When Returning Products Demonstrates Confidence

Cyber Monday is coming back.  Only this time, it’s a Thursday.

Maybe you burnt a bridge with someone who you purchased a gift for, maybe whatever you ordered no longer fits because in addition to layering your clothes for cold weather, you’ve also been layering your meals with a block of cheddar cheese…or maybe you just flat out purchased in haste and made a mistake.  Whatever the reason, ‘Boomerang Thursday’ is in recognition of your mistakes.

Yesterday Bizreport.com announced that one in 20 people who purchased gifts on or around Cyber Monday expect to return at least one of their purchases prior to the Christmas holiday.  This coming Thursday, December 9th, is typically the kickoff day for those returns.  Hence the apropos ‘Boomerang Thursday.’

The high number of returns is no cause for alarm though, it actually demonstrates increased consumer confidence in online retailers’ ability to have consumers’ replacement items in stock and ready to be delivered prior to Christmas.  But just like Ebenezer Scrooge, your holiday mistakes could come back to bite you.  With wintry weather and the holiday season comes increased delivery time expectations as well as a high volume of consumers who may have made the same kinds of ordering mistakes you did (minus the gluttonous layering of cheese).

That being said, if you think that you may end up having to return a product that you ordered recently, it’s best to look for a retailer that has an easy to understand and clearly outlined returns policy.  It may also be best to look for one with free return shipping and affordable, speedy delivery rates.  If you’re on the lookout for retailers with excellent shipping and delivery policies and practices just in time for the holidays, look no further than our Holiday Guide.  These retailer’s policies will leave you so pleased that you’ll be returning from whence you came, just like…a planet in orbit?  a dog playing fetch?  a sailor returning to port?  Either way, you get the idea.

Black Friday Has Passed, But the Best Is Yet To Come

Blame it on the bedbugs, fear of fake Santas, or the stomach bug that’s been circulating, but 2010  Black Friday sales were up 15.9% from last year. This bodes VERY well for Cyber Monday.

You know what else you can blame? The presence of online deals equally as impressive as those of brick and mortar stores, or the free shipping offers (Think STELLAService Excellent-rated “The Big Big O” Overstock.com) that led to a 12.1% increase in average order value, to $190.80 from a 2009 average of $170.19.

Another perk to shopping online: you can do it in your skivvies.

You can also blame the free returns policies of certain sites, especially ones that include a pre-paid return shipping label that make post-office trips obsolete. (To view a list of these sites, click here!)

Or, you can attribute it to gift-wrapping that e-retailers will do for you, saving you a trip to the loved ones in Hartland, CA.

Perhaps you were banned from a store or can’t control your kleptomania, but e-retailers do not judge.

The best of online holiday shopping is yet to come with Cyber Monday a few days away-to view where to get the best Cyber Monday deals, visit here.

How Jeggings Taught a Lesson in Customer Service

Bet you never thought leggings would make a comeback two years ago, but quickly women of all ages were sporting them again. Last year witnessed the comeback of the skinny jean, and this season retailers are debuting the jegging. What is a jegging? Don’t be confuzzled. A jegging is a mix between a legging and a jean, or a super-skinny jean.

A few jeggings on AE.com

American Eagle Outfitters (AE.com) is offering a buy one, get one 50% promotion on their jeans, jeggings, and graphic tees until 8/31. But right now, they have free returns on all jeggings, so if you don’t like them or cringe when you say the word “jeggings,” then you’ll only lose the cost of shipping. I emailed AE.com last night, and they responded within an hour to tell me that the free returns offer is a limited-time promotion, so act fast!

AE.com offers free returns on jeggings for a limited time

However, shouldn’t apparel companies always offer free return shipping as part of their overall customer service proposition? At least AE.com is offering free return shipping on this quickly-growing fad; it is only proper netiquette to do so. But what about men’s jeans? Well, there are plenty of other retailers who offer returns or exchanges as part of their standard policy, because you shouldn’t have to pay for shipping multiple times just because the item doesn’t fit right!

A few select apparel retailers with free returns or free exchanges: (Asterisks indicate sites that currently sell jeggings!)

*AE.com (Free Returns on Jeggings): STELLA Rating 77

ArmaniExchange.com (Free Returns): STELLA Rating 91 (Elite)

*BlueFly.com (Free Exchanges): STELLA Rating 87 (Excellent)

Bonobos.com (Free Returns and Exchanges): STELLA Rating 84 (Excellent)

BrooksBrothers.com (Free Exchanges): STELLA Rating 88 (Excellent)

*Gap.com (Free Exchanges): STELLA Rating 88 (Excellent)

HotTopic.com (Free Returns): STELLA Rating 79

LLBean.com (Free Exchanges): STELLA Rating 97 (Elite)

*NeimanMarcus.com (Free Returns): STELLA Rating 83 (Excellent)

*ShopBop.com (Free Returns and Exchanges): STELLA Rating 88 (Excellent)

*UrbanOutfitters.com (Free Returns and Exchanges): STELLA Rating 85 (Excellent)

_____________________________________________________________________________

Good luck sporting your new jeggings, it may make all of your frenemies jealous!

To learn more about the STELLA Ratings, or to view ratings of your favorite online retailer, visit the STELLAService website.

The Fall Online Shoe Shopping Guide

The average person spends about 1/3 of their life sleeping. The other 2/3′s is spent in shoes, with the exception of beach time and foot massages, of course. That’s a lot of time on your feet! And that’s why it’s so important to find the perfect pair of shoes.

It’s also officially back-to-school shopping season and students everywhere are looking for their brand new kicks. To account for the limitless shapes and sizes of feet, there are hundreds of sites that offer various brands, sizes, styles and colors of thousands of shoes. But with so many options, it’s not easy to get that Cinderella-like fit. Do you really want to pay for return shipping if they don’t fit? In this day and age, shoe shopping should be painless, and your kicks should be delivered with excellent customer service. There’s no reason to buy from a site that can’t deliver on that promise.

To help you find the perfect online shoe shop this fall, STELLAService has evaluated 19 different sites that hopefully carry some of your favorite shoes, and as usual, we have specifically highlighted the shops that deliver a truly top-rate customer experience.

Overall STELLAService Scores

Competition is fierce within the shoe customer category. In fact, there are now more companies in this category that achieved Elite and Excellent STELLAService Ratings than any other apparel category we have evaluated.

Shipping

Do you need your Oxfords in a hurry for that weekend wedding? Just a few select sites offer shipping on Saturday. Not in a hurry? Check to see how long it took our footwear to be delivered. We all get a little anxious to receive our new shoes!

Returns

The ease and convenience of the returns process for online shoe companies is essential to the overall service proposition. Just think about how many pairs you had to try on the last time you were in a store…I’m always at least 2 or 3.  If you answered anything except “0″ or “1″, then you understand why shoe sites must make it exceptionally easy for customers to return products. See how your favorite e-retailers stack up when it comes to the returns process.

Featured Sites

Zappos.com is a breeze to navigate online. Panning the mouse over the product changes the angle view of the shoe, revealing the front back, side, bottom, and top. Check out the STELLAService Elite seal they proudly display!

RoadRunnerSports.com has a very knowledgeable customer support staff that will help you find the perfect sneakers. Customer service is available via phone, email, or live chat!

Need more info? OnlineShoes.com offers hundreds of videos that provide customers with a detailed look at popular products.

Customize your own shoes with NikeiD. Many other shoe types are available.

Thanks for reading! If you liked this, you may also be interested in the STELLAService College Shopping Guide. If you’d like to receive this blog via email, sign up in in the top right of this page. You can also follow STELLAshopper on Twitter (@stellashopper)!

Full refund and free return shipping… because you have no idea what you’re ordering

Albert Einstein once said, “The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.”

When Einstein wrote this, it’s a certainty he had GraveyardMall.com‘s ‘Guaranteed Mystery Box’ in mind.  For the small fee of $19.99 you can order a box full of items that are a complete and utter mystery.

What is even more mysterious is why the website offers you the opportunity to return the box for a full refund and even pay for your return shipping should you be unsatisfied with what you’ve received.  Pretty bold when you consider the website is “…resellers of overstock and closeout merchandise, all new and unopened.” Basically a merciful way of saying “We sell stuff most people didn’t already want.”

Even a website that specializes in selling passed-over goods recognizes the importance of good customer service.  Maybe you’ll enjoy your box full of “odds and ends,” maybe you won’t.  What’s certain is that if you order the box and decide you’re unsatisfied, you know you will be taken care of.

So why can’t every online retail compan (more…)