Dive Brief:
- Amazon sellers can now adjust their products' eligibility for “returnless” refund options by price, the e-commerce giant announced Nov. 20.
- The new tool allows sellers to set a maximum item price between $1 and $75 to determine which products can qualify for refunds without customers needing to return the item, a program known as Returnless Resolutions. Sellers can also enable Returnless Resolutions on a product-by-product basis.
- Additionally, all Amazon sellers can now tap into a returns and inventory recovery dashboard, the company said Nov. 12. The dashboard offers merchants information on top return reasons, recommendations to reduce return rates, and metrics such as recovered value of returned units.
Dive Insight:
The upgrades for Returnless Resolutions and the dashboard launch come as retailers and online merchants grapple with persistent demand for easy return options.
"On the one hand, consumers have high expectations, and for the most part want returns to be free, fast, and frictionless," said an October report from the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns. "On the other, merchants face rising operational costs, growing fraud exposure, and pressure to protect margins."
Amazon unveiled Returnless Resolutions last year as a way for sellers to both improve customer convenience and limit processing costs tied to returns. The company has highlighted the service’s upside for international sellers and businesses with low-cost items in particular.
There are some restrictions for Returnless Resolutions. For example, the program does not cover items with an average sales price above $75 and is limited to customers "who don't have a history of returns abuse," per the Nov. 20 announcement.
Beyond more returns control and insights for sellers, Amazon is upgrading its returns capabilities in other ways. Earlier this year, the company launched a doorstep pickup capability for select returns through the U.S. Postal Service.
Amazon is also expanding its returns drop-off options for customers. The company has grown its returns kiosk footprint to 68 more Winn-Dixie locations in Florida, building on a pilot involving 20 stores in the greater Jacksonville area, per a Nov. 18 news release.
"Our collaboration with Winn-Dixie brings hassle-free, shipping box-free returns directly to where customers already shop," Gopal Pillai, Amazon VP of worldwide returns and recommerce, said in the announcement.
