Why you should switch to paid returns ?

Recover costs of returns without
harming sales conversion

Paid Returns
on the Rise

increase in retailers exclusively having paid returns during this peak 2023/24 compared to 2022/23.

by 32%

Customers are
Ready to Pay

48% of shoppers are happy to pay for returns to support smaller businesses

Paid Returns
on the Rise

increase in retailers exclusively having paid returns during this peak 2023/24 compared to 2022/23.

by 32%

Customers are
Ready to Pay

48% of shoppers are happy to pay for returns to support smaller businesses

UK Retailers lose £7bn in Revenue annually.

Total minutes

1

Total cost to UK retail

£
13,000

UK Retailers lose £7bn in Revenue annually.

Total minutes

1

Total cost to UK retail

£
780,000

Eco-Friendly Returns

Choose sustainability, cut costs, and make a positive difference with ZigZag - our eco-friendly returns have saved 2 million 
sheets of paper

Paid Returns

How it Works

Payment Page on your Returns Portal

Payment is charged upfront, so that the customer has control of payment.

This method has proven to give the most clarity to the customer and to reduce customer queries.

Multiple Payment Methods & Currencies

There are multiple payment options, for example Credit Card, Debit Card, Paypal, Apple Pay and Google Pay.

Currencies supported include GBP, USD, EUR and many others.

Free Return to Store, Paid Returns Online

Clients often incentivise returns to their own stores with free returns, as seen with New Look, which doubled returns to their stores and subsequently boosted foot traffic.

We can charge for returns at multiple price points including premium services like collection
from home.

Reward Loyal
Customers

ZigZag enables you to continually adapt to meet your need, whether you wish to offer free returns at Peak Season or for specific return reasons.

Customise rules based on return reasons

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’.

Measure and Report
your Paid Returns

Understand the revenues recouped from paid returns. We provide the data so you can continually optimise the returns experience.  We also enable you to AB test pricing options so that you can see the impact on return rates, sales and customer satisfaction.

Explore Savings with

Paid Returns

This calculator will help you understand how paid returns can generate revenue for your business and save you costs.

63% of ZigZag retailers are offering paid returns. The learnings are that significant revenue has been generated, costs saved from a small decrease in returns, while there has generally been no impact on sales.

For a more detailed ROI calculation contact us.

Case Study

Paid Returns

“Our returns volumes against sales have reduced by 0.5% since moving to paid returns. So not only have we received little negative feedback from our customers, but we've managed to reduce our returns volumes without impacting sales.”

Rachel Troke
Senior Product Manager

Why companies are considering:

Paid Returns

Discourage
Fraud

Charges for returns deter fraudulent behaviour like wardrobing, bracketing & staging, as it's less appealing when there's a cost involved.

Recover the Costs
of Returns

Returns are costly, often doubling the
expense of delivering a product. 63%
of retailers now charge for returns,
it’s now your turn.

Provide Premium
Carrier Options

Customise your returns policy
to include the option to charge
for premium options like
Collection from Home

Remain 

Flexible

Prepare for the unforeseeable future by tailoring
your returns policy to include swift implementation
of charges, adapting as needed to unexpected
shifts in carrier services or profitability goal.

Shoppers
are Ready

Follow major brands like Boohoo, Zara, New Look and Moss Bros, with 48% open to paying for returns to support smaller businesses.
ZigZags Paid Returns

Key Features

Payment Page on your Returns Portal


Multiple
Payment Methods


Customise Rules Based on Return Reasons


Vouchers Code for Customers/
Occasions


Free Return to Store, Paid Returns Online


Measure &
Report your
Paid Returns


Top Tips

Adopting
Paid Returns

FAQ's

Do you have a case study from a ZigZag client on the introduction of Paid Returns?

Yes, New Look introduced Paid Returns at the same time as they deployed the ZigZag portal. Their success and top tips are here - https://www.zigzag.global/case-studies/new-look

Can I customise free and paid returns for each return
method & carrier?

Yes, a key differentiator of ZigZag’s paid returns is that each retailer can offer a mix of paid and free lanes in the same returns portal.

Can I set up payment rules to offer a mix of paid and free returns and apply this by customer groups and products?

Yes, we apply payment rules customised to the retailers' choosing:

1. By Product - the retailer chooses products that are eligible for free return or paid returns with specific carrier lanes.
2. By Return Reason – each retailers can choose to offer free or paid returns depending on the reason for the return.  For example, a retailer might want to charge for ‘Doesn’t Suit Me’, but offer free returns for ‘Arrived Too Late’.  In addition, these rules can be country-based.  If two or more items are returned with different charges for different payment on the same return order, ZigZag will customise the payment to be free or paid, depending on the retailer’s preference.
3. Voucher Codes for free returns – these can be offered to specific customers based on the specific criteria.
4. Membership – retailers can choose to offer free returns for VIP / Subscription Shoppers vs paid returns
for non-subscribers.​​
5. Additional returns - the retailer can choose to make any additional label for the same order number free or paid.

​How are customers charged?

Customers are charged upfront via the returns portal at the moment they order their return, (via credit card, debit card up, via PayPal, via Google Pay, or Apple Pay). Our clients tend to prefer this method because it creates the minimum customer service queries.

What impact will introducing paid returns have on my returns rate, sales, and customer satisfaction?

Retailers often see a small decrease in returns. New Look experienced a 0.5% reduction in returns and no impact on sales while driving more people to visit their physical retail stores. ZigZag clients can run AB tests to trial different prices to measure the impact on customer happiness, sales and returns rates.