paying for returns and there’s a 32% rise in paid returns since last year, we’ve started recommending retailers to offer paid returns on their stores.
Paid returns are when you ask consumers to pay a small fee to return their product – and we’ve seen the results.
Even though some retailers are hesitant to charge their customers for returns, paid returns have gained traction and are now considered more acceptable than they were in the past.
We’ve even seen customers react positively to paid returns, as it serves as a price tag to test out a product and return it if they do not like it.
Here are a few reasons why you should offer paid returns:
💡 Recently, we wrote an article on how merchants can deal with wardrobing and staging, as we went over that paid returns are the solution to wardrobing.
Our returns platform offers advanced reporting software that tracks everything for you to view and manage from one place, such as:
SportsShoes partnered with ZigZag to deal with the problems of slow refund times and costly returns solutions that they were facing.
With over 1,500 carrier services across over 170 countries, partnering with ZigZag to manage the returns experience allowed SportsShoes to tap into a vast logistics network.
The retailer is now capable of bringing returns back in a time-efficient and cost-effective manner.
The online retailer transformed its returns experience and has:
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.
✅ 1,500+ international carriers to manage domestic and international returns.
✅ Advanced reporting and returns analytics to uncover why consumers return products.
✅ Wide range of returning options for your customers, such as paid returns, free in-store returns, and return to gift cards.
✅ Shopify integration that helps you get started with a single click.
✅ Customisable returns portal with multiple currencies.
❌ Shipping back from the EU might take some time, according to a G2 review.
❌ Some users note that some of the carriers can be slower than others.
Aftership is a returns automation platform that helps you set up rule-based returns automations.
The platform is a viable option for merchants looking for more customisation options.
Aftership has four paid tiers that are based on how many shipments per year your online store is expecting:
✅ Rule-based return automations with eligibility criteria.
✅ SME-friendly pricing that starts from as little as $19/month.
✅ Good and accurate automated resolutions.
❌ The analytics and data insights may not be as useful and powerful on lower tiers, according to G2 reviews.
❌ Not as easy to set up and use, which is why some merchants have been looking for Aftership alternatives.
Sendcloud is a returns management platform that lets you automate label creation, tracking emails and your e-commerce returns.
The platform has gained recognition with its ‘’Free Forever’’ plan that appeals to smaller online stores.
Sendcloud offers a free version of its platform that lets you get access to up to 2 shop integrations, 50 shipments per month and API access to the platform.
To access the tool’s better shipping discount rates and get access to more shipments per month, you’d need to be on their Lite plan that starts from £21/month.
The tool’s Growth (£63/month) and Premium (£125/month) plans offer more shipments per month and cheaper price/label rates if you exceed your monthly limit of returns.
✅ Automated notifications that are on-brand.
✅ You can generate customs docs automatically for international returns.
✅ Generous freemium plan.
❌ Analytics dashboard is only available in the Premium plan, which costs £125/month.
❌ There are less carrier options than other alternatives on the market.
ClickPost is a logistics management platform that offers returns automation and on-brand tracking for retailers.
The software is a good option for merchants looking for automated failed pickup management to improve their customer experience.
To access ClickPost’s returns solution, you’d have to be on their ReturnsPro plan which does not disclose its pricing as of now.
✅ Comprehensive range of carrier selection.
✅ Automated carrier allocation.
✅ Failed pickup management for consumers.
❌ Not as many return options as other alternatives to ClickPost.
❌ Analytics and reporting are not always correct, according to some G2 reviews.
Loop Returns is a 3PL returns management solution that helps merchants create a customised returns portal that offers a range of returns options for end users and return automations.
The platform is a viable returns automations platform with its comprehensive range of features and easy-to-use interface.
Loop Returns has a usage-based plan that starts from $29/month and offers automated returns policies and access to one destination.
To access unlimited destinations and their ‘’Shop Now’’ feature, you’d have to be on their more expensive plans:
✅ On-brand returns portal that has a wide range of returns options.
✅ Fraud prevention features to prevent wardrobing and staging.
✅ ‘’Shop Now’’ functionality to enable end users to check out products when exchanging.
❌ The set-up of the software can take a while, similar to Narvar.
❌ The pricing model has been reported to penalise brands for exceeding the returns limit with high charges.
❌ Here are alternatives to Loop on Shopify
ReturnGO offers a sustainable returns management platform that focuses on enabling retailers to save money from returns while tackling waste.
The returns software was built for enterprises that are looking to set up a seamless and environmentally friendly return experience.
ReturnGO’s pricing is based on a tiered pricing structure that includes features and an annual returns allowance.
There are 3 paid plans for merchants:
✅ Refunds, gift cards, and store credit returns options.
✅ Customisable returns portal that can be set up with up to 5 languages.
✅ Advanced returns automations.
❌ The starting price is not very suitable for small stores.
❌ Premium and Pro plans support only Shopify, which is why retailers have been looking for alternatives to ReturnGO.
Outvio offers an automated returns management solution that helps you to expand into new markets.
The platform lets you delight your shoppers with positive returns and exchange experiences across different countries.
Outvio has 2 paid plans for their returns solution:
✅ Multilingual customisable returns portal.
✅ On-brand return and exchange notifications.
✅ Smart returns and exchanges rules.
❌ Lack of return options that go beyond returns and refunds.
❌ Limited range of return courier services and drop-off locations for international retailers.
nShift is a returns platform that helps merchants manage the post-purchase shopper experience with its variety of return automation features.
The tool is a nice option for environmentally-conscious retailers who want to track and report on their emissions when returning items.
nShift does not currently disclose its pricing.
✅ Emissions tracking and reporting.
✅ The platform can be set up within a few days on its lowest-paid tier.
✅ Automatic return label creation.
❌ Not as many return options as Loop Returns, ReBound, and ZigZag Global.
❌ Customer support may not be as good as other alternatives on the market, which is why some retailers have been looking to switch from nShift.
We went over the 8 best returns automation platforms that can help you streamline your returns process, cut your return costs, and delight your end users in 2025.
Every returns app that we went over has its strengths, weaknesses, and pros & cons.
Built for retailers who operate on a worldwide scale, ZigZag offers an all-in-one returns platform that is designed to take over any online store’s post-purchase experience. You can check 7 returns insights retailers should know before selecting a returns partner here.
With over 1,500 carrier services spanning across 170+ countries globally, your shoppers will have a hassle-free experience returning your products.
If you’re leading an e-commerce brand and are looking for a returns management platform that offers:
Then you can book a demo to learn more about ZigZag Global.
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