When your customers visit your returns page, what are they going to see? A short, easy-to-read overview of your return policy and process? Or the dreaded wall of text?

If you fall into the latter category, don’t worry – you’re not alone. Many brands use their returns page as a place to cram in as much information as possible. In the process, they inadvertently confuse and frustrate their customers. 

But, as you’ll learn in this post, it’s possible to turn your returns page from one that’s hated to one that’s loved. We’ll show you how one of our own customers, Walkee Paws, transformed their returns page from meh to magical using the strategies we recommend.

Before and after: How Walkee Paws transformed its returns page

Below are the three strategies Walkee Paws used to upgrade its returns page, along with screenshots to show you the results before and after:

1. Focused on the most important questions

One of the biggest changes Walkee Paws made was condensing its returns page to focus only on the most important questions. But how do you know which questions to prioritize? We conducted a consumer survey to understand the most important things customers want to see in your return policy. Here are the top three results: 

  • Who pays return shipping (44.5%) 
  • The length of the return window (29.7%) 
  • Return restrictions (11.6%)

While Walkee Paws’ old returns page technically addressed all these points, it was presented as a wall of text – as you can see in the ‘before’ shot. This was overwhelming for customers to look at and made it challenging for them to find answers to their questions. 

However, with the new returns page, Walkee Paws summarizes its entire policy in two short paragraphs. This makes it significantly easier for customers to find what they’re looking for with a quick skim.

Before

After

2. Added a clear call to action

In our survey, customers also said they want clear instructions on how to start the return process. What they don’t want is to have to hunt down this information or be forced to reach out to your customer support team to start the process. 

Keep in mind that 92% of consumers have stated that they’ll buy something again if returns are easy. When you create a high-friction experience by not including a clear call to action, you’re going to miss out on this huge opportunity to retain your customers.  

Unfortunately, this is what Walkee Paws’ old returns page was like, which you can see a screenshot of below. While they had a “returns and exchanges” button for customers to start the return process, it was so small and oddly placed that it was easy to miss. 

Compare this to Walkee Paws’ current returns page, where the exchange and refund process is featured at the top of the page. This, along with the bold buttons and clear explanation, makes the call to action impossible to miss.

Before

After

3. Emphasized exchanges over refunds

One of the best parts of Walkee Paws’ return policy is that they offer free exchanges. This is a strategy we recommend to all brands.

Why? 60% of returns on stores powered by Shopify are because it’s the wrong size or style. This means that more than half of your returns have the potential to turn into an exchange, rather than a refund. This is powerful because exchanges are significantly more valuable than refunds. The reasoning behind this is simple:

  • Exchanges = customer wants to continue the relationship with your brand
  • Refunds = signals the end of the relationship with your brand

This means that when customers choose an exchange over a refund, your brand retains revenue since they didn’t request money back. You also build brand loyalty by putting the right product in the customer’s hands, increase LTV, and save on the other costs associated with refunds.

When you find ways to incentivize exchanges over refunds, as Walkee Paws does with its free exchanges, it can have a positive impact on your business. Unfortunately, despite having this awesome offering, Walker Paws’ policy wasn’t being noticed by customers because it was buried in the text. 

That’s why the Walkee Paws team refreshed their returns page to highlight this part of their policy. On the new page, the free exchanges policy is front and center and features a clear ask for customers to consider an exchange over a refund. This not only leads to better outcomes for your business but also for your customers.

We love watching brands like Walkee Paws transform their returns page in a way that better serves their customers. Use them as inspiration to give your own returns page and policy a makeover. Get in touch with our team to learn how Loop can increase online exchanges and reduce refunds for your brand.