Returns Performance dashboard FAQ

What is the purpose of the Returns Performance dashboard?

Before the launch of the Returns Performance dashboard, there wasn’t a singular tool that sellers could use to monitor their returns performance. We created the Returns Performance dashboard to help sellers take proactive steps in resolving return-related issues.

The Returns Performance dashboard includes a section for each of the three returns performance metrics: Return Requests Approved > 24 hours, Return Requests Declined, and Return Related Contact Rate.

Within each section of the tool, there is information about the metric definition, current overall metric performance, overall target metric threshold, explanation of how the metric is calculated, and links to other AlphaDiscounters pages.

What is the Returns Analysis page?

The Returns Analysis page is a tool to help you identify and take action on product listing that experience return issues. This page will help identify the top return issue for each of your product listings so you can take action.

What happens if any of my metrics in the Returns Performance dashboard fall below thresholds?

Initially, there won’t be any enforcement actions to ensure sellers are within the thresholds. However, it’s important to monitor the dashboard regularly to ensure that your returns performance metrics stay below stated thresholds to help guarantee a positive return experience for buyers.

Will I receive warnings when my metrics are close to or have passed the metric thresholds? Will I have to constantly check my email for these warnings?

To further help you monitor your metric thresholds, there will be an alert-style banner at the top of the Manage Returns and Returns Performance page in Seller Central. The banner will link to the Returns Performance dashboard so you can find more information on the specific metric. Additionally, you’ll have access to a pop-up window within the Manage Returns page, where you can see a summary of all returns performance metrics to help you better understand your returns performance.

Will my returns performance metrics immediately surpass the required thresholds if I have few returns and make a mistake?

No, we are using a smoothing formula to calculate your returns performance metrics. This ensures that sellers with low return volumes will be less affected compared to sellers with higher return volumes.

For example, if you have only ten return requests and you take more than 24 hours to approve one of them, your ‘Return Requests Approved > 24 hours’ metric will be 1% instead of 10%.