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Introduction to Shopify returns
Having an e-commerce business on Shopify comes with its quirks and eccentricities. You can offer many types of products in your Shopify store. These can also include product bundles and combo offers during seasonal sales.
A common feature of any online business, be it Shopify or elsewhere, is product returns. Customers return products for multiple reasons, from quality issues to changing their minds. Whatever the reasons, your Shopify business needs to offer returns on purchases for its growth.
However, when the product slated for return is not a single product but a product bundle, the process gets a little more complicated. Before we jump into how your Shopify store can offer bundle returns to your customers, let's first understand what we mean by product bundles.
What are bundle returns?
Product bundles refer to the packaging of multiple products into a collection or a bundle sold as a single unit by retailers.
Sellers typically use product bundling to maximise profits while clearing off their inventories. For the buyers, too, the cost of product bundles is usually lesser than the price of each item, increasing their lucrativeness.
While there are many types of bundles that sellers can create, some of these bundles contain products that cannot work without each other, for instance, grooming kits or makeup sets.
On the other hand, other product bundles consist of complementary products that work well with or without each other.
How to offer bundle returns for your Shopify store?
Offering product bundles can be an excellent opportunity for growing your Shopify retail store. However, when customers place return requests for a product bundle, the reverse logistics of it can be quite a hassle.
Multiple challenges plague the operation, from increasing inventory levels to the lack of knowledge regarding the reasons for return. But by following a few simple steps, you can improve the efficiency of your bundle returns system. These measures are:
1) Setting up a bundle returns policy and bundles management system
The first step to offering bundle returns on your Shopify Store is to create a returns policy for Bundle purchases and set up a separate chain of operations to handle bundle returns.
You can customise your returns policy on Shopify to integrate bundle orders. A different bundles management system would ensure that return requests for bundle purchases are handled faster and that these products are not mixed in with products that can be purchased individually.
2) Analysing the requirements of the target audience
The market you cater to is a lynchpin in deciding which bundles are more popular than others. Offering the bundles your customer base is more likely to buy increases your sales and reduces the chances of return requests being placed.
A lesser number of return requests speeds up the process and makes it easier to handle bundle returns, freeing you up to analyse the reasons why some bundles are returned more than others.
A customer feedback form while placing bundle return requests would help you pinpoint the exact reason for the return.
3) Creating Stock Keeping Units(SKU) for the bundles
Shopify allows you to create a single unit for a bundle that represents all the products offered with the parent product straight on the app. A single SKU makes it easier for buyers to buy the bundle and makes it simpler to manage bundle returns through an automated inventory management system.
4) Offering single-product bundle returns
Bundle returns come at the cost of the return of the entire bundle, making it harder to figure out which product prompted the return. Offering single-product returns allows your customers to return the defective product and decide the mode of return based on their needs. Automation of the process would increase its efficiency and improve customer experience.
5) Using Third-party apps
You can simplify your job using third-party apps on your Shopify store to handle bundle returns. Each of these apps comes with unique features, different user interfaces, bundle types, and a returns policy that you can customise per your business needs. You can even use returns management softwares, like ClickPost, to manage your bundle returns efficiently.
Top 5 types of Shopify bundles
While there are many types of bundles that you can offer on your Shopify store, some of these are more popular than others. The top five types of bundles that sellers typically offer on Shopify include:
1) Manual bundles or Automated bundles
Manual bundles are those bundles that a customer creates by themselves based on their choice from a set group of products. On the other hand, automated bundles are pre-decided product collections from which the customer cannot remove any product.
2) Frequently Bought Together bundles
These bundles are based on a shared product variant, such as socks offered along with shoes. Frequently bought-together or variant-based bundles use an integrated metric of what the seller wants to offer and what other customers have previously ordered with that particular product.
3) Mix and Match bundles
Mix and match bundles give your customers greater autonomy over the bundles they buy. Usually offered during seasonal sales, these bundles help in understanding the preferences of your customer base, helping you improve your product bundles in the future.
4) Combo product bundles
Combo product bundles are a collection of products that typically do not work without each other or are complementary to the parent product.
5) BOGO bundles
Arguably the most popular bundles during the festive season, buy-one-get-one bundles offer a discounted or free item on purchasing a particular product. BOGO bundles are a great way of clearing your inventory during the festive season while providing your customers with a sense of cost-effectiveness.
Advantages of offering bundle returns
A clear return policy covering bundle purchases is a significant advantage for your Shopify retail store. Despite the costs associated with product returns, accepting bundle return requests significantly impacts other spheres of business.
1) Increased sales
Customers are more likely to buy a product when they have the assurance of a return if they change their minds. The same idea works for bundle orders as well; customers are more likely to buy a product bundle when they have the option of returning it if they change their mind.
2) Raised brand awareness
Product bundle returns improve not only your business rates but also your brand perception in front of customers. Buyers are more likely to return to and recommend your Shopify business when they feel your brand understands their demands and needs.
3) Improved customer experience
Having to return an order usually sours the buying experience for the customer. However, having an easy-to-use interface for handling bundle returns makes returning bundle orders a hassle-free business for your buyers. This, in turn, improves your customer service resulting in happier customers.
Conclusion
Product bundles are an excellent marketing strategy to lure customers into buying more with each purchase. Offering bundles on your Shopify store boosts your average order value, reduces stagnant inventory, and provides value for price to your customers.
When buyers place return requests for bundle purchases, the issue of managing returns comes to the fore. By employing specific simple measures to handle bundle requests, you can ensure faster reverse logistics and an improved buying experience.
With a better perception of your brand, customers will be more likely to purchase more from your Shopify store, increasing your profits and business.
FAQs
1) How do you offer bundles on Shopify?
You can offer bundles on your Shopify business by creating SKUs that you can list directly on your store or using Shopify scripts, which are small pieces of code which can be used to customise bundle specifics during checkout. You can use third-party apps to customise the bundles you offer while providing a unique user experience to your customers.
2) Is price bundling effective in increasing sales?
Price bundling sells two or more products for a single price, usually lower than the price of individual items in the bundle. The strategy not only helps you offer more value for a single price but also improves customer loyalty, increasing the growth of your business.
3) How do you reduce the cost of return for bundle returns?
Bundle returns work just like average product returns. To reduce the cost of returns, try to make as few mistakes as possible in the order, lessening returns altogether. Include good-quality pictures of the products included in the bundle, and list their specifications. Upon receiving return requests, you can offer your customers the option to exchange the defective product from the bundle for the same product.