Amazon’s Newest Feature Will Warn You If an Item Is Frequently Returned

Matt Lardie
Matt Lardie
Matt Lardie is a freelance writer based in Durham, NC. He has previously written for publications like The Kitchn, Bon Appetit, Robb Report, and Wine Enthusiast, as well as serving as a past judge for the both James Beard Foundation Awards and the World Cheese Awards. When he's…read more
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published Mar 30, 2023
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Amazon has long been a leader in customer-driven sales, prominently highlighting a starred review system for products that help consumers figure out which ones are worth the buy and which should probably be bypassed. The online retail giant also shook up the industry with its 30-day hassle-free return policy, drop-off locations in brick-and-mortar places like Whole Foods and UPS, and quickly refunding customers.

Following the trend of changing the online product ordering game up, they’ve now made a change that will hopefully both allow consumers to make better educated choices when shopping and cut down on the volume of returns the company receives. Apparently, Amazon has long noticed that certain products are more frequently returned than others, which logically might denote some dysfunctionality with the product or the way it’s described before it was purchased. And as a result, they’re doing something about it.

This week, the company announced that they’ve begun to apply a warning flag if a certain product is a “frequently returned item.” The label, which comes in yellow with bold font, appears immediately beneath the main product description, and is pretty hard to miss. 

“At Amazon, we’re always innovating on behalf of customers to improve the shopping experience,” said Amazon spokesperson Betsy Harden in a statement to The Information this week. “We’re currently showing return-rate information on some product detail pages to help our customers make more informed purchase decisions.”

So now, whether you’re shopping for a new pan or stocking up on cleaning supplies to give your kitchen a good spring cleaning, you’ll be able to determine beforehand if the product you’re looking at is something that other customers frequently send back — all without even having to scroll through the reviews. Anything that helps streamline the shopping process seems like a good thing, so kudos to Amazon for being more open with their customers with this new feature.