Amazon Just Got A Super Useful Feature That Will Warn You If An Item Is Frequently Returned – SlashGear

Having their product flagged for high returns is the last thing any online storeowner wants, so this small gesture has a significant effect. It actively keeps brands on their toes at every level, from assembly to packaging, advertising, and delivery. Obviously, consumers stand to benefit most from the heightened visibility of red flags, but it also helps the retailer. Fewer returns mean cutbacks on the money and waste needed to process the shipments, which helps the environment and protects the bottom lines of everyone involved.

The move aims to help consumers shop with better confidence by exposing products that may have quality issues or ultimately don’t live up to the description and images. While everyone should take more than just a couple of minutes to jog through reviews before purchasing a product, they too can be misleading. Some companies have been caught incentivizing positive reviews with free products, gift cards, or by direct payment.

Plus, a product’s long-term quality history may not always reflect the current state of affairs. Manufacturers often change suppliers and processes without warning, and history shows even some products that have previously garnered a reputation for quality could eventually shed their goodwill with a bad production stream. Again, reviews will usually let you know if this is the case, but not always, so it’s nice to have another mind-easing layer of information before heading through checkout.