examples of powerful automations.

Automations explained.

Automations are based on triggers, conditions and actions. With triggers you can specify on which moments in your return proces you’d like to deploy an action. With conditions you can specify for which returns these actions apply and with an action you tell the Automation what needs to happen. 

No return process is the same, we understand that. That's why there are numerous options and variations to choose from. This is great, because it means that there is a suitable Automation for every process. The counterpart to this is that it can be difficult to set up Automations that fit your situation. Later in this blog you’ll find examples of powerful Automations, but first, let’s start at the beginning.

Triggers

When you start setting up an Automation, it is important that you choose a trigger that will activate the Automation. There are numerous triggers, but some popular ones are:

• Return created: The return has been registered by the customer.
• Shipment created: A return label has been created.
• Shipment shipped: The return parcel is en route.
• Shipment delivered: The return parcel is delivered at your warehouse.

Find a full overview of all the triggers here.

Conditions

To ensure the right group of returns is selected it is optional to specify the conditions. You can choose from a lot of different variables, such as:

• Amount of customer returns: The number of times a customer has returned something to your webshop.
• Customer country: The country where the return is coming from.
• Delivery date: The date of the delivery of the order.
• Product category / brand / SKU: The type or brand from the returned product.

There are many more conditions to choose from. You can find them all here.

Actions

When the desired condition(s) and triggers are matched, then the Automation or Return rule will start and an action can be deployed. A few possible actions are:

• Create refund / coupon / giftcard: Automatically create a refund, coupon or giftcard for the order.
• Add note for customer: A specified note template will automatically be added and send to the customer.
• Change return status: Change a return status or add custom ones, such as New, En route, Delivered, Checked, Refunded, etc.
• Mark as received: Set all items in the return as received, so you are able to mark the items as back in stock or not.

Find out more possible actions here.

Examples of Automations.

Now that we've ticked off the basics, we can go a little deeper with our Automations. These Automations are really going to help you speed up your work.

Automatic return status updates

During your return proces a return goes through different fases, such as En route, Delivered at your warehouse, Checked, etc. Returnless gives you suggestions of Automations, but you can also add custom ones. With Automations you can change these return statuses automatically. 

Some examples:

Automatic refunds 

Have you received the return parcel back at your warehouse? If so, you may want to trigger a refund. Once the parcel is scanned and received by your warehouse team, you can automatically trigger the refund. This way, the package can be returned to stock and your return is finalized instantly upon receipt. Below is an example of how to set up this automation:

With automatic refunds you decide when to trigger them, this can even happen right after your customer submits their initial return request. The question is, whether this is desirable within your return process. With delivery to the parcel point you have a relatively fail-safe solution that is fast and less susceptible to fraud. 

Automatic exchanges with giftcards and coupons 

Did your customer choose to exchange their product for a giftcard or coupon code with store credit when they registered the return? You can automate this as well. Similar to instant Refunds, you can generate a giftcard or coupon code right away upon delivery from the parcel point. In this Automation you can also label the return with a 'coupon' or 'giftcard'. So in your return overview you can see for which returns this option was chosen. Check out this automation below:

Examples of Return rules.

Reject items that can’t be returned

In some cases customers can’t return an item, for example in case of hygiene products, custom products or simply because the return period has passed. In these cases you want to reject this return as soon as a customer start filling the return form. With a return rule on item level you can easily reject specific items and after a certain to prevent them from coming back. Some examples below:

Free returns based on retained order value or customer loyalty

We always advise to be smart about implement shipping costs for their returns. Make paid returns your standard policy, and "reward" your customers with a free return label when specific conditions are met. That way, instead of being the norm, you make free returns a service that you offer by exception. A great example of this is to offer free returns when a customer retains at least €75,- of their initial order value, chooses for a coupon instead of refund or is a loyal customer and almost never returns something. Check out how to set up this return rule in Returnless below: