Retailers have a new message for consumers who want to return an item: keep it.
Amazon.com Inc., Walmart Inc. and other companies use artificial intelligence to decide if it makes economic sense to process a return. In the case of cheap or large items that involve high shipping costs, it is often cheaper to refund the purchase price and let customers keep the products.
The relatively new approach, popularized by Amazon and some other chains, is being adopted more widely during the Covid-19 pandemic, as an increase in online shopping forces companies to rethink how they manage returns. “We’re getting so many inquiries about this that you’ll see it take off in the coming months,” said Amit Sharma, executive director of Narvar Inc., which processes returns for retailers.
Lorie Anderson, of Vancouver, Washington, was pleasantly surprised when she tried to return online makeup shopping to Target and Walmart batteries. The chains issued him a refund, but told him to keep the items.
“They were cheap and it wouldn’t make much economic sense to return them by mail,” Ms. Anderson, 38, said. “It is difficult to pack the box and leave it at the post office or UPS. That was one less thing that should have worried me. “