Walmart Makes Returns Even Easier With "Mobile Express Returns"
By Christine Kern, contributing writer
New program streamlines returns via the Walmart App and Mobile Express line in-store.
The competition between retailers is heating up, not just over sales but also the convenience of hassle-free returns, which keep customers happy and loyal. Walmart has unveiled "Mobile Express Returns," a simplified returns process that will be available in early November for items sold and shipped by Walmart.com, and for store purchases in early 2018. The retail giant is also working to create a similar streamlined returns process for items sold by third-party marketplace sellers on Walmart.com, according to a company press release.
The new program is touted by the retail giant as “an innovative, industry-first experience that combines Walmart’s more than 4,700 locations with the Walmart app to make returning an item fast, easy, and maybe even a little enjoyable.”
In today’s competitive retail environment, customer satisfaction is crucial, as is the ease of ordering – and returning – products. Amazon recently partnered with Kohl’s to establish easy return stations at physical Kohl’s stores for Amazon products. The Amazon returns service will be available at 82 stores across Los Angeles and Chicago, beginning in October. Kohl’s will pack and ship eligible return items for free from its Kohl’s stores.
"We know that returning an item and waiting for a refund, especially for a product purchased online, isn’t always seamless, so we’ve completely transformed the process for our customers — whether they are shopping in stores or at Walmart.com," Daniel Eckert, senior vice president, Walmart services and digital acceleration, Walmart U.S., said in a statement. "By leveraging our physical stores and the Walmart app, we’re changing the returns game in ways that only Walmart can do."
The new return process requires customers to initiate a return using the Walmart App and finish it at the store, via the Mobile Express Lane at the customer service desk. Customers scan the QR code displayed on the card reader with the Walmart app, then hand the item to an associate. Refunds will be credited to customers’ payment account as soon as the next day.
Additionally, as early as December, the retailer has said that in some cases customers returning certain items, including personal care and household products, will have the option in the Walmart app to instantly receive their refund without even making a trip to the store to physically return the item.
This is the third Mobile Express offering announced by Walmart this year, demonstrating that the company is “doubling-down on innovation within the app to deliver a more integrated shopping experience.”