Why do startups need software dedicated to returns? Because returns are costly. Not only are they complicated to handle individually, without an automated system in place, but they also end up costing businesses more than just money.
Struggling startups often find that returns can cripple their revenue stream and create a new challenge in customer satisfaction.
Running a B2C business can be really difficult if you don’t understand how logistics and more importantly, reverse logistics work. Reverse logistics revolves around reducing stress on business resources, customer complaints, and service departments when it comes to processing returns.
This is where a Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) or returns software for startups can be very valuable. Think of them as online applications that seamlessly integrate with your store and take full responsibility for executing returns and exchanges.
What is Returns Software?
To better understand whether an RMA is a tool you need, let’s first look at what a typical RMA software can do.
As the name suggests, authorizing merchandise returns and automating the reverse logistics process is a simple explanation for the capabilities of an RMA. However, there’s much more to it.
This software can offer to take care of your customers and address their grievances without burdening your business resources with complaints and queries.
RMA tools can also provide you with inventory management modules or integration capabilities to sync with your current IMS (Inventory Management System).
They come fully equipped to take your business dealings to the cloud and offer each of your customers a separate portal to distinctively and discreetly handle their cases individually and work with predefined exchanging terms and conditions to streamline your business operations.
In fact, these supply chain management tools can even automate communication between your warehouses, production plants and retail stores as various parties file for returns and exchanges.
Whether you’re looking to discard products, restore or recycle them or just looking to repurpose them, you can automate each individual process separately.Â
The main objective? Customer satisfaction and ensuring business reputation. To help you choose, here’s a list of the best returns software for startups that you should check out:
Best Returns Software for Startups
First, let’s look at the best options in the market that can be trusted on account of their experience and credibility in the industry.
Happy Returns
Founded In: 2015, Los Angeles, California
Happy Returns is one of the best returns management systems that has been launched by none other than PayPal itself. The payment processing giant has utilized its years of experience in the industry to understand and enhance returns and refund processing and offered businesses 5000+ Return Bars.
These Return Bars act like fulfillment centers offering reverse logistics for companies that have high returns. Happy Returns provides companies a variety of options to process returns and exchanges including online portals, store delivery or even mail.
Offering such a combination to customers has revolutionized business for companies like Parachute, Pink Blush, and Revolve. Rothy’s, Steve Madden, Everlane and even Gymshark are reputable clients that have chosen Happy Returns for its marvelous array of services.
Just because it’s owned by PayPal, doesn’t mean that you have to use the whole payment processing system to make use of Happy Returns. In fact, your customers can process returns and exchanges regardless of the payment method they used on their portal, for free.
This returns management system can single handedly save 40% of an organization’s budget that’s spent on processing returns. How?
In addition to the factors mentioned above, Happy Returns’ reverse logistics allow businesses to pile up returned inventories and ship them in bulk which ultimately helps reduce shipping costs significantly.
Also, Happy Returns offers custom ERP and warehouse integrations and the privilege of having a customer success manager.
All in all, Happy Returns is a great option for small and medium-sized businesses that don’t operate on an enormous scale or deal in a wide variety of products.
Top Features:
- Unlimited Monthly Return Volume
- Return Policy Customization
- One-Click Exchange by Variant
- 3PL Integrations
- USPS, FedEx, UPS and More Carrier Options
- Global Shipping Options
- Branded Package Tracking Page
Loop
Founded In: 2017, Columbus, Ohio
Loop Returns is another reputable player in the market that has been designed for Shopify stores. It offers incredible control over returns management features that automate most repetitive tasks.
By offering one of the most cutting-edge and user-friendly interfaces for customers and vendors, Loop attracts most of its clients with its famous slogan, ‘Turning Disappointment into Dollars’.
With the likes of Chubbies, Nisolo, Love Your Melon, Barbell Apparel, Live Sozy, and many other clients in the Loop Return’s portfolio, it’s easy to understand the hype by looking at some of the top features offered by the software.
The primary goal achieved by using Loop is optimizing returns to turn them into exchanges, something that has led Loop to help clients save over 700 million dollars.
This is achieved by utilizing the subtle and seamless interface of the software that automatically entices customers to choose better variants for exchanges rather than returns. Â
When adamant to return, customers can then be offered store credit in the form of Shopify Gift Cards, meaning they’ll eventually come back for more, thereby securing your revenue.
Negotiated rates, packaging, labeling and more make it clear that Loop prioritizes customer convenience and business requirements efficiently. Â
Starting with the labeling of the product package, Loop allows businesses to track their inventory in real-time, making it easier for customers to hand in packages without frustrating themselves over lost receipts, boxes or labels.
And like all modern cloud-based tools, Loop also offers state of the art integrations with custom ERPs, making it easier for businesses of every size to revolutionize their returns management quickly. Â
Top Features:
- Exchange Optimization
- Advanced Approval Rules & Automations
- Auto-Refund
- Credit Management
- WMS, E-Commerce, and OMS integrations
- Shipping and Inventory Tracking
Returnly
Founded In: 2012, San Francisco, CaliforniaÂ
Returnly has garnered significant attention over the past few years for being a comprehensive package of automation features that make managing returns and increasing revenue simpler and easier.
Providing an in-app returns center that manages labels, facilitates self-onboarding and delivers crucial business insights in the form of RMA reports, sales data analytics and revenue predictions, Returnly makes for a complete set of carefully curated tools to simplify e-commerce.
Returnly allows you to define sets of nested return reasons and automate returns and exchanges with a unique interface design. The interface encourages and appeals to customers even when they’re stressed and frustrated with wrong deliveries.
The reason Returnly stands out from the competition is that the platform takes on the risk when offering customers returns even before the product is shipped back.
Not only does this help generate substantial trust in the brand, but it also proves effective in prompting an immediate exchange from the same store.
It’s no secret that Returnly has helped businesses increase revenue by increasing shopper spending by at least 30%, offering a total return value of almost 125 million dollars.
Companies like UNTUCKit, ThirdLove, Outdoor Voices, Fanatics, Supergoop! and Raen have experienced the return optimization process offered by Returnly firsthand, recommending it to all small to medium-sized businesses around the world.
Top Features:
- Returnly App
- Instant Exchanges along with Different Priced Exchanges
- Policy Controls
- International Returns
- Returnly Credit
- Custom Integrations
- Green and In-store Returns
- API Access and Product Recommendations
Narvar Shipping
Founded In: 2012, San Francisco, CaliforniaÂ
If you haven’t checked out Narvar, you should. Chances are that you might become a part of the 1100+ global clientele that is more than satisfied with the post-purchase-centric customer experience platform.
The platform comes with more than just cloud-based automation features that allow custom integrations, with the company offering 200,000+ drop-off locations.
With a growing number of physical locations and clientele, the organization aims to reduce the hassle it takes to ship products back from customers to vendors.
Narvar doesn’t just make it convenient for customers to shop but also works with defined rules for automating returns and exchanges. This is how it has gained its reputation for being an exchange optimizer for online, in-store and even wholesale purchases.
Seamlessly integrate this marvel of a returns software with your OMS, WMS, IMS or even 3PL systems and get immediate tracking abilities, push notifications, and credible business insights to make better informed business decisions.
Narvar also comes with flexible shipping management, a feature that allows businesses to manage deliveries by rerouting goods and providing detailed instructions to reduce delivery times and make customers happy with fulfillment optimization.
Convenience reaches new heights when customers are given the chance to reschedule deliveries when they’re sure of their unavailability for the initially scheduled delivery or pick-up.
Once purchased, products can be returned or exchanged through Narvar by providing item-level visibility and multi-shipping transparency to customers and vendors alike. This has helped gain traction from shoppers who like knowing what will be delivered.
Top Features:
- Multiple Tracking Pages
- Exchange and Refund Automation
- Advanced Policy Controls and Nested Condition Supported
- Tracking and API Webhook
- Custom Integrations
- Customer Feedback Surveys
New Returns Software in the Market for Startups
The above are some of the biggest players in the market that are definitely worth checking out. However, when met with costs, certain businesses might feel the need to explore other options.
Here’s a list of contemporary and cutting-edge boasting returns management software that you can look into:
Return Logic
Founded In: 2014, Carlisle, United Kingdom
Designed for Shopify stores and gaining a significant reputation in the platform’s market, Return Logic is a returns management software that makes your whole return and exchange process seamless.
This means that your tool will identify which cases need to be processed for returns and which can be returned to offer store credit and/or gifts to ensure customer satisfaction.
Businesses can even offer custom warranty support options for select products and provide customers with the attention and support they need.
Return Logic goes on to make things even easier by allowing shoppers to instantly print out labels for return shipping and offering businesses full customization capability.
This allows businesses to implement fees and conditions that work best for them and reduce the chances of revenue going out the window.Â
One of the most helpful ways this is done is by letting businesses define the rules and conditions that are to be checked every time a customer returns a product.
By asking for information and saving customer profiles, not only can you identify patterns to catch fraudulent transactions, but you can also route customer feedback to concerned departments. With careful integrations in cloud software, this means key business analytics and insights.
Companies like Homefield have made use of this particular feature firsthand as per their testimonial while others such as Darn Good Yarn have endorsed Return Logic for its simplicity which results in reducing the number of hours a single employee would take to process all returns and exchanges.
Return Rabbit
Return Rabbit, formerly known as AspenCX is another returns management software worthy of attention as the platform offers businesses the opportunity to process 200 monthly shipments for free!
Optimizing sales and returns by providing intrusion-free touch points to prompt immediate exchanges, Return Rabbit ensures a branded online presence for tracking and lookup.
This tool also allows vendors to customize their tech stack by integrating with 100+ carriers and automating the process while collecting and analyzing data to present KPIs and insights to further optimize your operations. Â
This tool allows stores to customize their terms and conditions and take every advantage they can get to reduce revenue loss when processing returns and exchanges. One of the ways Return Rabbit can help startups is by automating multiple return methods specified by vendors.
Some of the clients currently working with Return Rabbit include PAWZ and Honeylove, along with other e-commerce platforms that have witnessed substantial growth in revenue.
Which Returns Software is Best for Your Startup?
There are several returns management software in the market other than those described above including 12Return, ReturnGo and Rocket Return. And like the offerings described above, these tools are enhanced with state of the art features that aid the returns process in their own unique way.
What works particularly well for your business will depend upon your specific business niche and requirements per your current supply chain and infrastructure. Your business size and operational scale will also be factors to consider when making such a decision.
To help you optimize your sales and revenue, let Izba’s consultants discuss your business requirements and suggest the best course of action. Our years of experience in supply chain management will undoubtedly prove advantageous.Â
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