Advanced return rules are predefined actions based on conditions you choose. You set advanced return rules to automatically approve or reject return requests from your customers saving you time and effort.
Please note: You need a Gold or above package subscription to access the feature.
Scroll down to learn more about Advanced return rules or choose one of the links below to go to a particular section in this article:
Advanced return rules
To go to the Advanced return rules page:
In the navigation bar, select Settings.
Select Advanced return rules.
Here you can add return rules as well as edit and delete existing rules. You can also activate or deactivate your advanced return rules.
Create a new rule
To create a new advanced return rule:
In the Advanced return rules page, click the Add return rule button.
Fill in the name of your rule in the Rule name field.
Choose the Condition you want to apply to your rule.
Note: Multiple conditions can be applied to the same rule. Scroll down for information on condition options.3.1. From the Property dropdown menu, select a property.
See more information on the different properties you can select.
3.2. From the Operator dropdown menu, select an operator of the rule.
Note: The Operator dropdown options differ depending on the Property you choose.
3.3. In the Values field, insert the values you want your rule to contain. You can insert multiple values.
4. (Optional) Click the Add condition button if you want to add another condition to the rule. See the rule combination example at the bottom of the page.
5. Select the Action you want to apply to the conditions you've defined. From the dropdown menu, select Approve return or Reject return.
6. To save the rule, click the Save button on the top-right side of the page.
Well done, you've just created your first rule to help automate your return process.
Delete a rule condition
If you have multiple conditions in one ruleset, you can remove them by clicking the delete icon to the right of the rule.
Rule conditions
A rule condition is a combination of the selections you make to the property, operator and value fields.
Rule condition elements
Property
The property is what your rule is based on. The types of properties are Order discount code, From country and Return value.
Order discount code: | Use Order discount code property if you want to approve or reject orders that have used a discount code. The discount code(s) are the codes you set up in your Shopify. You can enter more than one code in the Values field. |
From country: | Use From country property if you want to approve or reject returns from specific countries which do not comply with the conditions of your return policy. |
Return value: | Use Return value property if you want to approve or reject returns with a return value that is below or above a certain number. The Return value is the total sale cost of all items within a return request. The return value currency is inherited from the placed order. Eg. A return value of "50" will equal to £50, €50 or $50 depending on the order. |
Operator
The Operator options change depending on what Property type(s) you choose.
If you choose Order discount code or Return value properties, the operator dropdown options are:
is
is not
is greater than
is less than
If you choose From country property, the operator options are:
is
is not
Values
The values field can contain multiple countries and multiple discount codes.
If you set the property as Return value, you can only specify the decimal value of the item in this field.
Check if an item has been auto-approved or rejected
To check if an order has passed through an automated return rule:
In the navigation bar, select Manage returns.
Find and select the item you want to investigate.
The note at the top of the page states whether the item has been automatically approved or rejected.
Timeline
The Timeline page also shows whether an item has passed through Automated return processing.
Return rules priority
When you have multiple return rules, they will be prioritized based on their order - from top to bottom. If two or more return rules contradict each other, the rule higher in the order will be prioritized.
To reorder your rules, click the up and down arrows in the Order/Priority section.
Return rules examples
Below you can see some of the rule examples you can apply to automate your return requests.
Reject returns from specific countries
You can prevent your customers from making returns from countries which do not comply with the conditions of your return policy.
A single rule can be used to block returns from a single country, or multiple countries.
Eg.
If "Country" is "Netherlands" then "Reject return"
If "Country" is "France", "Spain", "Germany" then "Reject return"
Auto-approve if the item value is less than a set amount
Eg.
If "Return value" is less than "50.00" then "Auto-approve"
Auto-approve return based on Country
Approve return requests from specific countries.
Eg.
If "Country" is "United Kingdom" then "Auto-approve"
Rule combination - reject based on Country and Return value
Reject a return request if the country is Guernsey and if the return items' cost is more than 500.
Eg.
If "Country" is "Guernsey"
and
If "Return value" is greater than "500.00"
Then "Reject"