Handling Christmas Gift Returns

Everyone has experienced receiving a gift that you really don't need or want.

Some people will force themselves to smile and thank the person for their thoughtful present. Meanwhile, others will ask for the receipt. No business is immune to Christmas gift returns. After all, there are very few universally loved and adored products.

So how do you go about handling Christmas gift returns? Are all sales final at your business, or do you treat it as an opportunity to create a connection with a potential new customer? If this is your first holiday season, or you're looking for a better way to deal with these types of enquiries, then you've come to the right place.

Start With a Clear Returns Policy

Before you start handling Christmas gift returns, you need to ensure you have a policy that is clear and simple to understand. It should outline what can be returned or exchanged for other items. You should also highlight what the condition of the product needs to be and the steps the customer needs to follow to return it to you.

You might even consider a policy specific for the holiday period. For example, if it states that customers can only return items within 30 days but buy gifts in November, then you might want to change it so they can send the product back or exchange it within 90 days or for the month of January. It will demonstrate your flexibility and ease to do business with.

Ensure Your Returns Policy is Easy to Find

Having a Christmas gift returns policy is only one step. It also needs to be prominently displayed on your website, so it's easy for people to find. Otherwise, you'll be inundated with enquiries on how to send back a product or exchange it for something else.

A good tip is to include a link or summary within the receipt. They can click on it to go to the full page or a landing site where they can complete the process. It will save your employees a lot of time and allow them to focus on Boxing Day sales and other high-value enquiries.

Make Handling Christmas Gift Returns Easy for Employees

Your returns policy and the process shouldn't just have the customer front of mind. You also need to consider your employees, especially the frontline ones. They are the staff who will be processing these requests, so it should be just as simple for them to understand as it is for your customers.

It's a good idea to hire a few more people over the holiday season who you can leave to handling Christmas gift returns. They can also assist during the sales period, which will hopefully be the majority of enquiries you receive.

Turn Returns into Opportunities

While some businesses might see handling Christmas gift returns as a negative, it's an opportunity to treat it as a sales lead. Even though the person might not have received the gift they wanted, the individual purchasing the item chose your business for a reason.

Instead of processing a refund, no questions asked, suggest an exchange instead. It's likely the enquiry will occur during your peak sales period providing you with more opportunities to promote your other products. If the customer doesn't find anything they want, make the transaction as simple as possible. They may remember your excellent customer service and return when they need something from you.

Review and Update Your Returns Policy Regularly

Your policy isn't something set in stone. Every year, you'll experience new scenarios or challenges to how you're handling Christmas gift returns. Once the holiday period is over, take a moment to review your policy and update it to better suit your business, employees and customers.

Take a moment to review other stores' return policies. Find out what you can learn from them and use for your business. It's also worth looking for opportunities to improve upon your competitors. This just might be the edge you need to convince more people to buy from you.