Variant Exchange

Edited

OVERVIEW

Loop refers to a variant-for-variant exchange (for example, exchanging a shirt in size Medium for a size Large) as an "variant exchange". Loop also offers Different Priced Exchanges and Advanced Exchanges to allow for additional customization to the exchange logic where merchants see fit.


Exchange item eligibility

Loop's variant exchange eligibility criteria ensures sale products don’t cause a disruption in customers creating an exchange. It also prevents any risk of customers getting upsell variants (think a twin sheet set vs a queen sheet set) for free.

When a customer attempts a 1:1 exchange, Loop uses the following values of the line item being returned to decide variant availability:

  • Price - price of the item at time of purchase

  • Current Variant Price - current variant price in Shopify every time the order is looked up (there’s some caching, but less than an hour)

  • Compare at Price - the original price of the item before an adjustment or a sale

  • Original Price (Bundles only) - only used for bundles, price of the item at time of purchase, before bundle price adjustment in Loop

All variants whose prices match any of the above values will be available for exchange without Different Priced Exchanges enabled.

Customer experience (Exchanges)

Examples:

  1. Merchant sells bedding that has variants that are different prices. Customer purchases a queen sheet set at a discounted price and wishes to exchange for a new color.

    • Loop looks up the current list price for the queen sheet set on the merchant's store.

    • Loop allows the customer to submit an exchange for any variant that matches the comparison criteria above of the Queen sheet, e.g. ability to swap for a different color.

  2. Merchant holds a holiday sale in which the price of products are marked down. After the sale, the price of the products are reverted back to the original price. Customer wishes to return an item purchased during the promotional period.

    • Loop looks up the current list price for the product being returned.

    • Loop allows the customer to submit an exchange for any variant that matches the comparison criteria above of the product.

  3. Merchant sells bundles at a discounted price and leverages Loop's bundle functionality to enable returns. Customer wishes to exchange a bundle component for a different variant. 

    • Loop looks up the current list price for the product being returned.

    • Loop allows the customer to submit an exchange for any variant that is equal to the list price of the bundle component.

Different Priced Exchanges

Different Priced Exchanges (DPE) will allow customers to freely exchange when a product has different priced variants, without capturing up-sell or refunding down-sell. Many merchants leverage Different Priced Exchanges to allow exchanges across variants that differ in price. This setting however, is not ideal during holiday or promotional periods when many products are sold at sale prices.

Advanced Exchanges

Advanced Exchanges is a feature that allows a customer to exchange for a completely different product as if they were just requesting a variant exchange. Advanced Exchanges disregard price, treating all Advanced Exchanges as an even exchange.

FAQ

For standard exchanges, what about variants that are less than the one being returned? Does a customer get a refund in this case? Customers can only exchange for a product whose list price matches one of the price criteria. Customers will not be able to select a different-priced variant.

What plans have access to Different Priced Exchanges and Advanced Exchanges? DPE is included in all Loop plans. Advanced Exchanges is available on on Pro, Plus, and as part of the Custom Rules Add-On.


Please reach out to support@loopreturns.com with any additional questions.