How to reactivate Products Disabled for High Returns

If your product has been deactivated due to high returns, it is not necessarily the end of the road. You can request Takealot to reactivate your product by following the three simple steps below. Not only will these steps assist in reactivating your product, but you will also learn how to prevent deactivations in future proactively.

Step 1: Identify the Reason for the High Returns Disablement

The first step is to understand why your product was deactivated by assessing the return reasons submitted by customers. By assessing these reasons, you should easily identify the root cause or underlying trend driving high returns, and in doing so, you are empowered to take the necessary steps to resolve the issue. Some common trends include stock issues, catalogue issues, customer faults, and, in some instances, errors by Takealot.

Stock issues may arise due to improper packaging, incorrect labelling, expired products, manufacturing errors or other related problems. It is essential to scrutinise your product packaging, quality assurance practices and product labelling as potential reasons for high returns.

• Catalogue issues may arise due to inaccuracies in product descriptions, images, or categorisation. Review your product listings thoroughly to identify and correct any inaccuracies or provide clarity where customer return feedback shows a lack of understanding.
• Customer issues sometimes occur due to customer dissatisfaction or the incorrect return reason. Depending on the underlying trend, there are still steps you can take, such as updating your catalogue to manage expectations better or investing in user manuals. Investigate the reason behind the high customer returns for the product.
• Takealot issues occasionally occur due to mistakes by the Takealot team. In such cases, identify the issues you believe were caused by Takealot.

How to view your Disabled Products and Return Reasons

• Go to your Manage My Offers page and set a filter to display products “Disabled by Takealot”. In the filtered results, look for products that state “Disabled by Takealot - High Returns”
• You can also click on Export My Offers to download your Offers (with any applied filters) and view your offers in a spreadsheet format, along with status descriptions. 
• To view the return reasons and comments left by customers, head over to the View Returns page.  You can use the Product Title, SKU or TSIN fields to filter the page to a specific product and click the View Details button for more information about the specific return. 
• To get a bulk view of returns, set a date filter on the View Returns page and click the Export Returns button. The exported file will allow you to compare the return reasons and identify any trends that may be helpful in understanding the reasons behind the high returns

Step 2: Take Action

Once you have identified the root cause of the high returns deactivation, it is time to take action. Take the necessary steps to remedy the issues and prevent them from happening in future. As you go along, ensure you document your steps by taking photos, storing documentation and compiling system identification numbers. For example, Edit Request IDs, Removal Order IDs etc.

The actions you take may depend on the specific issues identified. For example, you may need to remove damaged or expired items from the Distribution Centre ("DC"), use protective packaging to prevent future damage, regularly check the expiry date of products before sending them to the DC, ensure that your product labels align with the item on the product display pages, update your product with correct and comprehensive information by submitting an edit request, or improve the user manual or update your catalogue description for niche issues.

Step 3: Communicate with the Support Team

After taking the necessary action, it is time to contact the support team to submit your appeal. Explain your actions to rectify the issue and request a review for product reactivation.

Be clear and concise in your communication, providing all necessary details. Express your commitment to resolving the problem and delivering a better customer experience. Providing substantial evidence demonstrates your commitment to addressing the problem and speeds up the reactivation process.

To send your appeal, simply open the Seller Contact Form and use the Seller Query Types: Dispute Suspensions & SLAs > Product Disabled > High Returns followed by your underlying issue.

Important: product reactivations are subject to approval and may be declined. 

Please remember always to check your inbox for the ticket reference number. If you do not have a ticket reference number within 5 minutes, you may need to submit the form again, ensuring to follow the 5 Guides provided on the page.