Return policy – How the French TOP 50 is coping with the COVID-19 crisis?
The crisis of the new coronavirus that the world is going through in this year 2020 paralyzes in part or even in totality the majority of companies, and E-merchants are no exception. In this context, are return policies adapting? If so, how?
In this period of containment, we can logically observe an increase in global traffic on e-commerce sites, close to 13%. Placing orders from your home will reduce the time you have to spend out of the house, and therefore the risk of being infected by COVID-19. All in all, it also increases the conversion rate by 9%. (source: contentsquare, 24/03/2020): customers buy more!
But while orders on the market places tend to increase, the heart of the problem lies in the logistics, both for deliveries and returns. It seems obvious that, given the extent of the crisis, orders are being canceled due to cost or delay issues.
However, it appears that the e-merchants who continue their activities have modified their return policies most of the time in a comprehensive way towards the consumer.
We can take the example of Amazon which has modified its return policy in a targeted manner, starting with Italy. Users report that Amazon is extending its return period until May 31. The new deadline also applies to goods purchased at the end of January, which means that some buyers will have up to four months to return certain types of products.
Sephora will accept that returns for online orders will be extended to 60 days.
Finally, Cdiscount, Apple and FNAC have decided to extend their return policies up to 15 days after stores reopen.
See the full ranking at the end of the article!
In all cases, and before making any online purchase during this period, we invite you to carefully consult the e-merchant’s return conditions or contact him if they are absent or unclear.
The ShopRunBack team remains at your disposal to assist you with any returns issues.