Your guide to reduce returns in different categories.

1. Returns Reduction Guidelines

2. Let’s have a look at the general guidelines for reducing your returns. These guidelines
are applicable across all categories.
Creating Product Descriptions for Catalogs
Create detailed Product images & descriptions
to match the product as exactly as possible
Customers get an accurate impression
of the chosen item
Clear information on colours, sizes, any system
requirements or additional accessories
Customer doesn't return a product saying that it
contains slightly/completely different features
Do not edit or enhance product images such
that the catalog image looks different from the
actual product
Customers return such products citing the
reason that the product doesn’t match the
actual catalog image and/or description
What You Should Do What it leads to

3. Quality Checks:
There can be 2 cases when a customer returns a product citing ‘Quality Issue’
1. Actual quality/manufacturing defect in the product
• Ensure that all products go through a thorough QC before they are shipped to the customer
2. Customer perceived quality issue
• Perceived Quality is critically dependent on the Product Pricing
• Customer decides the quality of a product
• In E-commerce, customer doesn’t have the luxury to look, feel or try out a product
• Returns due to Fit & Finish issues are part of e-commerce and need to be accounted for
The Correct Quality Checks
Ensure thorough Quality Checks to reduce returns

4. Pricing Your Products Correctly
Right Pricing:
Please make sure you use the
right pricing and discount for
all your products!
Reducing Returns is not rocket science. Just follow some simple guidelines we have lined out
for you and make your selling experience a hassle-free one!
Remember!
 Too high a price may result
in order cancellations as
customers find better deals
elsewhere
 The price and discount set
for your product should
match its quality and value
For example: If a shirt with MRP 2,000 is sold at a discount of
50% then a customer ordering such a shirt naturally expects
the quality of the shirt to be synonymous with a Rs. 2,000
shirt

5. Good Packaging:
You must take care that:
 The size of the packaging matches the product size in order to ensure that
 Products do not get damaged due to intra-package movement
 Sturdy, new cardboard boxes sealed neatly with adhesive tape are used because:
 They not only ensure that the products reach the customer safely but also create a good
impression in the mind of the customer
Guidelines on Proper Packaging and Labelling
Proper Labelling:
 Ensure that you label all the products properly as incorrect labelling results in a product not
reaching the intended customer, RTOs and lost cases
Use Flipkart’s packaging recommendations & partners to procure packaging materials
Please go through the Packing instructions on 'Seller Learning Centre‘ and understand in detail how to pack and label your products

6. Timely Delivery:
You must understand that:
 Waiting for the product delivery is a major disadvantage for online customers
 If delivery times are longer:
 The shopping “buzz” could start to wear off
 The customers might reconsider their purchase decision
 This means the goods are more likely to be returned
To avoid such scenarios, please keep delivery times short by ensuring that the
product is dispatched as soon as possible in the given SLA!
Getting Your Deliveries Right
Just follow some simple guidelines we have lined out for you and make your selling experience
a hassle-free one!
Flipkart Advantage program takes care of packaging & fast shipping for you! Become a member, now!

7. Product Reviews:
• Product reviews are a great way to know what customers think about your
products.
• They help you improve the quality of your products
Keep a close eye on customer reviews to know what they need
The Relevance of Product Reviews
Recognise and Resolve Problems:
• Regularly visit the Metrics tab and analyse your returns data
• Evaluate customer return reasons in to continuously improve the quality of
products
• If the return rate is consistently high for a certain product, please check
whether the product needs to be removed from the range altogether

8. Reducing Returns is not rocket science. Just follow some simple guidelines we have lined out
for you and make your selling experience a hassle-free one!
Freebies/Combos:
Make sure that you:
 Deliver the freebie and/or combos (if any) that comes with the
product
 Ensure the catalog description and labels/description on the
product box matches the product
Freebies and Combos Are Important
Perform additional QC for shipments containing freebies or combos

9. Electronics
Devices
Guidelines on How to Reduce Your Returns
We will now discuss the guidelines which are Category Specific!
Following these guidelines will help you manage Returns in Categories like:
Electronics
Non-Devices
Lifestyle Home and
Furniture
FMCG and
Others
Large
Appliances,
Furniture
and Large
Office
Supply
Equipment

10. Managing Returns on Electronics Devices
TIP: Good Packaging is the key to reduce damage and product Returns.
Electronics Devices
(Mobiles, Tablets,
Laptops and
Wearable i.e., IOT)
You must be aware of the following four factors when it comes to reducing
Returns in the Electronics Category
1. Superior Packaging:
You must pack products properly using bubble wrap to prevent devices against damage
2. Cataloging:
You must upload as many photos and videos as possible to aid the product description
3. Metrics Tab:
Use the Metrics tab on the seller portal to statistically analyse your returns and utilise the
Export Excel feature to get reports on returns
4. Analyse:
You should identify products with maximum returns and take appropriate measures,
including discontinuing sales of the said product, if required

11. 1. Accurate Cataloging:
• Ensure accurate product descriptions and the right images, so that customers don’t
receive accessories that don’t fit in their devices
• Include appropriate disclaimers (notes) wherever required
2. Specify Compatibility:
• Compatibility issues are one of the major reasons for return of cables and chargers
• Wherever possible, please specify which devices are compatible with any given accessory
3. Quality Check:
You absolutely must do a thorough quality check before shipping products like power bank,
mouse, and keyboard etc.
Managing Returns on Electronics Non-Devices
Tip: You must dispatch the right sized products to reduce chances of Returns.
Electronics
Non-Devices
(Accessories, etc.)

12. Managing Returns on Lifestyle Products
For Lifestyle products, especially Apparel and Accessories, take care of
the following points to reduce returns!
1. Right Product:
• Maximum returns in Clothing and Footwear categories happen because of incorrect size and/or fit
• These returns are unavoidable as the customer can’t try on clothes and footwear in e-commerce
• Thus, please include costs due to such returns in your P&L
2. Product Consistency:
• When procuring products, ensure that colours, fabric, style, etc are same as described in catalog
3. Avoid Catalog Alterations:
• Ensure that the catalog image is not over-enhanced as it leads to incorrect product perception
4. Pricing:
• Price the product such that it drives the right quality and value perception in the mind of the customer
• Ensure that product attributes like brand, colour, size, MRP, style, etc. are clearly visible on the product tag
Lifestyle

13. Managing Returns on Lifestyle Products
Lifestyle
Updated Inventory
• Keep your catalog updated all the time for the right sizes
• Provide an accurate size chart to Flipkart to avoid wrong sizes being sent
to the customer
• For example: While updating your inventory, UK size 9 shoes should be
added to the inventory of UK size 9 only.
Size Charts
• Provide gender-wise size charts to avoid the wrong sizes being shown to
customers
• Add a disclaimer for brands that don't confer to a general size chart
• For example: Let’s take the brand Woodland. If customer shoe size is UK 9
and the equivalent Woodland shoe size that might fit the customer is UK 8,
then the same should be mentioned as a disclaimer on the product page.
Size Accuracy
• Accurately map the centimeter metric to other size metrics like
UK/US/Euro, in the Footwear category.

14. Managing Returns on Lifestyle Products
Combo Offers
• Ensure that the combo products which are shipped to the customer should be
the same as those specified on the Flipkart website/mobile app. You must add a
disclaimer for cases where there is a possibility of discrepancy
• For example: Colour and Print of assorted products may vary from what is
shown in the image, as they are sourced in mixed batches
Kids Clothing
• In this category, it is commonly observed that the maximum returns are due
to size issues
• Wherever possible, you need to provide a size chart in addition to age
grouping (centimeter mapping) to reduce returns
Beauty Accessories and Fragrance
• Ensure nail polishes and other liquids are carefully and correctly packaged to
avoid leakages during transportation
• Always remember to check the expiry date of fragrances as well before shipping
Lifestyle

15. Managing Returns on Home & Furniture Products
Home &
Furniture
1. Damage Proofing
• Pay special attention, while packing fragile Home décor products like clocks, showpieces, vases, etc.
2. Care
• Paste “Fragile” stickers on the package so it can be handled carefully by Flipkart's logistics partners
• Ensure that, whenever required, you use bubble wraps, edge protectors, etc. while packing
• Please ensure that fragile products are adequately and properly packaged . This is because, for Small
Home Appliances, 66% of customer Returns are due to product damage.
Tip: Please go through the Packing instructions on 'Seller Learning Centre‘ and
understand how to pack your fragile products well
Use Flipkart’s packaging recommendations & partners to
procure packaging materials

16. Managing Returns on FMCG & Other Products
FMCG and Others
For FMCG and Other Categories, you need to be aware of the following factors:
1. Avoid Mis-shipments:
• Mis-shipment occurs when a customer gets a different product from the one they ordered
• Mis-shipments (wrong product deliveries) should not happen
2. Right Products:
• Ensure that only good quality, clean and genuine products are shipped to the customer
• Minimise edition mismatches for books (especially for academic books)
• Avoid selling older editions of books as customers invariably tend to return them
3. Quality Check:
• Ensure that all products undergo thorough quality checks
• Do not sell pirated versions of products

17. Managing Returns on Large Appliances, Furniture and
Large Office Supply Equipments
Large Appliances,
Furniture and Large
Office Supply
Equipment
For High volumetric products, ensure the following:
Accurate Cataloging:
Make sure that you mention the dimensions
(L-B-H) for products with high-volumetric
weight in the product catalog
For example: Office Supply products such as
paper shredders and note counting machines
This will help Flipkart's logistics partners
make appropriate arrangements to ship
such products
Proper Packaging:
Paste “Fragile” stickers on the package so it
can be handled carefully by Flipkart's
logistics partners
Ensure that you use bubble wraps, edge
protectors, etc. wherever required, while
packing

18. Thank You