Rapid refund policy aimed at boosting online shopping
New policy to make it easier for customers to obtain refunds.
Shoppers have welcomed Taobao's new refund policy designed to improve the online buying experience.
From Tuesday, with some conditions, its customer service guideline permits purchasers to return the merchandise without the approval of vendors or receive quick refunds without having to return the merchandise.
The new policy lowered the requirements on shoppers to provide evidence for their application for returns and refunds.
Taobao said the decision will be made with the assistance of the platform's big data on vendors' previous performance and reputation, such as the complaints and penalties they have received.
JD made a similar move, which will take effect tomorrow, allowing shoppers to request refunds from third-party retailers without returning the product in certain cases.
This parallels a similar trend among top e-commerce giants such as Pinduoduo, as well as emerging short-video sites such as Kuaishou and Douyin, which are expected to improve customers' experiences and allow merchants to better adapt to client demands.
Marco Zhong, who enjoys purchasing electrical items, thinks he would be more willing to check out new offerings if the refund process was more smooth.
"When vendors are hesitant to handle refunds, it's easier to request platforms like Taobao and JD to interfere," he said.
Taobao has stated that it will use multi-dimensional data analysis to ensure quick refunds or returns in favor of the buyer, who will no longer be required to present sufficient information to verify poor product quality when the product or vendor in question has already received a lot of complaints.
Vendors can still appeal within 30 days if they find it unreasonable.
According to e-commerce experts, there is no need to be concerned about refund laws being misused and causing vendors to incur losses.
Meanwhile, Eddie Wu will supervise the Taobao and Tmall Group in addition to his duties as Alibaba Group CEO and head of Alibaba Cloud, a move expected to unlock synergies.
It hopes to provide adequate resources for online retail sites to compete in a time of technological disruption and better retain customers.
