Reporting & Analytics | ReturnMate Help Centre

ReturnMate provides comprehensive reporting and analytics to help you understand return patterns, control costs, and improve customer experience. This guide covers available reports and how to use them effectively.

Dashboard Overview

The main dashboard provides at-a-glance metrics:

Key Performance Indicators

Metric	Description
Return Rate	Returns / Orders percentage
Average Resolution Time	Days from request to completion
Refund Total	Total refunds this period
Return Shipping Cost	Total shipping spend
Customer Satisfaction	Feedback scores

Time Period Comparison

View metrics for:

Today vs Yesterday
This Week vs Last Week
This Month vs Last Month
Custom date ranges

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Analytics Dashboard

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Main analytics dashboard with KPIs

Available Reports

Returns Overview Report

Path: Reports → Returns Overview

Summary of all return activity:

Metric	Detail
Total RMAs	Count by status
Volume Trend	Daily/weekly/monthly chart
Resolution Rate	Completed vs pending
Average Processing Time	By stage

Return Reasons Report

Path: Reports → Return Reasons

Breakdown by why customers return:

Return Reasons (Last 30 Days)

1. Wrong size/fit       35%  ████████████
2. Changed my mind      22%  ███████
3. Defective/damaged    18%  ██████
4. Not as described     12%  ████
5. Arrived too late      8%  ███
6. Other                 5%  ██

Insights Available:

Trend over time
By product category
By customer segment
Comparison to benchmark

Product Returns Report

Path: Reports → Products

Which products are returned most:

Product	Returns	Return Rate	Top Reason
Blue Widget	45	12.5%	Wrong size
Red Gadget	38	8.2%	Defective
Green Thing	22	15.1%	Not as described

Actions:

Identify quality issues
Improve product descriptions
Adjust sizing guidance
Review supplier quality

Financial Report

Path: Reports → Financial

Money impact of returns:

Metric	Amount
Gross Refunds	$12,500
Restocking Fees Collected	$450
Return Shipping Costs	$890
Net Return Cost	$12,940
Store Credits Issued	$2,100
Exchange Value	$3,400

Carrier Performance Report

Path: Reports → Carriers

Shipping and carrier metrics:

Carrier	Shipments	Avg Transit	Delivery Rate	Cost
Australia Post	156	3.2 days	98.5%	$1,240
StarTrack	89	2.1 days	99.2%	$980
TNT	34	1.8 days	97.6%	$520

Customer Returns Report

Path: Reports → Customers

Customer return behaviour:

Segment	Customers	Returns	Avg Value	Return Rate
First-time buyers	234	28	$45	12%
Repeat customers	156	45	$78	8%
VIP customers	45	12	$120	5%
High-risk	23	34	$89	28%

Processing Time Report

Path: Reports → Processing

How long each stage takes:

Average Time by Stage

Request → Label Sent:     0.5 days  ██
Label Sent → Received:    4.2 days  █████████████
Received → Inspected:     1.1 days  ███
Inspected → Resolved:     0.8 days  ██

Total Average:            6.6 days

Warranty Claims Report

Path: Reports → Warranty

Warranty-specific metrics:

Metric	Value
Claims Submitted	45
Claims Approved	38 (84%)
Claims Rejected	7 (16%)
Avg Claim Value	$156
Repair Rate	62%
Replace Rate	38%

Creating Custom Reports

Report Builder

Build custom reports at Reports → Custom → New Report

Select Data Source
- RMAs
- Shipments
- Customers
- Products
Choose Metrics
- Count, Sum, Average
- Percentage, Rate
- Trend, Comparison
Add Dimensions
- Time (day, week, month)
- Category, Product, Reason
- Customer segment, Location
Apply Filters
- Date range
- Status, Reason
- Store, Warehouse
Set Visualisation
- Table, Bar chart, Line chart
- Pie chart, Funnel

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Custom Report Builder

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Building a custom report

Saving Reports

Save frequently-used reports:

Configure report
Click Save Report
Name and describe
Choose sharing (private/team)

Saved reports appear in Reports → My Reports

Scheduled Reports

Automate report delivery:

Setting Up Schedules

Open a saved report
Click Schedule
Configure:
- Frequency (daily, weekly, monthly)
- Day/time
- Recipients
- Format (PDF, CSV, Excel)

Schedule Examples

Weekly Returns Summary
  Frequency: Weekly (Monday 8am)
  Recipients: management@company.com
  Format: PDF

Daily Pending Returns
  Frequency: Daily (7am)
  Recipients: support-team@company.com
  Format: CSV

Monthly Financial
  Frequency: Monthly (1st, 9am)
  Recipients: finance@company.com
  Format: Excel

Exporting Data

Quick Export

From any report:

Click Export
Select format (CSV, Excel, PDF)
Download or email

Bulk Export

Export all data for external analysis:

Go to Reports → Export
Select data type (RMAs, Customers, etc.)
Set date range
Choose format
Download or schedule delivery

API Access

For automated data access, use the Reports API:

GET /v1/reports/returns?start_date=2024-12-01&end_date=2024-12-31

See API Reference for details.

Understanding Metrics

Return Rate

Return Rate = (Returns / Orders) × 100

Example: 150 returns / 2000 orders = 7.5%

Benchmarks:

Apparel: 15-30%
Electronics: 8-15%
Home goods: 5-10%
General retail: 8-12%

Resolution Time

Resolution Time = Completion Date - Request Date

Average = Sum of all resolution times / Total completed returns

Good targets:

Simple refunds: 5-7 days
Exchanges: 7-10 days
Warranty claims: 10-14 days

Net Promoter Score (NPS)

From customer feedback:

NPS = % Promoters (9-10) - % Detractors (0-6)

Example: 60% promoters - 15% detractors = 45 NPS

Cost Per Return

Cost Per Return = Total Return Costs / Number of Returns

Costs include:
- Shipping (inbound + outbound for exchanges)
- Processing labour
- Restocking/inspection
- Refund transaction fees

Analytics Best Practices

Weekly Review

Check return volume vs previous week
Review any spikes in specific reasons
Monitor processing time SLAs
Check carrier performance

Monthly Review

Analyse return reason trends
Review high-return products
Calculate cost per return
Assess customer satisfaction scores
Compare to previous month/year

Quarterly Review

Deep dive into product quality issues
Review return policies effectiveness
Analyse customer segments
Calculate return rate by category
Plan improvements based on data

Using Insights

Reduce Returns

Based on analytics, take action:

Insight	Action
High "wrong size" returns	Improve size guides
Product quality issues	Work with suppliers
"Not as described"	Update photos/descriptions
Late delivery returns	Review carrier choices

Improve Efficiency

Insight	Action
Slow label generation	Streamline approval
Long transit times	Add carrier options
Inspection bottleneck	Add staff/automation
High shipping costs	Negotiate rates

Enhance Customer Experience

Insight	Action
Low satisfaction scores	Survey for feedback
Repeat returners	Proactive outreach
Slow resolution	Set SLA targets
Complex process feedback	Simplify portal

Data-Driven Decisions

Use analytics to identify your biggest opportunities. A 1% reduction in return rate or $1 reduction in cost per return can significantly impact profitability at scale.