A shopper-focused return policy requires many components. It should clearly outline how to initiate a return, set expectations around the process, and encourage exchanges over refunds.

Learn more about how important your return policy is in The Future of Shopper Experience.

But once you finally capture all that information on paper, how do you translate it into a well-structured returns page? One that provides value to your shoppers instead of frustrating them?

A great returns policy page design lies in the four “I’s” framework. These are the elements of a top-notch return policy page: 

• Informative: Does your return policy page contain key information without overwhelming the customer?
• Intuitive: Is your return policy clear about what a customer needs to do to initiate a refund or exchange?
• Inclusive: Does the return policy page account for all possible return scenarios?
• Instant: Can the shopper quickly take action and initiate a return on the return policy page? 

Through this article we will show you a few example return policy pages that have applied this framework beautifully.

The value of a clear return policy page

Customer acquisition is hard… and expensive. You need conversion to be high, and retention even higher still.  A clear return policy page helps with both, because 67% of shoppers are checking your return policy to determine if they are going to make a purchase.

Read more: Reverse logistics in ecommerce—what customers want

A well-designed ecommerce returns page can provide the affirmation a customer needs to seal the deal. All it takes is an understanding of the elements that make up a top-notch page.

Now let’s show you a few examples of great ecommerce brands that follow the four “I’s” framework with their returns pages.

A return policy page that’s informative: Allbirds

Allbirds has a fantastic returns page that’s informative. It highlights the most important details—such as the gist of their policy and which items don’t qualify for returns—but doesn’t overwhelm the shopper with a wall of text.

A few tips on how to design an informative return policy page:

• Avoid the dreaded “wall of text.” Nothing will cause a shopper to shut down faster than a large block of text. While it’s not wrong to have your full policy laid out somewhere, the returns page should be kept simple. Notice how Allbirds captures all the key points in seven short sentences. Challenge yourself to do the same and boil down the important aspects of your policy into a brief paragraph or a few bullets.
• Gear language to a shopper, not a lawyer. Your shopper shouldn’t need a legal background to interpret your returns page. Keep your language clear and simple. And don’t be afraid to adopt a fun, engaging tone (if it aligns with your brand) to make the information easier to digest—just as Allbirds does on its page.

A return policy page that’s intuitive: Brooklinen

Brooklinen has a great example of an intuitive return policy page. Looking at this return policy page, it’s self-evident what a shopper needs to do to initiate any type of return. No explanation or guide required. 

A few tips on how to design an intuitive return policy page:

• Organize your return policy page. Visually organize your return policy page the way Brooklinen does and show shoppers exactly where they need to go. This creates a much more pleasant experience than having a shopper wade through a page of FAQs to uncover the return policy information they need. 
• Have clear CTAs. A clear CTA—whether it’s in the form of a button or highlighted text—steers customers in the direction they need to go to resolve their issue. Without these clear signals, your customers may get confused about how to initiate a return. This can lead them to reach out to your support team and use up their valuable time for a process that could have been automated.

A return policy page that’s inclusive: Mizzen + Main

Mizzen + Main showcases a return policy page that’s inclusive. As you can see, the page clearly lays out all the possible options for shoppers: one where they return or exchange the item online, and one where they return your item in person. 

A few tips on how to design an inclusive return policy page:

• Consider all scenarios. Depending on your business, there will be different paths your shopper can take for returns. For instance: domestic versus international returns, exchanges versus refunds, online versus in-person. Every potential scenario should be represented on your returns page. Otherwise, you risk leaving your shoppers with unanswered questions and no way forward.
• Keep everything on one page. Don’t send your shoppers on a wild goose chase to hunt down the information they need. In other words, don’t have information about online returns in a separate place from information about in-person returns. House everything on a single return policy page to make everything as accessible and discoverable as possible.

A return policy page that’s instant: Chubbies

The Chubbies returns page allows shoppers to take instant action on their returns. As we highlighted in the example above, a shopper can initiate a return simply by clicking on the hyperlinked text. This takes them to the start of the returns and exchanges process.

A few tips on how to design a return policy page that lets shoppers take action instantly:

• Provide a one-click option. Instead of forcing shoppers to manually reach out to the support team, allow them to initiate the returns process with one click. This significantly reduces friction for the shopper and frees up more of your support team’s time.
• Integrate with Loop. One of the benefits of using Loop is that it allows shoppers to quickly and seamlessly move from your return page and into the return process. Everything, from initiating the process to approving returns, is done automatically.

While it’s important to have a killer return policy, it’s just as critical to build a return policy page that conveys the content as clearly as possible. By following the four “I’s” framework, you’ll be able to design a return policy page that highlights the best aspects of your return policy and inspires confidence to buy in your shoppers.

Want to optimize your policy and returns policy page? We would love to show you how. Just get in touch with our team.