Amazon has launched its new Returns Performance Dashboard. Through this new instrument you can monitor your own performance on product returns. In addition, it allows you to solve issues with the returns handled manually by the seller.
In particular, the dashboard is able to accurately register the return requests that have been approved more than 24 hours after the request. It also counts the rejected requests and tallies one contact per customer return request, regardless of the number of messages sent.
So let’s get familiar with these recent new functions.
What the new Returns Performance Dashboard is for
The new Returns Performance Dashboard is intended to provide vendors with a more complete, timely and simple monitoring of their product returns performance. Before Amazon introduced this dashboard, there was no single searching tool available. Today, anyone interested in consistently evaluating this performance can do so in a matter of seconds. They can solve any related problem by pro-actively taking all the necessary measures .
The tool includes a section for each of the three key return performance metrics, which are:
- return requests approved in less than 24 hours
- total rejected return requests
- percentage of return-related contacts from buyers.
Each of the three sections will contain a definition of the metric with information on the overall current performance. They will also include the target thresholds of the metrics and a description of how the metrics are calculated. In addition, there will be links to other Amazon pages.
What is Return Analysis
The Return Analysis page is a tool that identifies offers with return issues. Consequently, it allows you to take the necessary steps to solve them. The page will help pinpoint the main return issues for each offer and will lead to the appropriate corrective action to be taken.
To make the consultation of the Return Analysis data easier, you can set three different filters. These are the product category, the time period and the product order type. This process will provide you with better visibility, taking all necessary measures to improve your product return performance metrics.
But what happens if the return performance metrics fall below the required thresholds?
Actually, nothing happens… at least not at first. Initially, no action is taken to prevent thresholds from being exceeded on the downside. However, this doesn’t mean that it is not essential to keep monitoring what is happening on the dashboard. It is important to check that performance remains within the limits set to ensure a fully positive customer experience.
In fact, it is also for this purpose that Amazon has set up an alert banner to warn when you are approaching or exceeding a metric threshold. You’ll find one at the top of the Seller Central returns management page and one in the returns performance dashboard. By clicking on the banner you can go directly to the dashboard and get more information on the metric concerned.