Product Quality Assurance in Online Retail
July 2, 2020
E-commerce and online selling platforms have grown at an unprecedented rate all over the world. This massive expansion reflects a huge shift in consumer behavior, with more shoppers than ever purchasing items online across virtually every product category. Market analysts consistently report substantial year-over-year growth in global e-commerce, with projections indicating continued expansion for the foreseeable future.
This digital shopping revolution has occurred alongside rising consumer expectations — today’s online shoppers demand exceptional quality and have little patience for imperfect products. Online purchases already face higher return rates than brick-and-mortar retail, with product quality issues cited as the primary reason.
Consumers of all ages are embracing the experience and enjoying the convenience of shopping online. The importance of quality control has never been higher. Products must speak for themselves, without the support of a physical store environment or helpful salesperson to ensure customer satisfaction and success.
We all know that product quality is key to succeeding in an online retail environment, yet many internet retailers are left scrambling when they fail to provide quality products to their online customers. When quality issues arise, sellers put themselves at risk for future sales success. The result can be poor seller ratings, high product returns and refunds to buyers, warnings from their online selling platform, or even account suspension.
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How to Ensure Product Quality While the Product is Overseas
Online sellers have multiple channels to sell goods – Amazon, Rakuten, Storenvy, eBay, Bonanza, and Shopify, to name a few. There are many more! Sellers also have several pathways to find and source merchandise, which could include wholesalers, sourcing agents, consultants or even working directly with factories overseas.
When seeking overseas sourcing opportunities, many sellers take additional steps to ensure they obtain quality merchandise. They make every effort to source viable products through extensive research. They go the extra mile by identifying specific materials, fabrics, parts and packaging for potential products to maximize the desirability and overall quality. They may demand inspections to ensure product compliance, conduct product testing, review labeling requirements, and arrange third-party inspections in the factory and/or at pre-shipment.
Through all these proactive measures and more, the result is a high-quality product that is not likely to be perceived as defective.
However, despite these measures, defective goods sometimes arrive in the United States. It is important to identify and correct any product quality issues before forwarding them to the online retailer or fulfillment center.
Do any of the following keep you up at night as an online seller?
- Poor reviews and seller ratings
- Known or unknown product quality issues
- Inventory sitting in fulfillment centers in need of inspection, sortation, rework, repackaging or laundering
- Potential listing suspensions
If so, the solutions below may be of help.
What to do if My Imported Products Reach the U.S. with minor Defects
Despite significant efforts to find the right marketplaces, source quality products, get the goods to fulfillment locations in the condition intended and implementing a great marketing strategy…problems happen, goods arrive in less than perfect condition.
Some examples of what can go wrong include:
- Your product could arrive with signs of mold, mildew or odor.
- The product may have been damaged during transportation due to use of inferior packaging materials or poor handling practices.
- The overseas factory may have made a mistake in production that requires a correction.
- Missing parts, components, proper labeling or something as simple as product use instructions may need to be replaced on thousands of units.
While you may have had a quality assurance strategy to develop and source your products, things still go wrong. Having a plan and a resource to help you mitigate any problems and correct issues quickly when required could be critical for your ongoing sales success in online marketplaces.
When Online Sellers Have E-Commerce Quality Control Problems, QCI Can Fix Them!
If you are a seller on an e-commerce platform and facing product quality issues, it is critical to be proactive in addressing the issues to avoid poor reviews, warnings or potential listing suspensions.
Quality Corrections & Inspections (QCI) has decades of experience in working with retailers to meet their needs for post-production inspections, reworks, and repairs. The product rework specialists at QCI have the expertise, capacity, and technical skills to handle the most challenging projects and serve as a key partner that online sellers with high volumes of goods in need of attention can turn to when problems may arise.
Rework Services for Consumer Goods, Apparel, Footwear, and Accessories
The team at QCI has specialized in providing a wide variety of product rework services to meet the needs of businesses in consumer goods, apparel, footwear and accessories. With two U.S. facilities, QCI has the capacity and coverage to resolve high-volume rework projects from coast-to-coast.
We are well-equipped to service a wide variety of project types. While there are numerous case studies on the QCI website, a few representative projects are highlighted below that we have performed in recent years:
Odor Remediation
A shipping container of apparel arrived in the U.S. with a bad-smelling odor. In this case, the goods were shipped in a container that also carried “garlic” and the aroma was absorbed into the garments and packaging. QCI’s technicians were able to remove the odors by using a specialized cleaning treatment. The product was then repackaged, retagged, inserted into new poly bags, and returned to the retailer’s fulfillment center.
Product Repackaging
QCI has had several companies engage our team of specialists for their product repackaging needs. Companies occasionally need to have their products repackaged in more durable formats for their customers in order to minimize problems that can arise from the transportation and delivery process.
Defective Component Replacements
Customized rework services are regularly performed for retailers at QCI. Many firms have engaged QCI for hardware or component replacement issues. Problems such as incorrect sourcing of parts by overseas factories are a common occurrence, which has required sellers to have their products opened, parts removed and replaced, quality compliance checked, and then repackaged and returned to fulfillment centers.
Poor Footwear Insole Adhesion
For one retailer of athletic shoes, they discovered that a recent shipment was found to have insoles that were improperly glued and began lifting from the footbed. This issue was a result of a less-than-quality adhesive used by the manufacturing facility. QCI was able to determine the correct adhesive and the proper process to adhere the insoles and return the product to the seller as first quality.
Moldy Merchandise Shipment
Mold can be an unfortunate discovery when a product arrives from overseas. Heavy monsoon seasons, rushed production, inadequate climate controls in overseas warehouses, and use of poor-quality packaging or shipping materials can have an impact on mold formation Other circumstances beyond your control, such as temperature fluctuations in shipment or a leaking shipping container can all trigger mold formation and organic growth on merchandise. There are multiple cases where QCI has worked with companies that have received shipments with visible mold. In every case, QCI remediated the mold and utilized best practices for cleaning, treatment, repackaging, ticketing, and tagging as needed.
How to Minimize Poor Reviews and Listings Suspensions Due to Quality Issues
It’s important for sellers to continuously evaluate, examine, and manage the process of finding and selecting merchandise to sell on various online platforms. While there are many “top 10 lists” and “how-to’s” covering potential risks, challenges and problems that sellers should consider when sourcing goods from all over the world, it’s also important to have a resource or “Plan B” when the product has arrived stateside with quality issues.
Meeting industry standards and compliance requirements is essential for online retailers to maintain trust and avoid regulatory issues. Several key standards impact e-commerce quality control, including:
- Quality management systems: Use and implementation of management systems such as ISO 900 and others provides a framework for consistent quality management systems that many successful online retailers utilize.
- Regulatory compliance: Many products must meet safety standards based on the region. Sellers in the United States need to follow Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) guidelines, while European markets require CE marking. Meeting these requirements isn’t optional — they’re mandatory legal standards that must be met before selling in these markets.
- Marketplace requirements: Online marketplaces closely monitor seller quality metrics. Many online platforms track poor quality, product return rates, and customer complaints, often penalizing sellers who consistently earn low ratings. Good product performance can improve a seller’s visibility and help them avoid account restrictions.
- Industry standards: Industry-specific standards also apply — apparel must meet flammability standards, electronics require safety certification, and children’s products require additional testing. Staying current with these standards requires having dedicated resources or even partnering with a quality assurance professional who understands the regulations.
Ways to Ensure Product Quality Before Imperfections Arise
While reacting to quality issues the right way is important, establishing preventive measures can save online retailers time and resources in the long run. Consider implementing the following best practices to stay proactive:
- Product specifications: Create documentation that outlines every product detail, from materials and dimensions to performance expectations and packaging requirements.
- Supplier audits: Don’t just inspect the final product — evaluate your supplier’s entire production process with scheduled and unscheduled audits.
- Quality control checklist: Develop a step-by-step approach to your quality evaluations with specific criteria for each product.
- Small batch testing: Test small production runs to identify issues before placing a large order.
- Advanced technology: Consider using digital tracking systems, automated inspection systems, or AI-powered quality control tools for consistent and accurate evaluations.
- A documented recall plan: Being prepared for quality issues means having procedures for accurately and efficiently handling defective products when they arise.
Partner With QCI for Your Quality Control Needs
Turn to Quality Corrections & Inspections as your resource partner to address your product inspection, rework, and repair needs should they arise. When the unexpected happens, contact QCI anytime for a no-cost project analysis. We will quickly reply with a free estimate and complete project details.
