Key Points:

  • Return rates in eCommerce have risen to an industry average of 25% and reached up to 40% in the apparel vertical
  • You can now pre-generate USPS return shipping labels at the time of outbound shipment generation, for free
  • If you have a Premier or Enterprise Easyship plan, you can toggle on Pre-generated Return Labels in your Easyship account at the time of shipment creation

Returns are a double whammy for merchants. You’ve already lost a sale, and now you might also lose a loyal customer due to the inherent friction in the returns process.

In recent years, return rates in eCommerce have risen to an industry average of 25%, and reached up to 40% in the apparel vertical. Meanwhile, modern shoppers expect returns to be as seamless as purchasing, or they may say goodbye forever.

With time and money on the line, Easyship offers a new feature for easy returns management: Pre-generated Return Labels.

This feature allows you to print USPS domestic return labels for free at the time of outbound shipment generation, but only pay for the label in the case of a return. Now you can simplify returns for all US domestic shipments to boost retention with a streamlined experience, without any risk.

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The Challenge of eCommerce Returns

The friction inherent to eCommerce returns is a thorn in the paw of millions of merchants. For all but the largest companies, returns management involves, upon customer request, emailing out a return label to be printed, attached, and mailed back. Not exactly seamless. Most surveyed shoppers would agree, saying they’ll defect from a brand whose returns process is anything but seamless.

Best practices for eCommerce returns suggest you include a return label in your original shipment. By removing a few steps from the returns process for customers, the reasoning goes, you leave the door open for a future purchase. In a perfect world, you could include return shipping labels in all shipments but only pay for them once the return label was used.

The No-Fuss Fix for USPS Returns

You can now pre-generate return shipping labels at the time of outbound shipment generation, for free. Include the return label in your outbound shipment, and you’ll only be charged for the label that gets used for a return. This service applies to USPS First Class and USPS Priority Mail when shipping domestically.

Effectively, this eliminates the financial risk of returns while ensuring a superior experience for customers. If a label gets used, you’ll save on rates thanks to Easyship’s discounted Commercial Plus Pricing for all USPS services:

  • Save up to 65% on First Class Mail return labels
  • Save up to 89% on Priority Mail return labels

If you have a Premier or Enterprise Easyship plan, you can toggle on Pre-generated Return Labels in your Easyship account at the time of shipment creation, or better yet, add a shipping rule to automate the process.

Once a shipment has the option of ‘Include a return label’ has been selected for a shipment, when you generate your shipping labels, we will automatically include a return shipping label, along with your shipping label, customer invoice, and packing slip. Your account will only be charged once the return label has been scanned.

Automated labels simplify returns for customers. With a return label on hand, buyers just attach the label and ship it back. No need to email you for service help, no cause for frustration. With Pre-generated returns, you preserve the goodwill toward your brand even if the purchase didn’t work out as hoped. Additionally, you can market this no-strings returns policy to customers, who say they favor brands with transparent policies.

Ready to ship with Pre-generated return labels? Upgrade to a Premier Easyship Plan and read the full support article on how to get started.