How real-time returns updates boost customer retention
Corinne D'Andria
·July 17, 2025
By and large, ecommerce shoppers are pretty obsessive about order tracking. In fact, 91% of shoppers actively track their deliveries, with 39% tracking daily and 19% checking in multiple times a day.
And, if a customer needs to make a return and won’t receive a refund or store credit until the package is inspected on site, they’re likely to be just as anxious when it comes to reverse logistics. They need visibility around their package’s return journey, with access to updated shipping and delivery data at each stage of the returns process to give them peace of mind throughout the process.
Providing enhanced visibility around the returns process can help you improve customer satisfaction and reduce support ticket requests – and, done well, it can even help you boost customer retention.
Here are some tips for building an elevated return tracking experience that re-converts your customers.
Create a branded order tracking page
Whether you’re delivering a package or the customer has shipped it back for a return, your shopper is entitled to real-time delivery and return tracking updates around the order’s status. Many brands simply send an email that includes a tracking link to the shipping carrier.
What’s the problem? These links take the shopper away from your branded experience, and they may not provide immediate updates if there are changes to the order status or delivery timeframe.
To build a streamlined logistics experience for your shoppers, it’s important to create an order tracking page that includes your brand’s style elements for a cohesive experience. The page should pull in up-to-date data from the shipping carrier, so that you can keep your customers in your own ecosystem rather than send them to a different company’s page for updates.
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But how will customers get to the branded tracking page? By giving shoppers options for email and/or SMS campaigns, you can easily keep them in the loop.
Branded transactional emails have open rates of up to 80%, with 10% to 20% click-through rates. And the results for SMS campaigns, for customers who choose to opt in, are even more phenomenal: SMS transactional messages see open rates of up to 98%, with a 50% to 75% CTR!
Unlike traditional marketing campaigns, which can be hit or miss, your shoppers are highly engaged with your transactional messaging campaigns, and eager for every status update you provide.
So don’t miss out on the valuable chance to transform high-engagement transactional messaging campaigns into marketing opportunities.
Using returns tracking to boost customer retention and upsells
Now that you know customers are at their most engaged during the tracking process, it’s time to capitalize on that.
How? Your branded order tracking page can do more than provide information around return tracking – it can also serve as valuable real estate for your brand.
Make sure to include:
An upsell block
Just because a customer is returning an item doesn’t mean they’re no longer interested in your brand. By spotlighting curated recommendations from your inventory on your tracking page, you’ll be able to pique their interest again, and encourage them to make another purchase – Loop merchants typically see conversion rates of 1% or more from branded tracking pages. You can even take the opportunity to offer them Bonus Credit to apply towards a new purchase, upping their likelihood of reconversion.
An FAQ section
Make sure your shoppers can get the information they need to feel confident in your brand. By adding an FAQ section to your order tracking page, you can share important information around your return policies and guidelines, and help your customers get answers through self-service. Between real-time order status updates and access to an FAQ, you’ll be able to reduce your customer support ticket volume significantly. One Loop customer, Casely, was able to reduce their “where’s my order?” (WISMO) ticket volume by 76% within a month of adding an order tracking page – saving more than 10 hours a week through streamlined automation.
Consistent branding and messaging
By using your brand’s colors, styles, and slogans on your order tracking page, you can create a cohesive experience for your shoppers that serves as a continuation of the shopping experience. That will help re-engage them in the buyer’s experience, making them more likely to consider other products.
Optimizing the returns experience for shoppers
Creating a compelling return tracking experience is just one of many ways to optimize the post-purchase experience for your shoppers.
With a best-in-class returns management solution like Loop, shoppers can utilize a streamlined self-service portal to initiate their returns, with options to choose between exchanges, store credit, and refunds. They can also select their return method of choice, whether that’s mail-from-home, return-in-store, or scanning in an item for return at a nearby drop-off center. As a result, Loop merchants often see revenue retention of 50% or higher from exchanges and upsells.
By ensuring that every part of your shoppers’ post-purchase experience is effortless and caters to their preferences, you’ll be able to create a superior returns experience that helps you re-convert customers again and again.
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