Every eCommerce seller dreads product return emails. They’re a fact of life when offering online sales, but a few tweaks and a little investment of time and money can massively reduce the number of returns. 

You know your products are high-quality, but why are people still returning them? Here are some ways to decrease your eCommerce product return rate.

1. Accurate Product Images & Description

Post a complete and honest description of your product to attract the right customers. 

Fashionable clothing has the highest return rates. This makes sense. The only information they can have about the product is the image of the model wearing it and the description.

Many eCommerce businesses retailers fail to provide enough information about the product. The most common reasons for returns of fashion product are:

• The product looked different
• The color was different
• The size was wrong
• The material was not as expected
• The color faded after a machine wash

To fully describe your product, list all the questions your customers might ask regarding the size, color, material, washing, specifications, etc., then provide the answers in the product description.

Get some professional shots of your product taken from various angles to show what the product will look like in reality.

Some brands invest in videos, which makes sense if your product is expensive.

FAQ sections address any other doubts that your customer might have. You can also use a question & answer plugin to avoid having to answer the same question repeatedly. Instead, let your buyers help each other.

If you need help with improving the functionality of your website, contact our Utah web development agency.

2. Set Realistic Delivery Times

Don't promise fast delivery if you can't fulfill it. If your product takes "too long" to arrive, customers can cancel the order, buy the product from somewhere else, or may no longer need it. 

Respect your customer's time.

By giving them a correct estimated day of delivery, you can help them decide whether or not they want to buy from you.

If possible, provide real-time shipping information to your customers.

3. Invest in Good Packaging

Twenty percent of consumers return the product because the one they received was damaged. 

Receiving a damaged product leaves a negative impression of your brand in the customer's mind. The buyer might also leave a negative review of the product because of their bad experience. 

It might be the shipping company's fault, but the customer will hold it against you. Additionally, you'll have to reimburse them for the damaged product.

It's safe to say that damage during shipping is the worst-case scenario. 

Invest in good packaging if your products are fragile. Electronics, glass items, musical instruments, valuable items, lampshades, etc., are examples of products that can get damaged if the shipper drops them. 

A high-quality package and the right filler material will increase the safety of your products and add to the unboxing experience. 

Air pillows might be the most common filler material, but now you can also choose:

• Wood wool
• Custom tissue paper
• Shredded cardboard
• Packing peanuts 

4. Watch out for "Bad Customers"

Fraudulent customers are a nightmare. As an online seller, you can't ignore the fact that some people will return products after using them for only a few days. 

eCommerce fraud is real, but you also have to protect yourself from customers who indulge in "wardrobing". 

Wardrobing is a practice where customers deliberately use and return an item by exploiting the product return window.

Whitelisting and blacklisting are two well-known methods of protection against such customers. Both of them have shortcomings. Blocking genuine purchasers (causing a loss in revenue) is the major one.

If your eCommerce store is well-established, consider investing in a fraud prevention tool such as:

• Subuno
• FraudLabs
• Kount

These tools use 100s of criteria to block fraudsters and let genuine purchasers through.

Increase Profits by Decreasing Product Return Rates

Product returns often bring negative reviews and hurt profits. By making small investments, you can reduce your return rates and build a loyal customer base. 

Don't try to be everything to everyone. Write great descriptions, use high-quality images, set realistic shipping and delivery expectations, and invest in good-quality packaging to attract customers who will buy from you again and again.

If you need help with making your eCommerce website responsive and user-friendly, contact our Utah SEO and web development agency.

You need to make more sales. We have some ideas that can help you do it. If you’re not already using the methods listed below, try them in the upcoming months to sell more goodies. 

Whether you’re selling products or services, the four tips below will require you to rethink your strategy and invest money. But they’re all worth considering if you want to increase sales.

1. Run Paid Ads

Running paid ads can be an inexpensive way to reach your customers on search engines and social media – if your execution is right. 

Google Ads allow you to show ads in two formats: display ads and text ads. Display ads are best for remarketing and building awareness, but if you’re a Google Ads newbie, invest in text ads. Text ads show up in search engines when users make an intentional query while they’re searching for a specific service or product. 

Facebook and Instagram ads show up in the user’s feed on their phone or PC. They promote impulse buying. 

To ensure you’re getting positive ROI, do a lot of market research. 

Billboards and TV ads are always out in the open, speaking to everyone passing by, whether the viewers are interested in them or not.  

Paid ads don’t work this way. They’re shown to people who are intentionally searching for a service or product similar to yours on their device. 

The caveat is that creating an incorrect ad and targeting the wrong audience can cost you money. Manage paid ads requires training and is a separate job on its own. As a Utah paid ad and SEO agency, we can create ads for you that will bring high ROI.

2. Optimize Sales Channels

Optimizing your sales channel will allow you to tap into new opportunities. You can improve sales by improving what you’re already doing or identifying potential problems to reduce costs and increase profits. 

Start by training your staff to manage your products and deal with customers. 

Channel distribution problems can occur when your delivery partners and staff don’t know enough about your product. Appointing a manager to manage, train, and motivate your sales staff can improve customer satisfaction with your service. 

Following strategies can help you optimize your sales channels to improve your bottom line: 

• Reducing sales costs.
• Improving cross-department collaboration
• Using a CRM to serve your customers better
• Implement omnichannel sales strategies 

3. Conduct Educational Workshops

An educational workshop can bring in new customers and increase trust among your existing ones. Almost every service professional can offer a workshop. 

The purpose of the workshop is to interact with a small group of individuals and teach them a specific skill that adds value to their life. 

What you teach should be complementary to what you already offer. It should not be a substitute for what you’re selling. 

Offer a discount if people bring someone new with them. It will increase the enthusiasm of your loyal customers and give your business useful exposure.

The attendees will expect lots of hands-on activities, so don’t make it all about self-promotion. Their experience will determine whether they want to attend your next workshop or not.

Don’t forget to remind them about following proper safety precautions.

Examples of workshops:

• How to Dramatically Increase Restaurant & Café Profits in 90 Days (Or Less)
• Every Kid Can Cook
• Gentle Yoga for Terrible Times
• MTB fundamentals
• Batik Painting: Murray City Day Camp
• Utah Couples Massage Class
• Comedy Workshop 

Contact our Utah online marketing and SEO agency if you need additional assistance with marketing your educational workshops.

4. Create Customer Reward and Referral Programs

Excellent customer service attracts new customers and keeps current ones coming back. 

Some customers will automatically refer your business to their friends because of your excellent customer service. You can encourage others to come on board by offering some incentives through referral programs.

Referral programs work well for both service- and product-based businesses. Offering double-sided incentives allows both the referrer and referee to be happy with the deal.

Be clear about the terms and conditions of your referrer program so that your customers know what they need to do and how they’ll benefit.

To keep your current customers coming back, show them appreciation. Do it by responding quickly to their complaints, feedback, and queries. Having a loyalty reward program will also give them a reason to buy from you again and again.

Don’t Hesitate to Seek Help

Learning new skills such as Google Adwords management, planning and promoting a workshop or referral program, and setting up and learning a new CRM are time-consuming tasks. You have to plan carefully and pay attention when learning to see positive results.

Contact us if you want to execute these strategies the right way or just want to consult a professional. As a Utah Digital Marketing and SEO agency, we have significant experience with online marketing. We can also train you and your staff if you want to do things in-house.

There are ways to reach your customers during a lockdown that don’t involve starting or stopping a product line. 

You can serve your customers while helping them maintain a 6-foot distance from your other customers. Many web design and development agencies in Utah are actively guiding businesses to step up their game and reach their customers.

Here are some ideas on how you can maintain your sales during the lockdown.

1. A Makeshift Drive-Thru for Your Retail Business

Drive-thrus aren’t only for restaurants. You can take orders from patrons in advance and ask them to pick it up from your storefront in their car. 

It saves them time and keeps your staff and customers safe.

You can take orders using good ol' paper and pen, ask them to text you a list of the groceries and sundries they want, or automate the process using Google forms.

You can promote your new service using online and offline methods. You can verbally tell your customers, mention it on their receipts or give an ad in the newspaper.

Under online methods, you can register your business with online business directories like GMB (Google My Business), Yelp, Yahoo, and Facebook.

A profile with a complete description and a few positive reviews will encourage your customers to call you and place their orders online. The best digital service providers in Utah will be glad to offer their services or consult with you about how to register your business in online directories and build an attractive profile that attracts customers.

You can also partner with pick-up and delivery services in Utah to send groceries to your customer’s homes.

2. Offer Gift Cards

Offering gift cards will give you some extra cash to invest in your business. 

Business Wire reports that the global gift-card market will grow by $527.11 billion in the next four years (2020-24). 

You can have the gift cards made for $1.50 per card and load them up for amounts up to $500 (you have to follow some rules).

To promote the cards, you can offer discounts on the purchase made with them. But there are great ways to promote your gift card, too.

Gift cards enable businesses to increase customer engagement. For instance, they allow you to track your customers’ spending habits and build extensive customer profiles. You can use this information to craft appealing offers and help your customers save money. The result is a win-win for you and your customers. 

Product-based businesses such as florists, bakers, honey vendors, and speciality footwear sellers can offer gift cards and offer discounts as an incentive. Service-based businesses such as culinary Instructors, yoga teachers, gyms, massage parlours can offer gift cards for extra sessions or access to workshops at a discount.

3. Increase Your Social Media Presence

An active social media presence will increase the likeability of your brand. Your customers will see the humans behind your brand and relate to you better. It also allows your brand to be promoted through word-of-mouth.

You can interact with your customers on your social media pages. It's the cheapest method of two-way communication. You can listen to your customers' needs and work on quickly solving their problems.

A social media presence that adds value needs consistent and strategic effort. It requires an investment of time and money (but not as much as other channels of marketing) to work.

If you want to see social media results, either do the work in-house or outsource it to a digital service provider in Utah. We can train your staff to maintain a consistent brand voice in social media and post content that resonates with your audience.

4. Offer Online Product and Services

Having a website provides a lot of convenience. You can post updates, display your products and their prices, promote new offers, collect email addresses, offer online ordering, and do many other things. 

You can use these methods to sell your products and services online:

• List your products on Amazon, eBay, and other online marketplaces
• Open a store on Facebook or Instagram
• Use dedicated websites that help product and service-based businesses connect with customers
• Create digital products like e-books, videos, online classes, and digital downloads to continue working with your current clients and attract new clients.

Service businesses just need a good camera to record their sessions.

If you don’t have a good quality mic, then you can pay someone on Fiverr to record your voiceover. Many doctors have started offering telemedicine services to their patients who can’t visit them in their clinic.

Less than 64% of small businesses have a website. Is yourbusiness one of them? As a website development agency in Utah, we can help you build a website from scratch and promote your business. Contact us here.

5. Offer Prepaid Services

Like gift cards, prepaid services bring in instant revenue. You can schedule your sessions for one or two months in advance. 

A discount on prepaid services will incentivize the customer to buy it.

Prepayment might not workwell for a product-based business, but service-based businesses can benefit from it.

Don’t Stop Marketing!

Any business needs lots of marketing in the initial phase. Even if your business is an established one and you just want to introduce a new offering, you’ll have to market it.

Many new products fail due to lack of marketing or a marketing mishap.

Taking your business online, offering new products, conducting a workshop, or introducing gift cards will require marketing efforts from you. Otherwise, you may see less growth than you expected.

We know that investing money is a serious matter. As a Utah Web Development agency, we’ve helped many businesses like yours with website development and marketing. Call us if you want to discuss a venture of your own.

studio1c has been a trailblazer in the digital marketing realm since 2007. We specialize in search engine optimization (SEO), web design and development and internet marketing solutions that help businesses grow their online presence and build a thought leadership brand.

Once again, our team proves its digital marketing prowess after gaining recognition as one of the “Best SEO Consultants in the United States in 2020” by SEOblog.com. This award would not be possible without the dedication and hard work of our SEO experts.

At studio1c, we believe that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to digital marketing. That is why we continuously improve our SEO methodologies to develop custom web services that cater to our clients’ specific needs and industry demands.

“Businesses of all sizes stand to gain a great deal of traction during the current economic state," said studio1c SEO consultant Michelle Crossley. "In many instances, the stock market is very much like advertising – buy when the market is low. Right now is a fantastic opportunity to invest in internet marketing and SEO and come out on top when the market settles back down."

"Michelle and Studio1c have been a huge help to our business. We were with a different provider for many years and weren't seeing a measurable increase in the return of our investment. Michelle and her team were able look at the current needs of our business and make an immediate impact. Not only have they made significant strides in our online search presence, they're also beginning to structure our roll out for social media and drip campaigns. We couldn't be happier with our choice and before you ask, the answer is yes, they always answer our questions without making us feel inferior about the SEO and marketing world."
Ron Henderson, CEO

SEOblog.com, a trusted SEO resource and directory for best SEO companies, revealed the “2020 Best SEO Consultants in the United States” in late October. SEOblog analysts evaluated each SEO agency based on expert certifications, verified Google reviews, website performance and client satisfaction rate, among dozens of quantitative and qualitative ranking factors.

We are delighted to be named one of the best SEO consultants in the U.S. by SEOblog.com. We thank our clients, partners and studio1c team for their loyalty and support to our SEO firm.

Contact us to learn more about our dynamic approach to SEO and digital marketing. You may also write a review on SEOblog.com about your experience with studio1c by clicking here.