The holidays should be a time of joy and celebration, but for many retailers, the hectic season brings operational headaches. And, these challenges don’t simply vanish after the holiday season, as gift returns prolong the chaos well beyond the traditional festivities.

In fact, Celigo recently surveyed 4,000 global consumers and found that nearly half anticipate returning at least one gift this year. Now is the time to prepare your operations to smoothly handle this influx of returns. The key to success is business process automation. 

Let’s explore how automating the return process can not only streamline operations, but also improve the customer experience, ultimately leading to increased loyalty and revenue.

Understanding the gift return landscape

Although holiday shoppers now have greater access to unique products that cater to everyone on their lists, many still expect to return gifts this year. With numerous shoppers expressing frustration over the gift returns process, it’s crucial to provide them with a smooth experience.

Shoppers identified several key challenges that left them disappointed with their returns experience. 30% cited no free return shipping as a top concern, 27% were frustrated that sellers would not accept their returns without a gift receipt, and 21% missed their return window.

These issues can sour the shopping experience, leading customers to be reluctant to purchase from a retailer again. 

How business process automation can help

Delivering the returns experience that customers expect can be challenging, especially with limited time and resources. Fortunately, business process automation can help you develop streamlined workflows for a more seamless operation.

Explore five ways automation can address your top returns challenges:

1. Returns management

By integrating your key systems, such as your returns management apps, helpdesk, ecommerce platform, retail POS location, warehouse, and enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, you can automate the returns management process. To do so, you will need to sync key data like RMAs (Return Merchandise Authorization), item receipts, and refunds between systems.

Once the returns management process is streamlined, customers can easily initiate and ship returns, with the business providing them with real-time visibility into their returns and refund status. For businesses, visibility into returned inventory and status of returned items is important for accurate revenue recognition, reselling, and inventory planning. Automating returns management boosts efficiency for your teams, while also reducing the stress associated with returns for your customers.

2. Flexible return options

Offering a variety of return options, such as buy online, return in-store, allows you to ensure you’re keeping all your customers happy. With automation, you can guarantee that when an item is returned in store, it is updated across your inventory management and other key systems. This flexibility caters to customer preferences and encourages them to make purchases with confidence, knowing there’s an easy way to return items should they need to.

3. Communication

By integrating your customer support tools with other core systems, you can ensure your customers receive real-time visibility into their returns. You can also leverage chatbots for 24/7 assistance to handle frequent questions and concerns about the return process. This constant availability can ease customer apprehensions and strengthen their relationship with your brand.

4. Operational stress

During the holiday season, retailers often face spiking order volumes. Automation can relieve this operational stress by handling repetitive processes and ensuring that staff can focus on more complex issues that require their expertise. This improves employee satisfaction and enhances customer interactions, leading to a more positive experience overall.

5. Personalization

With customer data automatically syncing between your core systems, you gain access to the holistic information you need to personalize the return experience. Analyze purchase history, product issues, and customer interaction patterns to tailor specific return policies to different demographics. For example, younger shoppers who engage more frequently with mobile devices might appreciate a streamlined app experience, while older generations may prefer traditional email notifications.

Ensuring positive return experiences

The holiday season is not just about sales, it’s about creating loyal customers. With effective gift returns, retailers can cultivate a sense of trust and reliability. As we gear up for the holidays, leverage automation strategies to enhance operational efficiency and create positive customer experiences. 

The holiday shopping landscape may be evolving, but one thing remains clear: putting the customer at the heart of your return process can make a world of difference.

To learn more about how your business can elevate the holiday shopper experience, check out our Holiday Shopping Trends Report 2024.