How to avoid a high RTS rate in your online business

A high return-to-sender (RTS) rate is a common challenge that many E-commerce merchants encounter. In fact, approximately 30% of online purchases end up as returns. This can happen for various reasons, such as delivery delays, damaged products, or incorrect orders. 

Here are helpful ways on how to avoid RTS in your online business.

Choose the right courier

Choosing the right courier is an important step in avoiding returned packages. You should consider its past performance and the areas they cover, and not just its affordability. Investing in a good courier will help you avoid an increased RTS rate brought about by poor delivery service.  

It’s also important to take note of how many delivery attempts your courier can make. Ideally, you partner with a courier that has 2-3 delivery attempts. This is just in case your customer won’t be able to receive their package the first time around.

Validate customer details

Orders from fake buyers can increase your RTS rate significantly. That’s why you should first validate each customer to make sure they’re placing a legitimate order. You can do this by calling them or confirming their orders before preparing them for delivery. 

You should also call your customers in case they have incomplete address details, just to lessen your chances of sending a package to the wrong place.

Use the right packaging

Poor packaging increases the chances of your products getting damaged, so make sure to do it the right way. Use package fillers, make sure your items don’t move around, and seal your package well!

Offer reliable customer service

Customers want to know that you’ll be there for them when they need you. By providing reliable customer service, you can address any of their queries or concerns. It also gives you an opportunity to establish trust and credibility with your customers.

Provide accurate product descriptions

Providing detailed product descriptions and high-quality pictures on your selling platform is a must. By doing this, you show customers exactly what they’re getting, and they’re less likely to return your products.

Identify reasons for returns

A high RTS rate lessens your profit, so take note of why your packages are getting returned in the first place. This way, you can identify how to better prevent returns for  future transactions.

Looking for an E-commerce partner to lower your RTS rate? Payo is the answer!

We take care of everything — from CoD Integration to Last Mile Management — so your customers have a great experience from cart to delivery. Trust Payo to help you ship your products smarter, faster and cheaper! 

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