Setting up self-serve returns
To let your customers submit product return requests directly in your online store, you need to activate self-serve returns in your Shopify admin. You can also add instructions to your online store telling your customers how they can request returns.
On this page
- Requirements for setting up self-serve returns
- Considerations for setting up self-serve returns
- Turn on self-serve returns
- Adding the new customer accounts URL to your online store
- Customer experience
- Customizing return requests branding
- Customizing return request email notifications
- Receiving return requests email notifications
Requirements for setting up self-serve returns
To let your customers submit return requests, do the following:
- Turn on self-serve returns in your Shopify admin
- Give customers access to log in to new customer accounts. There are two ways to give customers access to log in to new customer accounts:
- Switch to new customer accounts.
- Add the URL for new customer accounts to your store's footer, refund policy, or another page in your store. If you don’t want to switch to new customer accounts, this option allows you to continue using classic customer accounts in your online store and checkout, while still giving customers access to request a return.
Considerations for setting up self-serve returns
Before you set up self-serve returns, review the following considerations:
- Self-serve returns don't work with classic customer accounts.
- Self-serve returns aren't available for B2B on Shopify orders.
- Exchanges can't be requested in self-serve returns and you can't have exchange-specific return rules.
Turn on self-serve returns
To set up return requests, you first need to turn on self-serve returns in your Shopify admin.
Steps:
- From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Customer accounts.
- In the New customer accounts section, turn on the Self-serve returns toggle button.
After you turn on self-serve returns, you then need to allow customers to log in from your online store and checkout using the new customer accounts. To do that you can set up new customer accounts in your Shopify admin or add the new customer accounts URL to your store.
Adding the new customer accounts URL to your online store
When a customer clicks the new customer accounts URL, they're prompted to log in to their customer account, where they can submit a return request.
You can add the new customer accounts URL anywhere on your online store where you can enter a URL, such as in your store's return policy or in a returns page.
You can find and copy the new customer accounts URL from Customer accounts settings in the New customer accounts section of the page. After you copy the URL, you can add it to your online store wherever makes the most sense for your business.
Add the new customer accounts URL to your refund policy
- From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Policies.
- In the Refund policy section, select the text that you want to hyperlink, and then paste the new customer accounts URL.
- Click Save.
Add the new customer accounts URL to a page
- From your Shopify admin, go to Online Store > Pages.
- Click the page where you want to add the new customer accounts URL, such as a returns page.
- Select the text that you want to hyperlink, and then paste the new customer accounts URL.
- Click Save.
- Optional: Click View page to view how the changes are displayed in your online store.
Add the new customer accounts URL to your store's footer
- From your Shopify admin, go to Online Store > Navigation.
- Click Footer menu.
- Click Add menu item.
- In the Name field, enter a page name, such as Returns, Return requests, or Request a return.
- In the Link field, paste the new customer accounts URL.
- Click Add, and then click Save.
Customer experience
To submit return requests, your customer needs to log in to their customer account. Your customer can access their account in the following ways:
- Click the new customer accounts URL that you add to your online store.
- Log into their customer account from your store's navigation. This option works only if you have the new customer accounts activated in your store.
Your customer enters their email address and a six-digit verification code that is sent to their email address. A password isn't required to log in. After your customer enters the code in your store, they're granted access to their account.
Your customers can submit return requests only for orders that are fulfilled or partially fulfilled.
Add return request instructions to your store
Add information to your refund policy or a page within your online store about how return requests work. You can use and adjust the following example instructions of how a customer can submit a return request in your online store.
Customizing return requests branding
The pages where your customers self-serve and submit return requests use your checkout's branding settings. To make changes to the branding of these pages, you need to update your checkout's branding settings.
The following branding settings don't apply to these pages:
- logo position
- logo alignment
- logo max width
Customizing return request email notifications
Return requests have the following email notifications that you can customize:
- return request confirmation
- return request approved
- return request declined
You can customize these notifications in Settings > Notifications > Returns.
Review the following table to learn more about return request email notifications:
Notification | Description |
---|---|
Return request confirmation | Sent automatically to the customer after they request a return using self-serve returns. |
Return request approved | Sent to the customer when you approve a return request. This notification includes return shipping information, such as a return shipping label that you upload when approving a return request. |
Return request declined | Sent to the customer with a message that indicates why a return request was declined. You can edit the message to the customer before you send it. |
If you provide a return shipping label using Shopify Shipping or SFN, then customers receive a return approval email and another email that contains a return shipping label.
Receiving return requests email notifications
If you choose to receive order notifications by email, then you also automatically receive return request notifications by email. Return request notifications aren't available on the Shopify app.
You can manage your order and return request notifications in Settings > Notifications > Staff order notifications.