Wal-Mart Leverages Stores to Speed Up Returns for Online Buys

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) is about to make it much easier and quicker for online customers to return items and get refunds, courtesy of a new feature on its mobile app.

Mobile Express Returns, the nation’s largest retailer’s latest weapon in its digital war with Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN), will work across all of Wal-Mart’s 4,700-plus stores, the company said in a statement, adding that upgraded technology and extra express lanes should enable it to cut processing time for online purchase returns to 30 seconds. (See also: Wal-Mart Will Unpack Groceries, Restock Fridges.)

Wal-Mart’s simplified returns process will be first made available in early November for items sold and shipped from its website. The company is also planning on introducing a quick and easy returns process for items sold by third-party sellers on Walmart.com and is expected to roll out a similar service for store purchases in early 2018.

“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,” said Daniel Eckert, senior vice president of Wal-Mart Services and Digital Acceleration. “By leveraging our physical stores and the Wal-Mart app, we’re changing the returns game in ways that only Wal-Mart can do. Throughout the year, we’ve added features to our app to make it an even more powerful, time-saving tool for our customers shopping online and in our stores; Mobile Express Returns is our latest enhancement.”

Online shoppers can make a return by following two simple steps. Customers are first required to select the items they no longer want on their Wal-Mart app, before returning the specific items to their local store. Once at the store, customers should approach the mobile express lane and scan the QR code that was sent to their phone. When this process is complete, a refund will be credited to the shopper’s payment account.

By enabling customers to return unwanted items to stores, rather than sending them off in the mail, the refund process is expected to be a lot quicker. Refunds should appear in the customer’s payment account by the following day, Wal-Mart confirmed in the statement. (See also: Amazon Will Be Top Retailer, Tech Co. by 2025: MKM.)

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