Return Options
Display return shipment options in your Returns Portal so your customers can select the most convenient option for their return.
Overview
If multiple carriers are available for a return, these carrier options can be displayed for your customers in your Returns Portal. Return options are displayed on the carrier selection page of the Returns Portal, where your customers can select their preferred return shipment method.
If you only offer one carrier for return shipments, the carrier selection page can be enabled. Depending on the carrier, carrier options can be enabled to let your customers choose between different services (for example: printable return label, QR code, and carrier pickup).
Pickup Options
If your carrier offers pickup for returns, this option can also be displayed. Your customers select a date and time slot for the collection of the return parcel and have the option of editing the pickup address if it differs from the delivery address.
After a pickup is scheduled, your customers can opt to reschedule the date and time of the pickup if the selected return carrier offers this functionality. The pickup date and time can be modified from the return confirmation page.
Drop-off Options
If your return carrier offers drop-off lockers for selection, these can be displayed on the carrier selection page.
Depending on the information provided by your return carrier, the nearest drop-off locations can be displayed to make carrier selection easier for your customers. In the following example, the displayed distance to the drop-off location is calculated based on the delivery address. Further details on each drop-off location (for example: operating hours and address) can be displayed as well.
Return In Store
If you offer in-store returns, this option can be displayed on the carrier selection page. Nearby store locations can be displayed based on your customer’s address.
Key Benefits
Enabling carrier selection clearly communicates expectations around the return shipment method to your customers. Offering multiple carrier options lets your customers choose the most convenient option based on their schedule (for example: scheduling a pickup from home instead of having to drop off the return).
Activating the carrier selection page even with only a single carrier option increases transparency around the returns process. This can be valuable when you have different outbound and return carriers to avoid customer confusion.
Configuring the Return Options Feature
This section describes the configuration required for displaying return carrier options.
Customer Requirements
For the feature to work, you need to provide the following:
The carriers you are using for return shipments.
Text for carrier-specific instructions that is displayed within the carrier option.
If you only have one carrier for returns, you can decide if you want to activate the carrier selection page for your Returns Portal. This option will be pre-selected for your customers.
Implementation Process
To activate this feature for your Returns Portal, please contact your parcelLab representative.
Configuring Return Label Rate Optimization
This section describes how you can optimize the display of carrier options by label cost.
The rate optimization feature for carrier selection enables you to optimize the display of carrier options based on the label cost. Rate-based filtering can be added to the configuration of displayed carrier options, enabling cost optimization through the flexibility to display cost-effective options higher on the list while offering your customers multiple carrier options.
Customer Requirements
For the rate optimization feature to work, each return option you intend to rank or filter by price must be supported by a parcelLab carrier integration that can retrieve a valid positive label rate for the specific return scenario. If a rate is unavailable or cannot be compared to the return order currency, the option is treated as having an unknown rate.
Implementation Process
This section describes how you can configure rate optimization for your existing carrier options in the parcelLab App.
Enable rate optimization setting
In your Returns Portal configuration settings, enable the Rate Optimization setting. This enables you to use rate-based filters in the display of your configured return options.
You can enable the Sort by rate setting for your v2 Returns Portal to automatically display cheaper return options first. This setting overrides the configured display order of your carrier options.
To keep your configured display order while using rate-based filters, disable the Sort by rate setting in your Returns Portal configuration.
Define rate-based filters for return options
In the Return Options section, set the rate-based filters for each return option.
When rate optimization is enabled in your Returns Portal configuration, the following filter fields become available to use when building filters on a carrier option.
Return Option | Label Cost
The cost of the return label or return option.
Return Option | Rate | Position
The rank among eligible carrier options by label cost, where 1 is the cheapest and 99 indicates that the rate is unknown.
Return Option | Rate | Percentage Above Cheapest
The rounded percentage that the carrier option’s label rate is above the cheapest eligible option.
Return Option | Rate | Price Amount
The (positive) label rate amount used for rate optimization ranking.
Return Option | Rate | Price Currency
The currency of the label rate used for rate optimization ranking.
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