How EsQualo encourages exchanges during the returns process to retain sales

About EsQualo: fashion for the modern woman

EsQualo is a fashion brand designed for style-conscious women aged 30–55. Their mission is simple: to ensure women feel joy when they open their wardrobe and step into the world beautifully dressed. With over 12 years of experience and 2,500 points of sale, EsQualo has grown rapidly. But with growth came challenges, including an increase in return rates. Over the past year, they’ve tackled this by encouraging exchanges during the returns process, resulting in fewer returns and higher customer satisfaction.

From manufacturer to wholesaler

EsQualo began as a family business over 40 years ago, founded by the parents of Bas Jansen. Originally a manufacturer selling collections to department stores, the company shifted gears 12 years ago when Jansen took over. He phased out manufacturing and implemented a wholesale strategy, which has proven to be a winning formula. Today, EsQualo employs around 40 people and their products are carried by 2,500 stores.

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Balancing growth with customer loyalty

EsQualo’s unique collection can be styled to suit different looks—whether youthful, mature, or feminine. Jansen explains:
“That versatility lets us cater to two audiences on the high street. In that sense, we’re a bit of a chameleon.”

The company’s growth, Jansen believes, stems from offering fun, affordable clothing that’s easy to mix and match. Their ultimate goal? To help women feel happy and confident when they open their wardrobe.

Looking ahead, EsQualo aims to continue growing while fostering strong customer relationships. Jansen shares:
“We’re commercially priced and have a commercial design signature. We want to expand to as many points of sale as possible while building customer loyalty for sustainable relationships.”

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The new generation: demanding and convenience-driven

E-commerce has evolved significantly, spurred on by the pandemic and changing consumer habits. However, Jansen points out new challenges:
“Online shopping boomed, and webshops overstocked. Now, with reduced consumer purchasing power, they’re left with excess inventory.”

Additionally, he notes a shift in consumer expectations:
“It’s mainly the younger generation—they’re lazier and more spoiled. They expect seamless processes, excellent service, fast delivery, and above all, convenience.”

Technological trends, like “buy now, pay later,” also present obstacles. Jansen explains:
“Consumers are tempted to make impulsive purchases. They’ll order hundreds of euros worth of clothing in the middle of the night, try them on the next day, and send back what they don’t like. This behavior caused our return rates to increase significantly.”

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Reducing returns while enhancing convenience

To address these challenges, EsQualo sought ways to lower return rates while improving service. They partnered with Returnista for a solution.

Jansen shares:
“The first step was gaining insights into why returns were happening. For years, we relied on paper return forms, but we didn’t have the resources to analyze them. In short, we didn’t know why items were being sent back. With Returnista, we now have a dashboard that tracks all returns and their reasons.”

This data revealed a recurring issue: products didn’t always match their online descriptions. EsQualo responded by updating product descriptions, photos, and videos to set clearer expectations.

Another impactful solution was introducing an exchange service. Customers can now immediately order a different size when registering a return marked as “too large” or “too small.” Jansen highlights:
“This creates a sales moment within the returns process while also offering better service. Customers no longer have to search for the correct size themselves. And speaking of service, I have to mention the home pickup service. With Returnista, customers can schedule a pickup time that suits them. This feature really appeals to the convenience-driven younger generation—it’s the cherry on top.”

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15% fewer returns and increased revenue

EsQualo has been using Returnista for just over a year, with impressive results. Enhanced product descriptions, photos, and videos have helped reduce their return rate from 47% to 32%.

As for the exchange service, Jansen says it’s still too early for concrete results:
“We haven’t been using that module long enough to draw firm conclusions, but we expect to convert 10%–20% of returns into exchanges. That’s revenue we might have otherwise lost.”

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