Creating customer returns notifications with ReturnZap

Customizable Shopify Returns Email Notifications

All ReturnZap plans let you customize the look and feel of the notifications you send to customers during the returns process.

All ReturnZap plans include the ability to edit the following customer notifications:

Waiting for return / Return created
Item received
Item refunded
Item exchanged
Store credit issued

With ReturnZap, you can also customize the confirmation message that your customers see once they submit a return via the self service returns portal. All of these settings can be accessed by navigating to Settings > Notifications in the header bar of the ReturnZap app.

Customizable Shopify Returns Email Templates — Access notification settings from the ReturnZap settings page

Customizing Staff Notifications

From the notifications setting page, you can configure ReturnZap to send a notification to a predefined email address whenever a return is created. Usually this is set to the store owner, or to a customer service representative.

Using the check box labeled "also attach the customer's RMA form to this notification email" you can also choose to include the RMA form for each return as an attachment to the email.

Shopify returns staff notifications — Enter an email address to receive an email notification for each return, and select whether to attach the detailed RMA form

Be sure to hit the 'Save' button each time you make a change.

Don't want to receive an email each time a return is created? No problem, just leave this section blank.

Modifying Returns Email Templates

By default, ReturnZap does not enable any email notifications. You will need to enable and create each notification that you wish to send to your customers. Luckily, this is fairly straightforward.

Types of Shopify return emails that can be customized — Choose which template to modify on the Settings > Notifications screen

With ReturnZap, you can customize up to 5 different notifications to be sent to your customers during the returns process.

You can also customize the 'reply-to' email address where customer responses to these messages will be sent. Best practice is to make this a customer support email address, so you can quickly deal with any customer returns issues.

The email notications that can be configured are:

Waiting for return - This is an email notification sent to the customer as soon as an RMA is generated. Generally this email serves as a confirmation and includes details about their return.
Item received - Sent when the status of the return changes to item received. This can be used to alert customers that their return is currently being inspected and a refund will be issued once complete.
Refunded - Sent to customers once a return is marked as refunded. Note: many debit/credit card processors can take several days for refunds to reflect on customer statements, so you may want to mention something to this effect in your email.
Exchanged - Email sent once a return is marked as successfully exchanged
Credited- Email sent once a return is successfully refunded to store credit

Configuring the Return Notification Email Content

You can customize the notification for each of the 5 possible emails by clicking on the stage title. This will open a page that looks like this:

Edit the returns email content on the edit notifications screen — Each email template can be enabled and customized to fit your needs

When you first install ReturnZap, all email notification templates will be blank and disabled.

To enable an email for a specific return stage, simply populate the template with text. Each email template requires two components:

Email subject line
Email body

The email body is fully customizable, and supports HTML content. You can also embed dynamic fields related to the return by using the following values:

[[order_num]]: The Shopify order number
[[tracking_num]]: The tracking number of the prepaid label if one was created
[[rma_num]]: The RMA number assigned to the return
[[shipping_label]]: A URL to the generated shipping label

ReturnZap gives you the tools to create a fully customized, branded messaging experience for your customers during the returns process.

Modifying the returns portal confirmation message

The last section of the Settings > Notifications page allows you to edit the message that is displayed to customers who create a return via the optional self service customer returns portal.

Successful Shopify return RMA completion message — The returns portal submission confirmation message supports HTML and Shopify variables

Like the email notifications, this notification also supports full HTML markup and Shopify variables to embed order number, RMA numbers, etc.