Dealing with returns on Amazon is a matter of when, not if, given enough selling history. But while you can’t avoid them entirely, you can reduce returns on Amazon by following these seven tips from RepricerExpress. Read on to keep more money in your pocket.
1. Start From the First Point of Contact with Stunning Photos
Your first point of contact with buyers is through images, as good pictures increase sales by grabbing attention right away and make the buyer decide on the spot if they’ll keep reading.
You don’t need a fancy camera to take great images, so avoid splurging on one for now. And if you have neither the budget for a camera nor the skills to take great photos, there are plenty of sites with free stock images.
2. Are Your Images in 360 Degrees?
Whatever best practices you use in taking product images, there’s one that stands above the rest: shooting a product with a 360-degree view.
This means showing all sides of it so they can get an experience that’s as close to holding it in their hands as possible. For example, if you sell shoes, it’s crucial you photograph the footwear from the top, bottom and both sides so buyers can really see what the shoes look like.
And if your product doesn’t really warrant a 360-degree view? Maybe something like a power bank? Then shoot closeups of features, accessories or attachments, like the operating buttons, USB outlets or if it has an included LED flashlight.
3. Keep Going with Accurate Product Descriptions
The product description is your next point of contact with the buyer and a chance to go into even more, accurate detail about what you’re selling.
The more informed a buyer is about what they’re about to buy, the more tempered their expectations will be.
Think of it like announced wait times on public transit vs posted schedules. If a bus schedule says the next vehicle will arrive at 9:30 and that time comes and goes with no bus, the waiting passenger is going to be upset.
But if there’s a real-time display that says, in minutes, when the next bus will arrive— even if it’s later than the posted time — the rider will be more understanding because they’ve been informed of actual circumstances.
The same goes for your product descriptions. There will be buyers out there for whom something in less-than-new condition is fine…if they’re informed ahead of time.
4. Why Not Add in Videos, Too?
Now that you’ve got stellar images and tightly written copy, kick things up a notch by adding video into the mix. Product videos help blend the visual and written media together by giving buyers a deeper understanding of the product’s uses, features, benefits and possibilities.
Keep videos on the shorter side (under five minutes) and make sure to show the product being assembled (if necessary) and how real people use it.
5. Include a Sizing Guide, If Necessary
Men usually have an easier time buying clothes than women because their pants and shirts come with specific measurements. They don’t have to guess if a Size 16 is actually a Size 8, or if that’s a medium or large.
But no matter what kind of clothing or accessories you sell, avoid all confusion by including a sizing chart. List the sizes on your garments with their equivalent in inches or centimetres, and give detailed measuring instructions if necessary.
I bought a pair of motorcycle gloves this summer, which I was hesitant to do because I couldn’t try them on for an exact fit. But the buyer I ended up going with included a chart on which areas of my hands to measure and how that corresponded to the sizes of gloves offered. Problem solved, and it took hardly any time for me to find the right size.
6. Fend Off Returns with Timely Customer Support
I recently bought a book for a friend, but it had to be shipped in from a different country. As the expected arrival date inched closer and the shipping status hadn’t budged from “Shipped”, I started to get concerned and reached out to the seller.
Just a few hours later, they got back to me and included a different courier link than the one in my Amazon order history, giving me better insights into where the book was. While it didn’t arrive as quickly as I’d hoped, I was happy to get a fast answer AND a different link that provided better information.
I wasn’t going to return the book, but I was getting pretty antsy. Other buyers will get far more impatient and reactive and go for the return method if they feel like they’re being ignored, so respond to questions and concerns right away, give them any missing information and assure them you’re doing everything you can on your end to help them make the best choice possible.
7. Use Feedback and Reviews to Better Your Image
Let’s start with reviews. Read over them carefully and see what common themes, for the better or worse, jump out at you. If you’ve identified negative issues that could lead to returns, address them right away before they turn into refunds.
And if it’s past the point of that, then salvage a bad situation by straight-up asking the buyer what made them want to return the product. After they’ve initiated a return request, you can ask them to provide a long-form answer or link them to a multiple-choice survey so you can better understand why the return happened.
Related: How to Get More Reviews on Amazon
Final Thoughts
Want another tip for reducing returns on Amazon? Make your product’s prices irresistible enough that buyers will want to snap them up right away. And how do you do that? With RepricerExpress, of course. We’ll reprice your inventory automatically and in the background, leaving you to handle things that require a different type of thinking. If you’re at all curious about how you can offload repricing and free up your time, sign up now and enjoy a free trial.
