ParcelLab Launches Digital Returns Portal and Post-Purchase Communications

ParcelLab has unveiled a new product that transforms the returns, warranty and exchange process from paper to digital.

The new product, Retain, offers consumers a seamless returns experience while providing brands with flexibility and customization options to reduce costs and increase revenue, the global provider of post-purchase customer experience software said in a Thursday (Aug. 24) press release.

Retain features a digital returns portal that allows customers to register their returns, obtain a label or QR code, and track their returns, according to the release. Personalized emails and a customized Returns Status Page offer continuous post-purchase communication.

The product is supported by ParcelLab’s infrastructure, which integrates various data sources to provide brands with visibility into the post-purchase journey, the release said. Retain’s data model lets retailers personalize returns experiences, manage multi-shipment returns, present content-specific return reasons, equip customer service agents with returns process overrides and deliver targeted content by customer segment.

Retailers who have adopted the product have seen an increase in customer retention and fewer returns, per the release.

ParcelLab founder and CEO Tobias Buxhoidt said in the release that there is an opportunity for retailers to turn potential customer dissatisfaction into revenue retention. With Retain, brands can minimize costs, maximize repeat purchases and engage customers with white-labeled brand communications that provide transparency into the returns process.

PYMNTS research has found that returns are an integral part of the shopping experience, as roughly 66% of U.S. shoppers said they had used returns by mail or in-store.

In addition, 96% of shoppers review return policies before making a purchase, according to the “2023 Global Digital Shopping Index,” a PYMNTS and Cybersource collaboration.

Focusing on returns as a loyalty driver can enhance a brand’s reputation, Loop CEO Jonathan Poma told PYMNTS in an interview posted Aug. 1. A seamless returns process shows a brand’s confidence in the quality and reliability of its products, demonstrates its dedication to its customers’ needs and reassures customers about their purchases, Poma said.

In the future, returns policies will be personalized, taking into account the value and potential of individual customers, Poma added at the time. The process will also be optimized via data from warehouses and third-party logistics.

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