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Strategies for Reducing Online Return Bracketing

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Evereve using WeSupply analytics

Online return bracketing, where consumers buy multiple versions of an item and return what doesn’t fit, is a costly problem for retailers. Reducing online return bracketing can save money and benefit the environment. This article covers strategies to minimize this issue, from enhancing product descriptions to using innovative technology.

Key Takeaways

  • Return bracketing is when shoppers order multiple versions of the same item with the intent to return the ones that don’t work out, leading to higher costs for retailers and environmental concerns.

  • Enhancing product descriptions, visuals, and providing accurate sizing guides can significantly reduce uncertainty and lower return rates.

  • Leveraging technology like AI fitting recommendations and user-generated content can improve the shopping experience and drive down the number of unnecessary returns.

  • WeSupply reduces return bracketing with dynamic sizing, and SKU analytics, enhancing accuracy and sustainability. Streamline returns and retain customers with branded portals and exchanges. Get Started with WeSupply now!

Introduction: The Growing Challenge of Online Return Bracketing

Return bracketing is when consumers bracket purchases by ordering multiple versions of the same item to try them all at home, only to return the ones that don’t meet their expectations. This behavior is particularly common in the fashion, electronics, and home goods sectors, where fit, color, and style can be highly subjective and difficult to gauge online.

A staggering 60% of online shoppers, many online shoppers, engage in bracketing online purchases at an online store while shopping online. This trend has been fueled by the rise of free and easy return fees policies, which, while convenient for the consumer, have made it easier than ever for online retailers to order without commitment. However, this practice is not without its drawbacks. For retailers, the financial implications are significant, as the costs associated with processing returns can quickly add up.

Moreover, the environmental impact of excessive returns — from increased emissions to packaging waste — cannot be overlooked. Reducing return bracketing is critical for both profitability and sustainability. Effective strategies can help retailers combat bracketing, lower return rates, and promote a more sustainable shopping model.

Understanding Online Return Bracketing

Return bracketing happens when consumers order multiple sizes, colors, or styles of an item, intending to return the ones that don’t work out. This behavior is driven by decision paralysis and the fear of receiving a product that doesn’t fit or meet expectations. The uncertainty in online shopping — particularly regarding size, color, and style — is a key driver of this practice.

Fashion and apparel retailers are disproportionately affected by bracketing purchases. Shoppers often struggle with size uncertainty and inconsistencies, leading them to order multiple sizes to find the right fit. This results in higher return rates and increased return costs for retailers, both financially and environmentally. The environmental costs include waste from returned items, emissions from shipping, and the impact of discarded packaging materials.

Understanding the root causes of bracketing is the first step in addressing the issue. Recognizing these factors allows retailers to implement targeted strategies that reduce bracketing and enhance the shopping experience.

Enhancing Product Descriptions and Visuals

One of the most effective ways to reduce bracketing in online purchases is by enhancing product descriptions and visuals. Detailed descriptions and high-quality visuals help reduce uncertainty, enabling customers to make informed purchasing decisions. Here’s how WeSupply can support this effort:

  • Detailed Product Descriptions: Address common concerns such as size, color, and quality issues by refining product descriptions using insights from SKU-level returns analytics.
Returns Analytics for eCommerce Business - return reasons - pants

  • Variant-Specific Visuals: Provide high-resolution images and videos from multiple angles and in real-life contexts to give customers a clear and accurate representation of each product variation.

  • Customer Reviews and Feedback: Encourage detailed reviews with photos, showcasing real-world product usage to increase transparency and customer confidence.

  • Comprehensive Analytics: Use data-driven insights to continuously improve product offerings and address recurring return reasons.

These strategies, supported by WeSupply’s robust analytics and customer experience tools, help reduce the need for bracketed purchases, enhance customer satisfaction, and foster trust.

Implementing Accurate Sizing Guides

Implementing accurate sizing guides is a critical step in reducing online return bracketing, especially for apparel and footwear. WeSupply provides innovative tools and insights to help retailers refine their sizing strategies and enhance customer confidence in making the right purchase. Here’s how WeSupply can support this effort:

  • Dynamic Sizing Charts: Adjust sizing charts based on specific products and variants, ensuring greater accuracy for individual items and reducing customer uncertainty.

  • Customer Fit Feedback: Collect detailed customer feedback on product fit to identify patterns and discrepancies, enabling retailers to make data-driven adjustments to sizing guides.

  • Product-Specific Insights: Leverage SKU-level analytics to pinpoint recurring fit issues, such as items running small, large, or true to size, and incorporate this information into sizing recommendations.

  • Enhanced Customer Experience: Display updated and accurate sizing guides on product pages, providing shoppers with the confidence to select the right size the first time.

  • Continuous Improvement: Use customer insights and return data to refine sizing charts over time, ensuring they remain accurate and effective.

WeSupply’s tools empower retailers to implement precise sizing guides that minimize bracketing, improve customer satisfaction, and reduce return rates, transforming sizing challenges into opportunities for growth.

Leveraging Technology to Reduce Returns

Technology offers innovative solutions to reduce returns and enhance the online shopping experience. AI-driven sizing recommendations use machine learning to provide personalized fit guidance, helping customers choose the right size based on their past purchases and body measurements.

Augmented reality (AR) and virtual try-ons allow customers to “see” the product on themselves before making a purchase, reducing the intention of returning items. AI-powered chatbots and virtual stylists can offer real-time shopping assistance, answering questions and providing style recommendations. Some retailers have reported reductions in return rates of up to 50% by leveraging AI and AR technologies.

Embracing these technologies creates a more interactive, personalized shopping experience, reducing the need for returns and improving customer satisfaction.

Streamline Returns and Reduce Rates with WeSupply Technology

WeSupply offers cutting-edge solutions to empower retailers in reducing returns and enhancing customer satisfaction through the use of innovative technology. By integrating our platform, businesses can effectively streamline operations, leverage data insights, and create a seamless post-purchase experience.

Key Features of WeSupply for Reducing Returns:

  • Branded Returns Portals: Provide customers with a user-friendly, self-service platform for initiating returns, generating labels, and tracking return status effortlessly​​.

WeSupply branded returns center - xbox south park planet fitness

  • Advanced Analytics Tools: Gain actionable insights into common return reasons such as sizing issues or misaligned expectations to refine product offerings and reduce return rates​​.

  • Customizable Return Policies: Tailor return rules and workflows for specific products, customers, or scenarios to minimize unnecessary returns while enhancing flexibility​​.

JMcLaughlin using WeSupply automated returns
  • Seamless Reverse Logistics: Automate return shipping, inventory management, and quality control to handle returned items efficiently and cost-effectively​​.
Invicta Watches using WeSupply self service returns
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  • Real-Time Notifications: Keep customers informed at every stage of the returns process, improving transparency and trust​​.

Shop WSS Cubii and Baloo Living using WeSupply notifications

By leveraging WeSupply, businesses can transform their return process into a strategic advantage, driving customer satisfaction while minimizing operational inefficiencies.

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Encouraging User-Generated Content and Customer Reviews

User-generated content and customer reviews play a powerful role in reducing return bracketing. A whopping 89% of shoppers rely on customer reviews before making a purchase. These reviews, along with user-generated photos and videos, provide valuable insights and reduce uncertainty for potential buyers.

Encouraging customers to include specific details such as their height, weight, and clothing size in their reviews can further enhance the accuracy of product descriptions. This information helps other shoppers make more informed decisions, reducing the likelihood of ordering multiple sizes.

User-generated content fosters engagement and trust, creating a more positive customer experience. Leveraging user-generated content helps build brand loyalty and reduce overall return rates.

Boost Engagement with User-Generated Content via WeSupply

WeSupply integrates seamlessly with leading review platforms to help businesses collect, showcase, and leverage user-generated content (UGC) to build trust, boost sales, and improve customer engagement. By combining our platform with these review tools, businesses can create a powerful post-purchase experience that inspires customer feedback and drives conversions.

Key Features of WeSupply for Encouraging UGC and Reviews:

  • Seamless Integration with Top Review Platforms: Connect effortlessly with platforms like Loox, Judge.me, Stamped, Yotpo, Okendo, Junip, and Reviews.io to collect text, image, and video reviews from customers.

  • Automated Review Requests: Trigger post-purchase review requests through email, SMS, or push notifications to maximize customer participation in sharing feedback.

  • Showcasing Customer Stories: Display user-generated content directly on your storefront to enhance credibility and encourage new purchases with authentic customer experiences.

  • Rewards and Loyalty Programs: Collaborate with platforms like Stamped and Yotpo to incentivize reviews through loyalty points, referrals, and VIP rewards, turning feedback into a growth driver.

  • Multi-Channel Review Collection: Reach customers on their preferred channels, including web, email, and mobile, for a streamlined and effective feedback process.

  • Customizable Displays: Highlight reviews with design flexibility to match your brand’s look and feel, creating a cohesive and professional storefront experience.

By leveraging WeSupply’s integrations with these review platforms, businesses can transform customer feedback into a strategic tool that builds trust, drives engagement, and fosters long-term loyalty.

Simplifying the Exchange Process to Minimize Returns

An easy and automated exchange process can significantly reduce return rates. Offering free returns and simplifying the returns process encourages customers to opt for exchanges rather than outright returns. Store credit incentives, such as offering a bonus for choosing an exchange over a return, can also be effective.

WeSupply takes the exchange experience to the next level by providing tools to make it seamless and rewarding for both businesses and customers.

Key Features of WeSupply for Simplifying Exchanges:

  • Flexible Exchange Options: Allow customers to exchange items for any product, reship the same item, or upgrade to higher-value alternatives​​.
Gentlemans Gazette using WeSupply shop now exchanges

  • Store Credit Incentives: Offer store credit or bonuses for choosing an exchange, encouraging customers to retain their investment in your brand.

With WeSupply, businesses can turn returns into exchanges effortlessly, fostering customer satisfaction and maximizing revenue potential.

Analyzing Return Data to Identify and Address Bracketing

Analyzing return data is essential for identifying and addressing return bracketing. Gathering data on high-return products and common bracketing patterns helps identify the root cause of return issues. AI-driven return analysis can improve product recommendations and help refine sizing guides. Tracking customer feedback and conducting post-purchase surveys can provide valuable insights into return behavior. This information can guide improvements in product descriptions and sizing information, ultimately reducing the need for bracket purchases.

WeSupply enhances these efforts with a powerful returns analytics platform that provides actionable insights into return patterns, helping businesses combat bracketing effectively.

Key Features of WeSupply for Identifying and Addressing Bracketing:

  • Understand Return Reasons: Analyze why specific items are returned, enabling targeted improvements to product descriptions, imagery, and recommendations.

  • Detect Serial Returners: Use data to identify customers who frequently engage in bracketing behavior, allowing for tailored interventions to minimize repeat occurrences.

London Drugs WeSupply return rules to prevent return abuse

By leveraging WeSupply’s advanced analytics, businesses can turn return data into a strategic advantage, addressing bracketing while enhancing the overall shopping experience for their customers.

Offering Incentives for Store Credit to Reduce Refunds

Offering store credit incentives can help reduce refunds and retain revenue. Store credit options encourage customers to keep their purchases and make additional online purchases, promoting brand loyalty. Many retailers offer store credit bonuses, such as 110% credit, to incentivize customers to choose store credit over a refund. Targeted marketing campaigns can also promote the benefits of store credit, making it an attractive option for customers. Offering these incentives helps mitigate the impact of return bracketing and enhances the retailer’s bottom line.

WeSupply provides the tools needed to seamlessly implement store credit incentives, enabling businesses to maximize revenue retention while fostering customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Key Features of WeSupply for Store Credit Incentives:

  • Instant Store Credit Rewards: Easily incentivize customers by offering bonuses like 110% store credit, making it a compelling alternative to refunds.

  • Guided Shopping Experience: Redirect customers back to your product catalog after initiating a return, encouraging additional purchases and increasing average order values.

  • Automated Refund Alternatives: Effortlessly provide store credit, gift cards, or coupon codes through automated workflows, ensuring a smooth customer experience.

Greenworks using WeSupply gift card refund

  • Enhanced Customer Loyalty: Build trust and encourage repeat shopping by offering flexible, rewarding store credit options that strengthen long-term relationships.

  • Targeted Campaign Integration: Support marketing efforts to highlight the benefits of store credit, increasing customer adoption and boosting revenue.

With WeSupply, businesses can leverage store credit incentives to effectively reduce refunds, enhance the shopping experience, and achieve greater profitability.

Simplify Returns for Your Customers and Support Team

Book a quick call with our experts to see how WeSupply can help you: simplify the Return experience with just a few clicks, reduce customer service calls and manual processing, notify your customer about their refund, automate returns and reduce user error.

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Educating Customers on Sustainable Shopping Practices

Educating customers on sustainable shopping practices is crucial for reducing excessive returns. The environmental impact of returns includes waste, emissions, and packaging issues. Promoting mindful shopping can help reduce unnecessary online purchases and encourage more informed purchasing decisions.

Sustainability initiatives can influence purchasing decisions, with 66% of shoppers preferring eco-conscious brands. Communicating the long-term benefits of reducing return bracketing for both customers and retailers can create a more positive customer experience and foster customer loyalty.

Conclusion: The Path to a More Sustainable and Profitable E-Commerce Future

Summarizing the key strategies for reducing online return bracketing highlights the balance between customer satisfaction, profitability, and sustainability. Encouraging retailers to implement long-term solutions can drive positive change in the retail industry.

Final thoughts on how technology, customer education, and improved policies can lead to a more sustainable and profitable e-commerce future.

Summary

WeSupply helps retailers reduce online return bracketing by providing powerful tools to improve product accuracy, enhance customer confidence, and streamline returns. With dynamic sizing guides, AI-powered fit recommendations, and SKU-level return analytics, customers make more informed purchases, reducing unnecessary returns. Branded return portals and flexible exchange options encourage store credit over refunds, boosting retention and revenue. Seamless integration with review platforms enables user-generated content, fostering trust and engagement. Advanced analytics detect return trends and serial returners, helping retailers refine strategies and minimize bracketing. By leveraging WeSupply’s solutions, businesses can cut costs, enhance sustainability, and improve customer satisfaction. Get started with WeSupply today to turn returns into opportunities and drive long-term success!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is online return bracketing?

Online return bracketing is when you order several versions of the same item to test out at home and send back the ones you don’t like. It’s a handy way to make sure you get exactly what you want!

Why is reducing return bracketing important?

Reducing return bracketing is key for boosting profits and being more eco-friendly. It cuts down on the costs of handling returns and lessens our environmental footprint.

How does WeSupply’s analytics help reduce online return bracketing?

WeSupply’s advanced analytics tools empower retailers to tackle online return bracketing by providing deep insights into return patterns and customer behavior. With SKU-level returns analytics, retailers can identify which products are most often bracketed—purchased in multiple sizes, colors, or styles with the intent to return some. This data highlights specific issues, such as sizing inconsistencies or unclear product details, allowing retailers to enhance product descriptions, improve visuals, and refine sizing guides for those items.

How does WeSupply’s exchange process help minimize returns from bracketing?

WeSupply’s streamlined exchange process transforms the way retailers handle returns, reducing the financial impact of bracketing by encouraging exchanges over refunds.

Does WeSupply have an official Shopify App?

Yes, WeSupply does have an official Shopify App. You can download and begin to integrate it with your Shopify store.

Does WeSupply have an official Magento extension?

Yes, WeSupply has an official extension for Magento. The WeSupply x Magento integration allows for automating order tracking experiences, reducing customer inquiries, automating shipping email and SMS notifications, and providing a fully branded order tracking experience

Does WeSupply have an official BigCommerce App?

Yes, WeSupply has an official BigCommerce App. You can integrate WeSupply with your BigCommerce store to improve your post-purchase customer experience.

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