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How to Write a Returns Policy for Your E-Commerce Store
Would you shop in a store that clearly stated goods could not be returned or exchanged? Probably not. Yet it’s not unheard of for customers to abuse a generous returns/exchange policy. Take LL Bean, a US store. Their returns/exchange policy was amazingly generous. One brazen family returned some items from their grandfather’s wardrobe for a nice gift card. Fair enough, you might think, but these garments were 20 years old! Stores have wised up. John Lewis recently slashed its 90-day returns policy to a less generous 35-days. It’s still pretty generous, however. Whilst most stores would prefer it if their customers never returned anything, it is inevitable that goods are returned sometimes. Online shoppers are even more likely to return goods because they can’t try before they buy. Returns also spike during the holiday season, when unwanted gifts are exchanged for a credit note or gift card. Each time a parcel is returned, it costs the retailer money. Unfortunately, if a store doesn’t have a fair returns policy, customers will think twice about shopping there. Most savvy customers check a store’s returns policy before making a purchase. But how do you write a returns policy? Let’s take a look. Be Fair Returns policies should be clear and unambiguous. Shady clauses and policies open to interpretation impact the customer experience and reduce trust. It can quite literally make or break your sale. Here’s a quick guide to writing a returns/exchange policy your customers will understand and trust. Write a Personalised Policy Whilst it is tempting to copy and paste a returns policy from a competitor, this is a really bad idea. For one thing, it might not be right for your business, and for another, their policy might be terrible! Write your returns policy from scratch. Cover everything, from how long customers have to return goods, and under what circumstances they can claim a refund, e.g if goods are faulty. Be fair but not overly generous, or you open the business up to fraudulent returns. Use plain English. Don’t dig a thesaurus out and use long, baffling words to disguise the fact returns are only accepted if Jupiter is in ascendant and blue cows just flew over the Houses of Parliament. Avoid using scary words, such as “we are not responsible”. This kind of thing acts as a major red flag for customers. Never imply it is the customer’s fault if goods don’t fit or fall apart within a week. The aim of a returns policy is to make it super easy for customers to return their purchases. It should be clear and to the point, written in friendly, helpful terms. Let the customer know what to expect. Do you offer refunds or credit notes? Can they return goods for free, or must they pay postage costs? Decide what’s fair and consider having different procedures in place for different types of returns. For example, if a customer wants to return an item because they changed their mind, it’s OK to ask them to pay the postage, but if an item is faulty, it’s only fair that you let them return it for free. Be clear about what must be included in the package, such as a returns slip, and decide whether you’ll provide a returns label or organise a courier to collect goods. Make sure you list the returns process, step by step, in idiot-proof terms. Pitch your language at the lowest common denominator, and in multiple languages if appropriate. Once you have a draft returns policy written, go over it with a fine-tooth comb to check for mistakes, typos, anomalies, and anything that might confuse a customer. When you are happy with it, publish it online in a location where customers can easily find it, such as in the FAQ section. Add a link to your returns policy from your home page. Educate Staff on Your Returns Policy Finally, educate staff so they are familiar with your returns policy. The last thing you need is staff misleading customers and undermining your policies due to ignorance. Remember, a clear returns policy leads to greater customer trust and less time spent processing returns. Whether you need to write a returns policy, product descriptions, or blog posts – Ink Elves can help. Contact us today for a bespoke quote!
Scaling Up a Small Business Without Losing Clients in the Process
There’s one thing that small businesses do really well: unlike global corporations, a small business offers the “personal touch”. For many clients, this is important. A lot of us would much rather deal with someone who knows our name, the names of our kids’ and greets us like an old friend when we place an order. It’s a far nicer experience. This is all great, but over time, as a business grows, it sometimes loses the personal touch that resonated with clients. Now, when clients call, they never speak to the same person twice and if there is a problem, it’s hard to find anyone who cares. Business growth is desirable, of course. Without a plan in place to scale up and expand, there is a real danger that the business will stagnate. This is not in anyone’s interests. The key to success is scaling up without losing the qualities that made your business successful in the first place. Based on our own experiences, we have some handy tips below, to ensure you do it the right way. Have a clear business plan A business plan is a roadmap for the journey ahead. You wouldn’t drive from Brighton to the Orkneys without a roadmap (or SatNav), right? Well, it’s no different in business. A business plan details where you are now and where you want to be in 3-5 years, along with a detailed plan for how to get there. Sit down and think about your goals. Does scaling up mean adding new products to your inventory? Or perhaps you are considering opening a new branch office. Evaluate the market and assess where things are heading. If you can get ahead of the curve, you should be in a better position three or five years from now. Automate processes and workflows Many small business owners micromanage every last detail. After bootstrapping the business from the ground up, they struggle to hand over control to others. This is a huge mistake, one that will hamper your chances of success in the long-term. If you want to scale up your business, you need to learn to delegate to other people and automate workflows and processes as much as possible. Laura learned this the hard way. It turns out that working 15-hour days, seven days a week isn’t such a great idea! Automation reduces the amount of work you need to do, which is important when you scale up a business. Make use of tech tools like HootSuite and TweetDeck to automate your social posts. Outsource jobs you don’t need to do yourself, such as content writing. We can write all of your content. We can even post it on your blog if you like! This will free up time so you can concentrate on more important things, such as networking with clients and sourcing finance for your next project. Hire new people No man or woman is an island. You need to hire additional bodies if you want to scale up the business, important people, like a CFO or Operating Manager. This is another thing Laura learned the hard way! Chances are, you have the same core team working for you now as the day you started the business. These people have your back and vice versa, but as the business grows, they will need additional help. Hire people who can bring something extra to your business. People with the experience and skills you and your existing team lack. New talent can offer a new perspective, fresh ideas, and reinvigorate your passion for the business. Think of talent acquisition as a long-term process. Finding the right people to help you grow the business takes time. Start early and be prepared to wait for the right person to come along. Look after your team Moving on from the last point, it’s wise to look after your core team. Don’t become the micromanager everyone despises. Give people the freedom to do things their own way. The more autonomy your team has, the easier it will be for you to concentrate on the bigger picture. At the same time, reward the people who work hard to ensure your business is in a place where it can thrive and grow. Without them, you’re the captain of a sinking ship. A pay raise is the most obvious way to keep employees happy, but money isn’t always the primary motivator. Other key strategies for keeping valuable employees on-side include: Offer them benefits such as educational opportunities, health insurance, a company car, etc. Provide opportunities for employees to grow and thrive Make sure you strike the right life-work balance Most importantly, however, make sure the people who work hard for you feel valued at all times. A simple “thank you” or a birthday card can go a long way. Look for a more experienced mentor Growing a small business isn’t easy, so it makes sense to work with someone who’s been in your shoes. Look for a mentor who has already accomplished your goals, someone who started a company like yours and grew it into a much bigger enterprise. You can learn from them and, in turn, they can guide you when the going gets tough. Be flexible Some of the ideas you have will bomb. It’s pretty much inevitable. Accept that you’ll hit road bumps along the way. The important thing is to be flexible and willing to let go of a bad idea. If it’s not working, perform an autopsy, figure out why the idea failed, resolve not to make the same mistake again, and move on. Onwards and upwards! Companies that stagnate are at risk of being overtaken by their competitors. It’s always a bad idea to grow too quickly, but some growth is needed if you want to keep a foothold in the marketplace. The important thing is to grow at a sustainable rate. Concentrate on maintaining your reputation for quality. That way you won’t shed your loyal customers (and employees) on the way
6 Reasons Why Collaboration Can Help Your Business
Amazing things happen when we work together. Where would mankind be if different tribes had not collaborated to ensure their mutual survival? Extinct is the answer! It’s no different in the world of business. Collaboration greases the wheels of commerce. This is why big brands work hard to form partnerships with celebrity influencers and the Beckhams are worth several hundred million. Everyone’s a winner when you collaborate on tasks. Here are the main reasons why collaboration can give your business a significant boost. Share the workload Pool your skills and share the workload. It leads to far greater productivity. Most people are not polymaths. We are usually skilled in one area and rely on other people to help us with the tasks we are less knowledgeable on. This is why businesses hire Ink Elves to produce their content. Writing is a specialist skill. Not everyone can string a coherent sentence together – or produce an engaging piece of content. Writing is our bread and butter, so it stands to reason we are good at it. It’s no different in other areas of business. If marketing is not your forte, it makes sense to work with a marketing expert. Ditto a bookkeeper. You might learn something! When two people with different skill sets come together in a mutually beneficial collaboration, it’s inevitable that they will each learn something new. This is a good thing. We can all benefit from learning opportunities. So, if you forge a collaboration with a new business partner, to paraphrase JFK, ask not what they can do for you, but what you can learn from them. Problem-solving Problems will inevitably arise. That’s life. Collaboration can help you come up with innovative solutions to tricky problems. This is why a lot of professional people rely on a mentor. Mentors don’t just provide emotional support – they are there to talk you through problems and help you find workable solutions. It’s always good to collaborate with a business partner or employee, but sometimes, a fresh pair of eyes from outside the business is required. Forming a collaboration lets you add new skills, viewpoints, and experiences to the mix. Networking opportunities Collaborating with new people is a valuable networking opportunity. Together you can reap the benefits of each other’s network of contacts. Whether you go through their LinkedIn contacts or ask them to introduce you to prospects in their inner circle; it benefits both of you. Naturally, it works both ways, so be prepared for some quid pro quo. Desperately seeking inspiration Do you feel as if you lack inspiration? Do you suspect you could do with some new ideas? If so, a timely collaboration could give you renewed enthusiasm for your project or business. Maybe a new perspective is what you need. Or perhaps you are struggling to come up with a workable solution to a dilemma. We can all benefit from inspiration. Especially if we are feeling a bit down. Talking with new people, sharing fresh ideas, and finding a new context for existing ideas can all help dig us out of a rut. If your creativity has taken a nosedive recently, perhaps it’s time for a collaboration with someone in your niche? The artworld is a good example of where collaboration can make a huge difference. Many artists spend a significant part of their time working alone, in a creative bubble. There is nothing wrong with this but forging a collaborative partnership can spark new ideas and trigger amazing work. Gaugin and Van Gogh had a huge influence on each other’s work, which was extremely beneficial to both of them, even if their brief time together triggered one of Van Gogh’s mental breakdowns. Art and fashion are two similar fields that also lend themselves to collaboration. Elsa Schiaparelli’s artistic collaboration with Salvador Dalí inspired the wonderful ‘Organza Dinner Dress with Painted Lobster’, which was worn by Wallis Simpson for a Vogue spread in 1937. Save the pennies Last but not least, collaborations can help your business save money, which is never something to be sniffed at. Think about it. By collaborating with another party, you are effectively doubling your budget for the task. A bigger budget means more bang for your buck. Trade fairs are a good example. By sharing a booth with a business that offers complementary services, you will attract more foot traffic – and both of you will benefit. There doesn’t need to be a big financial outlay when you collaborate with a business in your niche. Think creatively and see what you can both bring to the table. You don’t even need to be in the same room or even country thanks to collaborative tools like Trello and Slack. Use technology to your advantage and save time in the process. There really are no downsides to forging a mutually beneficial collaborative relationship but pick your partner carefully. Choose someone you can work with on a personal level. After all, if there is a huge personality clash, it could have far-reaching effects and neither of you will benefit from the relationship. We’d love to collaborate with you on your content marketing. Contact us today for a quote and see what a positive difference professionally written content makes to your brand.