Founded in 1883 and headquartered in Rockford, Michigan, Wolverine Worldwide is a leading American footwear manufacturer. Known for its iconic brands such as Wolverine Boots and Shoes, Hush Puppies, and Merrell, the company has become a significant player in the global footwear market. Merrell, acquired by Wolverine in 1997, has become a global leader in outdoor active footwear. With products like the Moab hiking boot and Jungle Moc, Merrell empowers individuals to confidently explore the outdoors with a focus on performance, comfort, and sustainability.
Merrell's ecommerce platform plays a pivotal role in its sales strategy. With a focus on delivering seamless customer experiences online, the brand continuously seeks to optimize its product pages, site navigation, and overall user experience.
Merrell faced increasing return rates, particularly for specific product categories, which affected customer satisfaction and operational costs. A primary issue was that customers often returned items due to sizing inconsistencies or opportunities to enhance product descriptions for better clarity. The team needed a solution to identify the root causes of these returns and make informed changes to reduce them.
According to Noelle Haubert, Site Merchandiser for Merrell, “Our product pages and descriptions were not always clear or optimized, which led to confusion for customers. The return rates were a sign that we needed to improve the clarity and user experience across our site.”
Merrell had previously worked with Narvar for return data analysis, but the insights were not easily accessible or user-friendly. “Narvar kept things at a high level and didn’t allow us to slice the data or dive into the specifics we needed. We had to manually export large files and spend time finding trends ourselves,” Noelle shared.
The decision to partner with Returnalyze changed the game, offering support for multiple Wolverine brands, including Wolverine Boots, Cat Footwear, Saucony, Chaco, and Merrell. The Returnalyze platform’s user-friendly interface allowed Noelle and her team to quickly access the insights they needed. “Returnalyze made it easy for us to uncover specific trends and issues that we wouldn’t have been able to identify with Narvar. The data is presented in such an accessible way, and their team was incredibly helpful in highlighting key insights,” Noelle noted.
Returnalyze provided actionable recommendations to update product landing pages, descriptions, and size suggestions. One standout feature was the automated weekly insights report, which kept the team accountable and helped them act quickly on potential issues. “Having these insights delivered to us regularly was a game changer,” said Noelle.
One significant outcome of Returnalyze’s analysis was with Merrell’s Chaco product line. While one Chaco product had a high return rate, Returnalyze revealed that customers who returned this particular item were still purchasing other items from the Chaco collection. This insight led Merrell to partner with their marketing team to target these customers with a personalized email campaign showcasing the full Chaco line. “We targeted past purchasers of the Chaco product with a campaign designed to show them other items in the collection, capitalizing on their interest in the brand. It was a great way to turn a return into a new opportunity,” shared Noelle.
After implementing Returnalyze’s recommendations, Merrell experienced a significant reduction in return rates. Within six months, returns for key product lines, including the Moab hiking boot, dropped by 15%. For the Chaco product, the sizing callouts led to a 20-25% reduction in returns.
“We saw a noticeable drop in returns—by around 15% for Moab and up to 25%for Chaco. The best part was seeing how our customers reacted positively to the changes. They felt more confident in their purchases, which is exactly what we wanted,” Noelle Haubert shared.
Returnalyze’s AI-driven insights helped Wolverine reduce returns while enhancing the overall shopping experience, ultimately driving profitability and customer loyalty. The Returnalyze team’s proactive approach and support played a critical role in Wolverine’s success, helping to identify and address opportunities for improvement efficiently.
As Wolverine continues to evolve its ecommerce strategy, the partnership with Returnalyze remains pivotal in driving both customer satisfaction and operational efficiency. By leveraging data-driven insights, Wolverine is going beyond return reduction; it is uncovering new growth opportunities for its brands, such as enhancing product offerings and personalizing marketing efforts. Moving forward, the company plans to further integrate Returnalyze’s returns analytics into its product development and customer engagement strategies, ensuring that it stays ahead of customer expectations.
Learn how Returnalyze can help your business reduce returns and drive customer satisfaction. Schedule a demo or contact our team today.