Project Description
A new returns policy for Takealot
We jumped at the chance to work with Takealot. Not only are they the leading online retailer in South Africa, but they love to push the boundaries of what is possible. Together with Rehabilitated Lawyer, we were delighted to collaborate with Takealot to improve their customers’ online experience.
The brief
Takealot asked us to rewrite and redesign their returns policy to make it as easy as possible for their customers to use.
This area of online shopping can be complex, not just in terms of process but also legally. However, the benefits of a well thought out returns policy are clear: greater customer loyalty and fewer customer complaints.
The bonus? A well thought out returns policy even has potential cost savings when it comes to customer service.
The challenge
The challenge that Takealot had was that they were rejecting a high percentage of items that should not have been returned in the first place. Customers needed to better understand what could be sent back so they do not attempt to return ineligible items.
The process
We worked closely with various departments at Takealot, including their dynamic legal team, customer services, distribution, reverse logistics, and several members of the senior management team, to conduct in-depth research and document why people return items, the time frames, and the relevant legal remedies.
We then put together a comprehensive overview of the returns-related information from across the Takealot site.
We experimented with novel ways of structuring the information and we carefully considered how a variety of visual designs interacted with the content. Then we tested it – one of the most important steps in a plain language and legal design project – with 15 participants with varying degrees of experience with returning items from Takealot.
We tested
- if the new returns policy performs the way we want it to;
- how it makes the Takealot customers feel; and
- where there is room for improvement.
Based on the feedback we were able to establish that people understood the new returns policy, loved how it looked and found it fair – very important!
“What’s the first thing I look for in terms of a returns policy? First of all, that there is a policy so I know I can return something and then probably understanding what I can return, like for example, what happens if I just change my mind because with online shopping sometimes you only know you like something when you receive it.”
Respondent 3
The results
Check out the new returns policy here: Returns Policy – Takealot Policy Centre
We used some of our favourite design techniques, including:
- A summary at the beginning for easy navigation
- Quick links for quick and easy access to information
- Icons to aid visual legibility (and cause they’re fun)
- Short and direct sections. Ain’t nobody got time for waffling.
