A returns portal instead of five emails for one parcel

A return handled by email goes like this. The customer writes that he wants to send something back. You ask for the order number. He sends it without naming the item. You ask which item and why. He answers that the sweater itches. You ask for a photo, because now it is a defect. Five messages across three days, and the parcel has not even started moving.

The problem is not the effort per email. It is that each of those five messages starts a new wait, on both sides. A returns portal cuts that chain.

What the customer does himself

Instead of writing, he opens a page that belongs to your brand. He gets in through a magic link, or with his order number plus a second detail. There he picks the line item, gives a reason, and uploads up to five photos. What happens next is decided by the flow you built beforehand. Return, exchange or refund, depending on the reason and the item.

The page carries your logo, your accent colour, your typeface and your wording. Six mail templates are yours to edit, so the confirmations sound like you and not like a tool.

What it does not take over

You still print shipping labels wherever you print them today. A custom domain for the portal does not exist yet. It runs on one address per brand that we provide.

The honest state of it

The returns portal is an add-on to your plan and currently runs as a closed, invitation-only beta. It is not a checkbox you flip yourself.

And it is not worth it for everyone. At ten returns a month your inbox is fine, and you would be building a portal nobody uses. It gets interesting in the hundreds, when the same five emails eat half your day.