Tis the Season for Holiday Returns

[mandy]

Gift returns can be a hassle for consumers, but for retailers they pose a daunting logistical challenge, requiring speedy adjustments throughout the pipeline as consumers are reimbursed and products are returned to inventory...

Even during the rest of the year, there's a gap between expectations and delivery, she added: 53 percent of consumers expect to be able to make returns and exchanges to any channel, for example -- no matter how they bought the product -- yet only 42 percent of retailers make that possible.

Gaps like that don't bode well for future sales either. Easy returns are consistently in consumers' top five requirements for a good shopping experience...

Even more compelling: One-third of consumers say that if they encounter a problem during the shopping process -- such as unsatisfactory handling of a return -- they're unlikely to shop with that retailer again in any channel...

full article: http://ecommercetimes.com/story/Holiday-...60249.html