CX Briefing: E-Commerce Giants’ Refund U-Turn

A rundown of the news making headlines in and around China:

E-commerce refund U-turn: China’s major e-commerce platforms have announced they’ll be revising their policies that allow customers to get refunds without returning their purchases, after widespread abuse. On Tuesday, Taobao, JD.com, Pinduoduo, Douyin and Kuaishou all announced they wanted public feedback on changes to their after-sales policies. The platforms all said they support merchants and buyers resolving issues through negotiations and that they wouldn’t unnecessarily intervene. Merchants using the platforms have previously complained that the platforms would essentially force them to give such refunds if a customer asked for one. The platforms’ “refund-only” policies were introduced amid fierce competition in the industry — after budget-goods specialist Pinduoduo rolled out the policy, other platforms followed suit.