Shopify Retailer · 1,900 SKUs

17% Return Rate. Half Traced to Product Data. Fixed in One Quarter.

A Shopify retailer with 1,900 SKUs was losing margin to a 17% return rate. Internal analysis revealed that roughly half of all returns were attributable to inadequate or missing product data: incomplete size guides, vague descriptions, missing material specs, and inconsistent imagery references. The team knew better data would reduce returns, but fixing 1,900 products manually wasn't realistic. EKOM gave them the intelligence to identify exactly which data gaps drove the most returns and the workflow to deploy approved fixes that contributed directly to P&L improvement.

17%Starting Return Rate

~50%Returns from Data Gaps

1,900SKUs Addressed

1 QuarterTime to Impact

The Challenge

Returns were eating margin. The team traced it back to the catalog.

01
A 17% return rate was eroding profitability. The team's own analysis showed that roughly half of all returns were tied to product data issues: customers received items that didn't match what the listing described or failed to describe.
02
Size guides were incomplete or missing across hundreds of products. Material compositions were vague. Description language didn't give customers enough detail to buy with confidence.
03
With 1,900 SKUs, manually auditing every listing for data completeness was not feasible. The team had tried targeted fixes on high-return products, but the problem was catalog-wide.
04
Every returned item carried costs: shipping, restocking, customer service, and lost margin. The team needed a systematic way to find and fix the data gaps causing preventable returns.

The Results

Returns dropped. Margin improved. P&L contribution in one quarter.

Quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year improvements after deploying approved fixes

QoQReturn Rate ReductionQuarter-over-quarter decline in return volume

YoYYear-over-Year ImprovementSustained reduction compared to same period prior year

P&LMargin ContributionReduced return costs contributed directly to bottom line

1,900SKUs AddressedFull catalog analyzed and enriched

~50%Data-Driven Returns TargetedFocused on gaps causing preventable returns

1 QuarterTime to Measurable ImpactFrom deployment to P&L contribution

Operational Impact

The team fixed the root cause, not just the symptoms

Not Months

Days

1,900 products analyzed for data completeness gaps in days. The team spent time reviewing and approving, not auditing spreadsheets.

Products Analyzed

1,900

Every SKU scanned for missing size data, vague descriptions, incomplete specs, and other gaps linked to return patterns.

Gap Prioritization

Return-Linked

Gaps were prioritized based on their connection to return-driving product categories. The team fixed the costliest gaps first.

Native Integration

Shopify

Connected directly to their Shopify catalog. No migration, no dev resources, no platform changes required.

Every Change Approved

Team-Led

The catalog team reviewed every recommendation. Nothing was published without their approval. Brand voice and accuracy were maintained.

Continuous Monitoring

Ongoing

New products are automatically flagged for the same data completeness standards. The team catches gaps before they cause returns.

We always suspected product data was behind a big chunk of our returns, but we didn't have a way to prove it or fix it at scale. EKOM helped our team see exactly which gaps were driving returns and gave us a workflow to fix them. The P&L impact showed up in one quarter.

Ready?

Your team. Your decisions. Better data.

EKOM helps your team find gaps, prioritize fixes, and ship approved changes, turning better catalog data into measurable growth.

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