Do product returns hurt relational outcomes some

Authors: Gianfranco Walsh Daniel Brylla

Publish Date: 2016/12/24

Volume: 27, Issue: 4, Pages: 329-339

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Abstract

Customer product returns are a key challenge for online retailers Previous research primarily focused on causes of returns and possible interventions to reduce customers’ product returns and concomitant costs for online retailers However little is known about the effect of product returns on key relational outcomes Drawing on relationship marketing theory we test a model that relates product returns to three relationship marketing outcomes—customer satisfaction trust and positive wordofmouth A field study based on online panel data from customers of eight large online retailers demonstrates that product returns negatively affect customer satisfaction with the retailer customer trust and wordofmouth The findings extend previous research by revealing that product returns can detrimentally affect relationships with customers Implications for ecommerce research and management are discussed

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