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Contrary to popular belief, the phrase "if you're not satisfied, we'll give you your money back" is nothing more than a marketing gimmick. The law says nothing about this. Therefore, no physical establishment is obligated to accept returns or exchanges of its products simply because the customer is no longer satisfied. Despite this, many brands choose to have a more consumer-friendly policy, incorporating these types of practices, but the only thing physical stores are really obligated to do is issue a refund when the product is damaged.
The situation changes with e-commerce returns, as legally and generally, customers have a 14-day right of withdrawal to return the product at no additional cost and without having to specify a reason. Based on this, it's important that both this and other return policies established by the company are communicated to consumers on the website . This can be on a dedicated page and/or on the product page itself.
The reason is simple: on the one hand, this will generate email database more confidence in consumers who have doubts and encourage them to make a purchase, and on the other hand, it will discourage interested buyers who tend to return products without justification. In other words, it will increase your conversion rates and reduce the potential return costs that may arise. In fact, according to a Reveni report, 93.88% of respondents say they would not make a purchase if the return policies were complicated or nonexistent.
When implementing this return policy section on your website, it's important to comply with current regulations and clearly state for consumers aspects such as: the return period, the conditions under which it will be accepted, how the process will work, the cost, and whether it will be a refund or exchange.
What about free returns?
Many e-commerce companies claim that one of their weaknesses is their free return policy, which leads to an increase in returns and makes them unsustainable both economically and environmentally. In fact, according to May López, a professor at EAE Business School, 40% of consumers admit to purchasing products with the intention of returning them.
To avoid this, many companies are opting to eliminate their free return policies. But how does this fit into the legal withdrawal period?
The 14-calendar-day withdrawal period is a general rule, with exceptions and specifications. As such, many companies are choosing to apply them, placing more conditions on free returns than before, resulting in fewer customers being eligible for them.
For example, according to the European
Consumer Centre , if the customer has not chosen the least expensive delivery method, they will be responsible for the return costs, provided they have been duly informed of this.
As you can see, the topic of returns is somewhat complex, but to offer good conditions that benefit both your customers and your company, we recommend contacting legal experts who can advise you on creating a clear, legal, and beneficial return policy.
Common reasons for returns in ecommerce
As a business, it's helpful to know the most common reasons for returns. Knowing this information can help you implement changes to your products or processes that will lead to significantly fewer returns.
At this point, we're going to focus especially on clothing and footwear stores, which are the ones that experience the most returns in Spain according to Statista , followed by handbags and accessories, electronic products, and household appliances.
The situation changes with e-commerce returns, as legally and generally, customers have a 14-day right of withdrawal to return the product at no additional cost and without having to specify a reason. Based on this, it's important that both this and other return policies established by the company are communicated to consumers on the website . This can be on a dedicated page and/or on the product page itself.
The reason is simple: on the one hand, this will generate email database more confidence in consumers who have doubts and encourage them to make a purchase, and on the other hand, it will discourage interested buyers who tend to return products without justification. In other words, it will increase your conversion rates and reduce the potential return costs that may arise. In fact, according to a Reveni report, 93.88% of respondents say they would not make a purchase if the return policies were complicated or nonexistent.
When implementing this return policy section on your website, it's important to comply with current regulations and clearly state for consumers aspects such as: the return period, the conditions under which it will be accepted, how the process will work, the cost, and whether it will be a refund or exchange.
What about free returns?
Many e-commerce companies claim that one of their weaknesses is their free return policy, which leads to an increase in returns and makes them unsustainable both economically and environmentally. In fact, according to May López, a professor at EAE Business School, 40% of consumers admit to purchasing products with the intention of returning them.
To avoid this, many companies are opting to eliminate their free return policies. But how does this fit into the legal withdrawal period?
The 14-calendar-day withdrawal period is a general rule, with exceptions and specifications. As such, many companies are choosing to apply them, placing more conditions on free returns than before, resulting in fewer customers being eligible for them.
For example, according to the European
Consumer Centre , if the customer has not chosen the least expensive delivery method, they will be responsible for the return costs, provided they have been duly informed of this.
As you can see, the topic of returns is somewhat complex, but to offer good conditions that benefit both your customers and your company, we recommend contacting legal experts who can advise you on creating a clear, legal, and beneficial return policy.
Common reasons for returns in ecommerce
As a business, it's helpful to know the most common reasons for returns. Knowing this information can help you implement changes to your products or processes that will lead to significantly fewer returns.
At this point, we're going to focus especially on clothing and footwear stores, which are the ones that experience the most returns in Spain according to Statista , followed by handbags and accessories, electronic products, and household appliances.
