How to level up your returns management with the Hive Customer App this Black Friday

Preparations for Q4 and Black Friday can start months in advance. This period is associated with a huge uptake in purchasing as customers try new brands or products that may have been otherwise out of their price range. It is the peak time for e-commerce companies and getting bigger every year.

During this sales period some customers may buy more than they need from e-commerce companies with the idea of trying and returning. This possibility of a larger volume of returns can put pressure on D2C brands to have a solid returns management strategy, else deal with the operational stress and incoming customer support requests.

But returns do not need to cause a headache. With a good returns management strategy you can do away with the stress of returns while creating greater customer satisfaction. A positive post-purchase experience can encourage a customer to buy again, even if their first item was returned.

Plus, getting returns analytics can allow you to learn what resonates with your target audience and what might not have hit the mark. This can help you make better decisions when developing new products.

Creating a successful returns management strategy that is a win for both you and your customer is all possible with Hive’s customer experience offering. 

In this blog post, we will cover:

1. What is Hive’s customer experience offering?
2. How can a customer create a return in the returns portal?
3. What analytics can you see?
4. What happens to returned items?
5. How to reduce your passive returns with address validation

What is Hive’s customer experience offering?

Hive makes the post purchase experience seamless. With Hive’s Customer App you can let your customer:

• See and track their order status
• Change their address if it was inputted incorrectly
• Easily create a returns label through a branded returns portal

This can all be customized to your brand, so every touchpoint with your customer is consistently yours. In addition, you will be able to view in depth analytics to help you optimize and scale your brand.

How can a customer create a return in the returns portal?

Creating a return is simple. If your customer wants to return an item, they are directed to a returns portal that you can customize to your branding.

In the portal, your customer can:

• Select the item(s) they want to return
• Record the quantity and return reason for each item
• Download a return label

Crucially, this lets you see the reasons why your customer has returned certain items. This can allow you to spot patterns in customer behavior and gain valuable insights into your products.

And that is not all.

What analytics can you see?

Users of the Hive Customer App can easily view:

• Return reasons
• Returns per month
• Return rate per month vs shipped items
• Most common return reasons
• Most common sku and return reason combinations
• Individual reason analysis
• Return rate per SKU
• Most returned SKUs (total number)

These analytics can help you identify and solve problems, and give you valuable feedback from your customers. The best brands are built through listening to and responding to a community of users, which makes data like this extremely valuable. You can use this to streamline your product development and marketing efforts.

For example, if several customers are returning the same item with the reason “does not function as expected”, it could be time to double check the quality of the item or update any product descriptions that could be misleading.

What happens to returned items?

Your returned items will be sent back to the Hive fulfillment center they were sent from. The team at the fulfillment center can send pictures so that you are aware of the state of the product and it will be registered in the app as returned so you are always in the loop.

If possible, the product will be restocked, and if not, the team will follow your guidelines or contact you to allow you to decide what to do with the returned item.

Reduce your passive return rate with address validation

One frustrating way that products can end up being returned is via passive returns due to an incorrect address. When a passive return arrives it can cause a tiresome back and forth with the customer to see if they would still like the item, and whether they need to change the address. 

With the Hive Customer App, you can empower your customer to resolve this problem themselves without having to take up the time of your customer support team. This is via the address validation feature. Here is how it works:

• The app detects an invalid address has been inputted
• An automated email is sent to the customer, asking them to check the address is correct
• The customer can update their address in a customizable portal
• Orders are fulfilled and delivered without delay, leading to happy customers and time saved

Working with Hive as your holistic operations partner

Working with Hive can help you level up your returns management in time for Black Week and beyond. If you are interested in working with Hive, we take on new brands and restocking even during Q4. Get in touch today.