What is Route Returns?
Route Returns is a full service returns solution which provides a seamless experience for customers while offloading manual work from brands. Route Returns makes it simple for customers to file returns, receive labels, and track the progress of their return. Within the Route Merchant Portal, merchants can see all filed returns and easily approve or deny them. Merchants can also file returns on behalf of their customers. 

Merchants eligible for Route Returns
Route Returns is now available to Shopify brands in our Early Access program. 

In addition, merchants will need to have an EasyPost account to use Route Returns. If you’re not already using EasyPost, you can quickly and easily set up an account here. This step will take about 10 minutes to complete. You will be able to select or deselect any carrier as an option for your customers in your EasyPost settings. If you’ve selected multiple carriers in your EasyPost account, EasyPost will determine which carrier is cheapest for the customer based on their location and other details, and then offer the customer a label from that carrier. 

Route Returns: The customer experience
With Route Returns, your customers will be able to access fast and easy returns from within your branded Returns Center. Your customers will simply enter a few details: what they’re returning, why they’re returning it, and how they would like their refund. They will be able to file a return on items you deem eligible, and will receive a printer-less shipping label (QR code) or a printable shipping label. Choosing the QR code (available from select carriers) enables a seamless returns experience for your customers, enabling them to take their return directly to the carrier to have a label printed and the item shipped back to you. 

Customers will receive an email from Route as soon as their return is picked up by the carrier. This email will direct them to your branded Returns Center to track their return as it makes its way back to you. They will also be able to track the status of their return, and receive confirmation when their return is approved and their refund has been processed. 

If a customer reaches out to you directly to start a return, you also have the option to submit it for them from within your Merchant Portal. This allows you to streamline returns and manage all of them with one easy system. 

Route Returns: The merchant experience 
As a merchant, you will be able to customize the Route Returns experience for your customers, and gain key insights about returned products. 

From within your Merchant Portal, you’ll be able to select the return timeframes you want your customers to adhere to, the label fee you’d like to charge them (if you choose to charge a label fee), how returns will be approved, and how refunds can be issued. This allows you to align the Route Returns experience to your overall brand experience. You are also able to adjust these settings if your policies or preferences change. 

From within the Merchant Portal, you can also track key details about the returns your customers are initiating. Merchants can view all returns and see key details at a glance, including:

• • • Date of return filing
    • Return status 
    • Shipping status
    • Refund amount
    • And more…

Merchants can view detailed information for any given return, and take actions to process those returns with an approval, denial, or restocking of those items.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are customers only able to use Route Returns for orders protected with Route Shipping Protection?
No, a customer’s order does not need to be protected with Route Shipping Protection to be eligible for a return. However, if a customer’s order is protected and they’ve filed a claim for the order, it will not be eligible to be returned.

I don’t allow returns on final sale items. Can Route block customers from starting returns for these products?
Yes. If you’ve designated an item as final sale using the tags available in Shopify, that item will be marked as ineligible for return in your Returns Center.

I prefer to review returns before accepting them and initiating a refund for the customer. Is that something I’m able to do with Route?
Yes. When you set up Route Returns, you can choose to automatically approve your customers’ returns and issue refunds, or you can manually review and approve returns. 

Who pays for the shipping labels with Route?
That’s up to you. You can choose to charge a shipping label fee to your customers, which will be deducted from their total refund amount once the return is accepted, or you can choose to absorb this cost and offer free returns to your customers with Route Returns. 

I prefer to offer my customers store credit for returns instead of refunding to their original form of payment. Can I do that with Route?
Yes. You can offer your customers their refund in the form of a gift card, or to their original form of payment. If you choose to offer gift cards, please make sure you’ve enabled gift cards as a refund option in the Returns settings of your Route Merchant Portal. 

How do I get started with Route Returns?
If you have a Customer Success Manager at Route, please reach out to them to get started with Route Returns. If you don’t have a Customer Success Manager, please contact us at merchantsupport@route.com and our Customer Support team will direct you.