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Prana Vida Style (Prana Vida) is a slow-fashion, sustainability focused e-commerce brand based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Founded by Amelia Barnes in 2012, Prana Vida has become a staple for ethically sourced apparel within North America. In May of 2022, Prana Vida was one of the first retailers to implement Frate’s returns solution.
Before Frate, Prana Vida's returns process was typical: customers request a return through email, receive a shipping label, then ship back their item to the returns centre. The item is then inspected, re-packaged, re-listed, then hopefully re-sold; usually at a discount.
This process from return request to re-list can take over a month, incurring plenty of costs, without any guarantee the item will ever re-sell. In some cases, if a single item is returned multiple times it will no longer be profitable even if re-sold due to its associated sunk costs.
Prana Vida sought out to find a way to decrease these return-associated costs, without sacrificing a positive returns experience for their customers.
Prana Vida implemented Frate's full-suite returns solution including a customer-facing portal, returns management dashboard, and Frate's peer-to-peer EcoDrop product. Their returns portal is configured exactly to their returns policy, saving back-and-forth conversations with their customers regarding return eligibility, reason for return, and refund method. Their onboarding was done over a 20-minute call, with their custom portal ready to use on the same day.
While Prana Vida finds plenty of value with streamlining their returns process, they find the most value in enabling their store with peer-to-peer returns. Returns are consistently being shipped and sold between customers, without ever going back to the warehouse. Frate handles this entire process, from sending labels, fulfilling the new order, and issuing refunds.
As a sustainability-focused brand, Prana Vida also wanted to demonstrate their commitment to making returns more eco-friendly. EcoDrops are sent directly to the next customer in its original packaging, decreasing shipping trips and packaging waste. Their customers find the return experience very positive, as they feel like they're playing their part in helping the environment as well.
Prana Vida’s customers are ecstatic about EcoDrops, from both the returning and buying side. Data from Prana Vida’s customers shows the following:
Prana Vida's results have been fantastic, but we wanted to work with Prana Vida to further optimize their EcoDrop conversation rate. As return rates and return-associated costs continue to rise, we’re now seeing a shift towards charging for return shipping instead of free returns, most notably when Zara recently announced they would be making this change.
In November 2022, we suggested that Prana Vida start charging customers for return shipping labels. This allowed Prana Vida to offer free shipping on EcoDrop purchases, as the shipping label is now being covered by the returner. The result? 100% of EcoDrops have been purchased within the 7-day hold period, at an average of 1.8 days listed.
Handling returns have become a thing of the past for Prana Vida.
"I don't even have to touch the majority of my returns...we save so much money."