Reference table
The refund-cost gradient in return reason codes
A table of the refund-cost gradient in ecommerce returns data. For six common return reasons it shows the usual consequence for the customer, from a free fast refund to a fee or restocking charge, and which way that pushes the reason codes. Use it to audit your own return reason list before reading the distribution as a list of causes. Finding the real cause means interviewing returners about the purchase, which Koji does with AI-moderated voice or text interviews.
Where this appears
What's in this reference table
| Reason selected | What it costs the customer | Direction of bias |
|---|---|---|
| Arrived damaged or defective | Free return, fast refund, no fee, merchant absorbs shipping | Heavily over-selected |
| Wrong item sent | Free return, priority handling, no fee | Over-selected |
| Doesn't fit or not as described | Usually free, occasionally a fee | Over-selected |
| Changed my mind | Return fee or restocking charge likely, slower refund | Heavily under-selected |
| No longer needed or bought elsewhere | Fee likely, sometimes refused outside window | Heavily under-selected |
| Bought several, keeping one | Rarely offered as an option at all | Effectively unmeasurable |
Use this image
Free to use in your docs, decks and posts under CC BY 4.0, as long as you credit Koji with a link to this page. To embed it, paste this into your page:
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<a href="https://www.koji.so/visuals/return-reason-refund-cost-gradient-table"><img src="https://www.koji.so/visuals/return-reason-refund-cost-gradient-table/return-reason-refund-cost-gradient-table.png" alt="Table of six return reasons, what each costs the customer to select, and whether it ends up over or under-selected, from arrived damaged to changed my mind." width="1200" height="802" /></a>
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.koji.so/visuals/return-reason-refund-cost-gradient-table">The refund-cost gradient in return reason codes</a>, Koji</p>
