How is Bonpoint reducing its product return rate with PIM?

In France, 45 per cent of consumers returned a product bought online in 2018 (source: Statista). That’s one in two shoppers! Whilst this figure certainly reflects the widespread adoption of free returns policies, it should not obscure what lies behind it: a great deal of disappointment.

High-quality content to maximise the customer experience

Returning a purchased product has become free of charge and is now an integral part of the customer service provided by businesses. In the customer journey, disappointment following a purchase is precisely what retailers should be doing their utmost to avoid – their reputation and customer loyalty are at stake.

Whilst returning a product is now a perfectly commonplace practice, it nevertheless incurs significant costs.

Extending return policies to facilitate exchanges is a commendable approach, but retailers must, above all, ensure that the product received meets the customer’s expectations in every respect. This requires providing visitors to your websites with accurate and comprehensive product information. Providing as much detail as possible helps to anticipate the questions put to customer support and maximise the chances of satisfaction upon receipt of the order.

Reducing your product return rate through high-quality information, as demonstrated by the Bonpoint brand

Since its foundation in Paris in 1975, Bonpoint has been the only French fashion house dedicated to children’s wear. Particular attention is paid to the details that give Bonpoint garments their unique signature. The brand is present in 29 countries and across 115 retail outlets.

Bonpoint has implemented a Product Information Management (PIM) system to optimise the digital management of its product information in over 44 languages and:

• Manage the workload associated with peaks in e-commerce activity (seasonal and capsule collections, catalogues, etc.).
• Organise collaboration on the product repository using a business workflow.
• Boost online and in-store sales.
• Reduce return rates.

Streamlining team interaction and sharing a single product repository within a PIM system has reduced redundant day-to-day tasks, allowing staff to devote more time to ensuring the relevance and real-time updating of product content and descriptions.

Bonpoint customers can find all the information they need to speed up their purchasing decision, and return rates have fallen sharply. Quality is guaranteed!

The PIM: the key tool in the quality approach

The PIM really comes into its own here, as it significantly facilitates the provision of comprehensive and reliable information. It enables:

• teams to collaborate with one another to enhance product listings,
• structuring product pages clearly and adding all kinds of visuals (photos, videos, 3D images, etc.),
• to duplicate or customise delivery and returns information according to the product.
• If any information is missing, it simply needs to be added to the PIM so that it can then be published in real time across all communication and sales channels.

This enables the various stakeholders to contribute to the creation of comprehensive and reliable product pages as part of a commitment to continuous improvement.

Not only does this help to reduce returns and maximise customer satisfaction, but it also reduces the number of (often repetitive) enquiries to customer service. The PIM is therefore a useful day-to-day operational tool, as well as a strategic tool to support the company’s quality initiative.

Conclusion

Companies can no longer do without accurate and precise product information for their customers. Product returns incur significant costs and have an impact on customer satisfaction. PIM is the tool that supports this quality initiative whilst significantly reducing product return costs – costs that every business would gladly do without. Whilst having high-quality product information is essential, integrating it into an effective omnichannel strategy is the best way to maximise your sales.

Find out how to boost your omnichannel strategy with PIM in our white paper.

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