Return Rate Metric
Essential knowledge
Intended Audience:
Business User
Author:
Holger Lierse
Changed on:
23 Oct 2025
Overview
Learn about the Return Rate Metric in Fluent Analytics
Key points
- Return rates directly impact customer satisfaction and profitability
- Product categories and sales channels have different expected rates
- Seasonal variations are normal, especially after gift-giving periods
What it measures
Percentage of orders that result in return requests.
When to use this metric
- Monitor customer satisfaction and product quality trends
- Compare return rates across products, channels, or time periods
- Assess the effectiveness of product descriptions and quality control
- Benchmark performance against industry standards
How to interpret
- Good performance: Return rates below industry averages and stable over time
- Potential issues: Increasing return rates may indicate product or service problems
- Benchmark guidance: Varies by industry
Technical details
Formula:
(SUM(return.items.qty) where status = {COMPLETE_STATUS} / SUM(order.items.qty)) within the selected time period
Configurable elements:
- COMPLETE_STATUS: Status definitions for complete fulfillments (default: COMPLETE)
