Mistake #14: I followed the common wisdom.
In 2015 I worked for a large retailer.
One crazy weekend release and sale, and on Monday we had 5,000+ support tickets.
Every one of them asked the same 2 things: where is my order, and how do I return it.
That was the common practice, use Zendesk and have email such as returns@ and support@.
Have an army of support agents, and have them go 1 by 1.
Support and returns were manual, and secretly everybody hoped that if you make returns hard, you will get less products returned.
The whole industry agreed on the rest:
Returns are bad, and customers who return are bad customers.
Returns = lost money.
Shipping is a cost.
Support is a cost center.
Customers hated it. The team hated it. We lost money.
I did not like this entire concept.
Here's what I missed:
Common wisdom is the enemy. It produces common results.
When every competitor and every buyer applies the same solution and have the same expectation, every company looks the same.
You don't win by being different! By being weird, and embracing it!
You believe in something that they don't, and you have proof that it works.
I believed shipping and returns could be profitable.
Support could become a revenue channel.
People thought I was insane.
Solution: I built WeSupply around that belief.
We automated order updates and gave shoppers self-service returns.
Then we improved the shipping routes and return policies.
What the data showed us:
VIP shoppers were the ones returning the most.
Exchanges kept revenue that would have been refunded.
Upsells added revenue.
Better shipping and return operations improved profitability.
A return tells you what happened to 1 order.
It doesn't tell you what that customer is worth over their lifetime.
We went on to work with mid-market and enterprise retailers.
The position is still on the WeSupply website:
"Make shipping and returns profitable."
Why it matters:
If you sound like everybody else, buyers have no reason to remember you.
Your strongest position can come from the industry advice that failed you.
You tried it, saw the damage, and found a better way.
That experience gives you something to say.
The results give customers a reason to believe you.
For us, it became a clear choice:
For: Profitable shipping and returns.
Against: Making returns painful to protect a sale.
That belief shaped both the product and the message.
So if you want to do this yourself, start with advice that failed you.
Name what you believe instead and the customer result that supports it.
Your team should be able to explain both in 1 sentence.
Secret Sauce: Know what you stand for and what you're against.
Have the proof to back it up.
Best,
Virgil
PS: Mistake #15: I thought a different opinion was enough.