Ecommerce Tip #5 – Write a Less Sucky Return Policy

Let’s assume you have a great offer and someone who’s interested in your product.  Why might they not buy?  Oftentimes, the answer is anxiety.

Prospects might be anxious about a lot of things, such as:

• Privacy
• Security
• Spam
• Value

Satisfaction can also cause a lot of anxiety.  What do I do if it doesn’t fit?  What if I don’t like it?  What if this cable doesn’t work with my TV?

That leads me to…

Ecommerce Tip #5 – Write a Less Sucky Return Policy 

I bucket the elements of a conversion inducing return policy into 3 areas:

1. Friendly
2. Findable
3. Understandable

1. Friendly

It goes without saying, that if you have an aggressively unfriendly return policy that you’ll turn some people off.  What’s unfriendly?

1. A fee that’s disproportionate to the purchase
2. Unreasonable time to try out the product
3. Unfair credits/refunds
4. No return policy

There has to be a balance between a profitable policy with reasonable limits and one that’s more consumer friendly.  Don’t forget to check out your competitors too, because your prospects are.
2. Findable

Don’t leave people guessing.  An anxious prospect won’t dig very far to get an answer.

Just like a shipping policy, it should be where people will raise the question:

1. Frequently Asked Questions
2. Help/Forums
3. Contact Us area
4. Support forms

If you have an especially friendly return policy (ex: Free Returns a la Zappos), it might be worth promoting throughout the site like a sale.

The checkout process is another natural place for this kind of information.  I’d say that it probably makes more sense as part of the shopping bag/cart, but not in the checkout process.  Too many distractions in the checkout process can slow conversions.  But, test it!

3. Understandable

Return policies tend to be written in legalese.  Who really wants that kind of treatment when they’re anxious about buying?

What we want is to be taken care of.  We want to be comforted and have our questions answered.  Cover your legal bases, but soften up the language to be friendlier (ex: “We love our products.  We hope you do too.  If you want to return your order, that’s okay! … etc)

Take the time to answer the obvious questions:

1. How long can I evaluate my purchase?
2. Who pays return shipping?
3. Where do I send it?
4. Are there any return fees?
5. How do you give me my refund–cash, credit, etc?