Now your customers can exchange instead of return

Returns are one of the biggest hidden costs in an online store. It costs time to process them, it costs shipping, and every time a customer returns an item for money, you usually lose sales. But the truth is that many returns are not about customer dissatisfaction at all. The customer just got the wrong size or is unsure about the color.

That's why we've built a new feature in Shoporama's returns center: Exchanges. Instead of only being able to return for a refund, your customers can now choose "Exchange for something else" and exchange directly for a different size or a completely different product. You keep the revenue, the customer gets the right product faster, and the system does most of the paperwork for you.

Why exchange beats return and buy again

The classic path is that the customer returns the item, gets their money back, and then maybe, maybe not, places a new order. Each of these steps is a place where the sale can fall through. When the customer exchanges instead, you keep the entire transaction in one flow.

• You keep the revenue. Instead of a refund and a lost sale, you get an exchange where the money stays in the store.
• Fewer lost sales due to size. The classic clothing issue where a medium should have been a large is solved with a few clicks instead of a whole new order.
• The customer gets the right item faster. The customer doesn't wait for a refund before ordering the new item. It all happens in one motion.
• You save time in your everyday life. The customer selects the new item and you approve with one click. The rest is automatic.

How the customer experiences it

When a customer enters the returns page, they see "Exchange for something else" as a highlighted button. If the customer would rather get a refund, that option is still there, and they can also choose a voucher instead of a refund. It's the customer who decides.

If the customer chooses to exchange, an exchange wizard opens. Here the customer decides on each item and has two options:

1. Switch to a different size. A dropdown shows the sizes of the same product that are actually in stock. This is the frictionless way: the customer just clicks from small to medium and it's done. No new search, no doubts.
2. Search for a completely different product. If the customer wants something completely different, there is a live search with an image so it's easy to find the right product.

While the customer is choosing, a live calculation is constantly running in the background. The customer continuously sees the return value of the items being exchanged, the price of the new items and what it will end up costing. The result is clearly displayed as either "You have to pay X", "You get X back", or "Straight exchange". There are no surprises at the end because the numbers are displayed throughout.

The difference is handled automatically

This is typically where exchanges become cumbersome in other solutions because someone has to manually send an invoice or issue a voucher. You don't have to do that. The system calculates the difference and chooses the right path automatically.

• If the new item is more expensive: the customer receives a payment link for the difference and the return value is refunded to the card. The customer only pays what the exchange actually costs extra.
• If the new item is cheaper: the new order is covered by the return and the customer receives the surplus either as a voucher or as money back on the card. It's the customer's choice.
• If it's a straight swap: there's nothing to settle and the deal is done.

Clean accounting without headaches

When you approve the exchange in admin, Shoporama creates two clean vouchers: a credit note for the returned items and a new order for the new items. This way, the accounting will be correct by itself. The old items are credited, the new ones are invoiced, and you don't mess up the original order.

In the returns overview in the admin, an exchange gets its own "Exchange" label, so you can immediately see that it's not a regular return. You see the requested new items, the price difference and you have direct links to both the credit note and the new order. Everything is in one place.

Keeping the customer informed every step of the way

Exchanges should feel safe for the customer, which is why Shoporama automatically sends the right emails along the way. When the customer creates the exchange, they receive a confirmation with "We have received your exchange". When you approve, the customer receives one of three emails depending on the outcome:

• A payment link if the new item is more expensive and a difference needs to be paid.
• A "Your exchange is complete" confirmation with a voucher if the new item is cheaper and the customer chose a voucher.
• A refund confirmation if the customer chose to get the surplus back on the card instead.

How to get started

You enable exchanges on the Return Center page under Orders, Return Center (at the bottom, in the settings). The return center itself is activated under Webshop, General on the Return Center tab. When enabled, "Exchange for something else" will automatically appear on your returns page and your customers can get started right away. You don't need to change your products or inventory because the size swap builds directly on the variants and stock you already have in your store.

Our recommendation: turn it on and see how many "returns" were really just a customer needing a different size. That's revenue you would have lost otherwise.

Are you using your own theme?

If your online store runs on one of Shoporama's built-in themes, such as Montana, the exchange button is already part of the theme and you can start using it as soon as you enable it. If you build on your own custom theme, the exchange code must be implemented in the theme before your customers see the choice on the return page. It's the same situation as when other new features are introduced: the default themes automatically follow suit, a custom theme only does so when the code is merged in.

You have two easy ways forward. You can download Montana for free from the theme library and copy the relevant code snippets into your own theme, preserving your own design. Or you can have one of our design partners add the code for you so it just works.

Frequently asked questions

I sell clothes and am not very technical. Do I need to set up something complicated?
No, you don't. Simply enable exchanges on the Return Center page under Orders, Return Center and you're good to go. The customer chooses the new size or item and you just approve with a click when the package is returned.

I have a custom theme. Do I need to do anything special to make the exchange work?
Yes, you do. On Shoporama's built-in themes, such as Montana, the exchange button is already included, but on a custom theme, the code must be implemented in the theme before your customers see the choice on the returns page. You can download Montana for free from the theme library and reuse the code or get help from one of our design partners.

What if the size the customer wants is not in stock?
This situation does not arise because the dropdown only shows the sizes that are actually in stock. Therefore, the customer can never exchange for an item you don't have. If there is no suitable size, the customer can instead look for another product or choose a regular refund.

What does an exchange look like in the accounts?
Two separate documents are created: a credit note for the returned items and a new order for the new items. The old goods are credited, the new goods are invoiced, so the VAT and accounting is correct by itself. The original order is not messed with.

I run multiple shops and think in terms of time. How much manual work is there really?
Virtually nothing per case. The customer selects the new item and sees the difference themselves, and you approve with one click. The system creates the credit note, new order, and either payment link or voucher automatically, so you don't have to do any manual invoicing.

What happens if the new item is more expensive than the one the customer returns?
The customer will automatically receive a payment link for the difference and the return value will be refunded to the card. The customer only pays the extra cost of the exchange and you don't need to send an invoice manually.

And if the new item is cheaper?
Then the new order is covered by the return and the customer gets the surplus either as a voucher or as money back on the card. It's up to the customer to choose which of the two solutions they prefer.

I'm new on the job. How do I know if a case is an exchange and not a regular return?
In the returns overview in the admin, exchanges have a clear "Exchange" label. You can see which new items the customer wants, what the price difference is, and you have direct links to both the credit note and the new order.

Will the customer be notified along the way?
Yes, they are. The customer receives an email when the exchange is created and one upon approval: either a payment link, a credit note confirmation, or a refund confirmation, depending on the outcome. The customer is informed every step of the way.