For most brands and merchants, returns are ‘the cost of doing business’. In reality, returns can be so much more.
Before merchants can start turning returns into something other than a pure loss, there are several hurdles they have to overcome. That’s why logistics and operations love smart return systems.
In this article:
- Why manual ticketing kills efficiency
- How AI can auto-approve returns and cut backlog
- How to stop warehouses from working blind
- How to route “special cases” automatically
- How to automate refunds without chaos
Stop handling return requests in your ticketing system
How many messages does it take to create one return request? 2, 4, 8?
If your return solution is email, this might sound familiar.
Throwing tickets back and forth and asking customers for details is time-consuming, error-prone, and chaotic.
For retailers with large catalogues, complexity multiplies.
A book might just need to be in original condition — but a bookshelf or mobile phone requires specific checks:
Are all screws included? Is the device locked? What’s the physical condition?
Standardizing your return flow ensures you capture all the info you need — without losing your mind.
Category-specific questions help you route returns automatically to the right destination: warehouse, service, or recycling.
Still reviewing cases like it’s 1999?
If you’re manually reviewing each return request, we get it — you want control and visibility.
If you are manually reviewing each return request, honestly, we can’t blame you. You want the control, stay on top of the customer experience, and react to any looming quality issues. But if you don’t voluntarily review returns manually, we have good news for you: you no longer have to do so!
Automate approval with AI
Most returns can be auto-approved when you collect structured data.
Unopened box?
✅ Approve.
Shoes too small?
✅ Approve and exchange.
Cheap fidget spinner that doesn’t actually spin?
✅ Approve and discard.
With standardized data, you can apply automatic rules and even image AI to resolve cases instantly.
Automatic return rules, assisted by image AI, can solve cases for you so you can go from detailed review to simply approving the cases.
Or, if manual approval and oversight is not your thing, you can automate the entire review process — including dynamic routing and sending the correct return instructions to the customer.
No more manual reviews. No more backlog.
Is your warehouse operating blindly?
When returns arrive ‘blind’, your warehouse doesn’t know:
- What’s coming back
- Why it’s returned
- What to do with it
One option is to follow a checklist.
We have witnessed with our own eyes how in 2025, an inspector browsed through a big paper catalogue and eventually found the correct instructions for checking a pair of shoes. What did it say? Check that shoes are clean and gently brush them if necessary. Lace them up and wrap back in the box. Helpful!
Knowing what to check and how to inspect products is of course key to quality work. Without proper inspection instructions, each inspection is only as good as the inspector’s hunch. As a retailer, that is not enough.
What if we could replace old-school paper binders with on-demand instructions specific to the product at hand, and complement instructions with the actual return reason, customer’s comments, accompanied with an AI’s assessment of the product?
It might just help the inspector do their job.
Opinions are great, but one place they don’t belong when it comes to grading returned products.
By introducing a unified grading scale, every item can be assessed consistently — from “A- Like new” to “E – Not for Resale.” No guesswork, no arguments, no inconsistencies. Just a standardised condition score everyone understands.
Warehouse full of pallets and racks waiting for… something?
If your warehouse is like most others, there are ‘special cases’ that fall between the cracks of the usual processes. When selling pricier items, some might require repair, others might need to be auctioned or sold as pre-owned or even for parts.
Manually handling these cases usually means sticky notes, spreadsheets, and long email chains — all waiting for someone to “decide later.” Delays pile up and value depreciates with every idle pallet.
Automating case routing ensures every product gets where it needs to go, faster without relying on tribal knowledge or that famous someone.
Stop refund roulette: automate the payout
Manually figuring out who to refund and how much? Painful.
Someone has to cross-check the order, inspect the product, verify the return reason, and then determine the right amount — often across different systems.
With inspection result and refund permissions built directly into the return system, refund decisions can be made instantly and fairly. Automatic refund approval based on inspection outcome means customers get their money back faster, finance gets clean data, and you get to stop playing accountant.
Ready to Recover more Value out of Returns?
Renow’s Outlet-as-a-Service helps retailers, marketplaces, and brands turn returns into revenue — with zero handling costs and up to 20% higher recovery value than traditional resale workflows.
Renow helps you:
- Offload 100% of your returns
- Relist items in as little as 5 hours
- Eliminate fixed costs with a decentralized, AI-powered logistics network across Europe
- Lower cross-border and operational costs by up to 70%
- Drive ESG outcomes with waste and CO₂ reductions
Resale doesn’t have to be a burden. With Renow, it’s a business advantage. See how Renow helps brands recover more value from every return.
Closing Thought
Returns used to be the silent cost of e-commerce.
Now, they’re becoming the next frontier of efficiency, sustainability, and customer experience.
Those who automate first won’t just save time — they’ll turn a cost center into a competitive edge.
Author: Olli Savisaari @ Renow
About Renow
Renow is an AI-based recommerce startup that has created a unique way to build marketplace supply. Renow disrupts the supply chain through virtual warehouses and a grading engine offered with a freemium model for retailers and 3PLs. For consumers, Renow offers high-quality 2nd-cycle products from top brands at discounted prices. Renow’s vision is to make recommerce mainstream and decrease waste.
