Return to sender

Outsourcing and logistics services company Prolog recently carried out a survey on 31 online retailers to establish how fulfilment is conducted throughout the UK and the fulfilment service experienced by their customers. With 100 orders placed in a variety of e-retail sectors, the study found that returns communication was particularly poor, leading potentially to confusion and the need for repeated customer contact, adding significant cost to the returns process. Here are some of its main findings relating to returns:

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Four out of 10 online retailers offered free postage on returns

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50 percent of the time, consumers had to obtain an authorisation code before sending the item back

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Only 40 percent of emails contained the value of credit customers could expect to receive

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Only three out of 10 emails contained a contact telephone number

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More than half, 60 percent, of emails failed to expressly state the refund timescale.