Profit loss from holiday returns is inevitable. It is important to arm your business with the right tools from the start to minimize your losses. But it isn’t too little, too late. Even if you may not have set yourself up for success this holiday season, there are still ways to cut back on profit loss and maybe even – dare we say – increase post-holiday sales!
Here are three ways to minimize profit loss from holiday returns that you can use now.
Use Email to Convert Losses to Wins
The power of email marketing is palpable. Most of your customers will like to hear from you, especially if it is to their benefit. Customers who request a return through your site do not necessarily want to cut ties with you. Some are waiting for the perfect product. Others are unsure about size or style options. Many are concerned with price.
Instead of letting them float into the abyss with nothing in hand, why not create tailored email campaigns sent automatically when a return is requested? You can offer them a discount on other colors, provide them with a coupon code to come back later, offer to send replacement parts, or send them a few similar products with links to browse their options. This approach can turn losses into gains quickly and effectively without straining your customer support team.
Empower Your Customers
Establishing an online customer portal is a great way to control costs and give customers the experience they deserve. Through this easy-to-deploy customer service tool, you can provide your customers with confidence as they return or exchange items from the holiday season. Not only will your customers be able to ask and answer their own questions about products, but they can also manage and track their own product returns.
Less time on the phone, more clear-cut options to upsell customers direct from your website equal less cuts into your profits. Don’t forget, customers love to handle their own requests and skip the lengthy, automated live chats or calls. After all, the easier the returns process is, the more likely they’ll shop with you again.
Get Smarter Through Data
The ability to report on and track returns is the key to minimizing profit loss at any time of year. If you can identify patterns of behavior, product and failure trends, and metrics around purchasing behavior, you can minimize profit loss. All it takes is a great returns tracking tool with filtering capabilities, and you’re off!
Your data is smart and waiting to be utilized. It may just be the secret to success, and your best competitive advantage! Knowing and understanding what your data is already telling you will help you manage returns better. It will also direct your business decisions ongoing. Some tools even allow you to track and alert your team when a certain behavior or issue is spotted. It’s all about working smarter, not harder!
What are some of the ways you have been able to minimize profit loss around the holidays? Share them in the comments!
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