Amazon follows an easy return policy to benefit its customers who want to return purchased products to the corresponding sellers. This is a great step toward Amazon’s mission to be referred to as a customer-centric organization. However, Amazon online sellers may have trouble keeping their business if more and more customers decide to return items. This is especially true if these sellers are also the ones fulfilling the customers’ orders up to delivery.

Why do customers return products?

Customers may decide to return purchased products for a few reasons. Sometimes, the purchase may be a simple impulse-buy. Buying online has become so easy that you can get something from Amazon within 20 seconds. You can ‘add to cart’ or select ‘buy now,’ without giving the purchase too much thought, until after it’s delivered.
Below are other reasons why your customers may return products:

• The product is no longer needed.
• The product or the item size that was shipped is incorrect.
• The product did not match the catalog or product description.
• If the order is in bulk, the products ordered may be more than needed.
• The product was delivered late.

Why do you need to know the reasons behind a product return?

As an Amazon seller, it is such a burden to get your items returned to you after all the hard work you put into fulfilling your customers’ demands. Knowing what causes Amazon customers to return products can help pinpoint flaws and defects in your delivery process or product itself.
Also, this makes it possible for you to understand your customer’s behavior and pick up on various patterns. Being more knowledgeable about your consumer, allows you to make smarter future business decisions.

How to avoid future product returns?

To avoid returns, first, you need to make sure that your goods are of high quality – from your product to your customer service. You can reduce the occurrence of product returns by doing the following:

• Make sure that your product descriptions are clear and accurate.
• Secure the condition of your goods. Ship them to Amazon without any defects so your customers experience no issues upon delivery.
• Fulfill customers’ orders quickly and efficiently. Provide them with exceptional customer service.
• Look for the source of most product returns in your business. Only then, can you figure out the precise solution for your problems.

Returned goods can come as a shock for your business and become hard to process. However, learning how to handle them well and taking measures to reduce returns, can help grow and develop your business.