OPERATIONS · RETURNS

Returns customers actually finish.

Self-service portal that prints its own label. A rules engine that prefers exchanges and store credit when the customer would. RMA tied back to the original order, the SKU's return rate, and the COGS that walks back into stock.

Returns portal · returns.belmontgoods.com
STEP 2 · Pick a reason
What happened with your order?
Order #48184 · MBG-DRS-034-PNK · qty 1
Wrong size
Suggested: exchange for size 8T
Color not as expected
Eligible for refund or store credit
Damaged in transit
Free return label, full refund
Changed my mind
Eligible for store credit
Continue
Rules engine · live
Within 30-day window
Customer LTV $1.2k · waive restock fee
Wrong size · prefer exchange before refund
Forward to LA-WH inspection bin · I-04
Inventory restock at $9.40 landed cost
Resolved policy
Exchange for size 8T · prepaid label · no restock fee
WHAT IT IS

The shape of returns in CCEN.

Returns is the reverse-logistics app. Customers initiate from the portal, the rules engine routes the RMA, the warehouse receives and inspects, the policy resolves to refund, exchange, or store credit, and the inventory and finance loops close automatically. Every step writes to the order's audit trail.

Self-service portalRules engineExchanges and store creditRestock and write-offPer-channel return windowsPer-SKU return rates
PORTAL THAT WORKS

Customers initiate, without calling.

The portal lives on your domain, branded in your style. Customers authenticate by order number and email, see their eligible items, pick a reason from a configurable list, and get back a label or a drop-off code. The whole flow takes under a minute.

The rules engine sits between the customer's selection and the outcome. Exchange before refund when the customer flagged 'wrong size'. Store credit for repeat customers who already have a return in progress. Restock fee thresholds for high-return-rate categories. Region-specific windows for EU and CA. Amazon's 30-day window applied to Amazon orders only. Shopify flexible windows applied to Shopify.

When a return needs human review, it routes to a queue with full context: the order, the customer's history, the SKU's return-rate trend, and the photos the customer uploaded. CS resolves in seconds, not minutes.

Warehouse inspection
RMA-04812 · received · LA-WH
MBG-DRS-034-PNK
Restock · forward pick A-12-3
scanned
Tags attached, no wear
Inspection · pass
scanned
Loop closed
Inventory +1 at $9.40 FIFO · refund $24.00 to original · CS notified
WAREHOUSE LOOP

Inspect, restock, and reconcile.

When the package arrives, the warehouse scans the RMA. The mobile UI shows the expected items, the inspection checklist, and the resolution path. Receivable items go back to a configured bin (often a forward-pick or a clearance shelf). Damaged items split off to write-off with a typed reason.

Inventory updates on scan, not on close-of-day. Available count rises within seconds. The RMA closes with a typed outcome and a link back to the inspection record.

If the resolution is exchange, the new fulfillment kicks off automatically with the original shipping address. If the resolution is refund, the payment refund goes to the original method. If store credit, the customer's profile balance updates and they get an email.

Per-SKU return rates · last 90d
Listings worth a second look
MBG-DRS-034-PNK32%
Wrong size · 78%lost $2,418
BLT-TEE-201-NVY14%
Color not as expected · 64%lost $842
WLD-MUG-014-WHT11%
Damaged in transit · 71%lost $520
BMT-CAP-007-OLV4%
Mixedlost $118
DATA THAT CHANGES BUYING

Per-SKU return rates, live.

Every RMA carries a structured reason. Wrong size, color not as expected, damaged in transit, didn't match listing photo. Reasons roll up by SKU, by listing, by channel, by carrier. The merchandising team sees the listing photo that's lying. The buying team sees the SKU that should not be reordered.

Restocked inventory updates COGS automatically at the original layer's cost. Damaged units charge to a write-off ledger. Finance sees a clean accrual. The CFO does not have to ask what 'returns variance' means in your monthly close.

Returns velocity feeds the Replenishment agent. A SKU returning at 18 percent gets fewer units on the next PO than a SKU returning at 4 percent. The buying decision is informed, not abstract.

Warehouse inspection
RMA-04812 · received · LA-WH
MBG-DRS-034-PNK
Restock · forward pick A-12-3
scanned
Tags attached, no wear
Inspection · pass
scanned
Loop closed
Inventory +1 at $9.40 FIFO · refund $24.00 to original · CS notified
WHY CX LEADS PICK CCEN

Three returns moves Loop and Returnly do not make.

Inventory closes the loop on scan

Restocked units re-enter inventory at the original landed cost the second the warehouse scans them. Available rises in seconds, not at close-of-day.

Per-SKU return rates feed buying

Reasons roll up by SKU, listing, channel, carrier. The next PO weights returns into MOQ math. Buying decisions get smarter every quarter.

Per-channel return windows

Amazon's 30-day rule, Shopify's flexible window, EU's 14-day right of withdrawal, all enforced at the rule layer. One portal, every policy.

REVERSE LOGISTICS

Returns built like the rest of ops.

Self-service portal

On your domain. Branded. Auth by order number and email. Label or drop-off code in under a minute.

Rules engine

Exchange before refund, store credit for repeat returns, restock fees by category, region-specific windows.

Exchanges native

New fulfillment kicks off on resolution. Same address. Same SLA. No copy-paste between tools.

Refunds and store credit

Refund to original method, or post to customer profile balance. Customer-facing email on resolution.

Warehouse inspection

Mobile scan-in. Expected items, checklist, photo upload, typed outcome. Bin routing per outcome.

Restock or write-off

Restock to forward-pick or clearance shelf. Damaged splits off to write-off ledger with typed reason.

Per-SKU return rates

Reasons roll up by SKU, listing, channel, carrier. Find the listing photo that lies.

Closed-loop COGS

Restocked units re-enter at original landed cost. Write-offs charge a separate ledger. Clean accrual.

Buying signal

Returns velocity feeds the Replenishment agent. High-return SKUs get fewer units on the next PO.

RETURNS BY REASON · 90D

Where returns actually come from.

Across a quarter of returns at a mid-size apparel brand on CCEN, the reasons cluster. Each reason gets a typed code on the RMA, so the merchandising team and the buying team can act on the same data. The chart is live, queryable, and exportable to your auditor.

Mia Belle Baby found one listing returning at 32 percent because the size chart was wrong. Fixed the chart, returns dropped 60 percent on that SKU in two weeks.

returns · 90d
1,084
Wrong size34%
Did not match photo22%
Damaged in transit17%
Changed mind14%
Color off8%
Other5%
WORKS WITH

Carriers, accounting, and the helpdesk handing off context.

Returns reads from the carriers, writes to your accounting tool, and hands off to your helpdesk when a return needs human review.

Carriers and drop-off
UPS ReturnsFedEx ReturnsUSPS ReturnsHappy Returns drop-offQR-code drop-offNative
Helpdesk and finance
CCEN CSNativeGorgiasRichpannelQuickBooks OnlineXeroNetSuite
We thought we had an 8 percent return rate. After CCEN's per-SKU report, we found one listing returning at 32 percent because the size chart was wrong. Fixed the chart, returns dropped 60 percent on that SKU in two weeks.
NR
Naomi Reyes
VP Customer Experience · Mia Belle Baby
Case study
Mia Belle Baby
Cut returns 24 percent across the catalog in a quarter.
24%
Catalog return rate drop
60%
Reduction on the worst SKU
$1.4M
Annualized margin recovered
Read the full story

Returns that close the loop.

See the customer portal, the rules engine, the warehouse inspection flow, and the financial resolution running on real returns.