Definition
Buy Online, Return In Store (BORIS) is a retail returns model where a customer purchases an item through a digital channel (website, app, marketplace) and completes the return at a physical store location rather than shipping it back.
In marketing, BORIS is an omnichannel service capability that reduces return friction, increases customer confidence to buy online, and creates an in-store touchpoint that can influence retention, loyalty enrollment, and incremental purchases.
How to calculate
BORIS is commonly evaluated through adoption, speed, cost-to-serve, customer experience, and downstream value metrics.
- BORIS adoption rate = (BORIS returns ÷ total returns for online orders) × 100
- BORIS eligibility rate = (online orders eligible for BORIS ÷ total online orders) × 100
- Return cycle time = timestamp(refund issued) − timestamp(return initiated)
- Refund speed (store vs mail) = average(refund time for BORIS) − average(refund time for mail returns)
- Cost per return = (labor + processing + shrink/fraud + reverse logistics + system overhead) ÷ total returns
- Reverse logistics savings = (average mail return cost − average BORIS return cost) × BORIS returns
- Exchange rate at return = (BORIS returns converted to exchanges ÷ BORIS returns) × 100
- Post-return conversion rate = (BORIS visits that result in a same-day purchase ÷ BORIS returns) × 100
- Return-to-resell rate = (BORIS items returned to sellable inventory ÷ BORIS items returned) × 100
- Fraud / exception rate = (BORIS returns flagged for exceptions ÷ BORIS returns) × 100
How to utilize
Common BORIS use cases in marketing, service design, and lifecycle messaging include:
- Reduce purchase anxiety: Promote “easy in-store returns” to increase conversion for categories with high fit/feel uncertainty (apparel, footwear, accessories).
- Improve retention: Use faster refunds and simpler returns to decrease churn risk after a disappointing purchase.
- Enable exchanges and save the sale: Train stores and design flows to encourage exchanges when appropriate, including size/color swaps.
- Drive store traffic intentionally: Provide return appointment options, dedicated lanes, or incentives that make returns efficient and predictable.
- Support loyalty programs: Offer loyalty benefits such as instant credit, extended return windows, or member-only exchange perks.
- Create a service-to-sales bridge: Use post-return outreach (email/app) to recommend alternatives, replacements, or complementary products.
Compare to similar approaches
| Approach | Return method | Who handles logistics | Typical refund timing | Operational dependency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BORIS | Customer returns to store | Store processes return and routing | Often faster (can be immediate) | Store training, POS/OMS integration, inventory disposition | Creates in-store touchpoint; can reduce shipping costs |
| Mail / ship-back returns | Customer ships item | Carrier + returns center | Slower (receive + inspect) | Reverse logistics network, inspection capacity | Scales without store visits; higher cost and time |
| Pick-up returns | Carrier collects from customer | Carrier + returns center | Medium | Carrier scheduling + packaging rules | Convenience-focused; cost varies by carrier |
| Return to locker / drop-off point | Customer drops at partner site | Partner + carrier + returns center | Medium | Partner network + label workflow | Adds convenience; still involves shipping |
| Buy Online, Exchange In Store | Customer exchanges at store | Store | Immediate | Inventory availability, store processes | Often treated as a subset of BORIS operationally |
| BORIS with instant credit | Store return triggers store credit | Store | Immediate credit | Policy controls, fraud prevention | Can increase retention; needs strong controls |
Best practices
- Unified returns policy: Align online and store policies (windows, condition rules, exclusions) to avoid customer confusion and store exceptions.
- Tight system integration: Ensure POS, OMS, CRM/CDP, and payments/refunds work end-to-end so store associates aren’t improvising.
- Clear eligibility and instructions: Communicate what can be returned in store, what’s required (receipt, email, barcode, ID), and how refunds work.
- Disposition rules and inventory handling: Standardize how returned items are restocked, sent to DC, repaired, or marked down, by category.
- Associate enablement: Provide quick training, scripted explanations, and exception handling steps (gift returns, marketplace orders, damaged items).
- Fraud controls without breaking CX: Use risk scoring, receipt validation, serial number capture (where relevant), and policy enforcement that is consistent.
- Measure beyond “return completed”: Track refund speed, exchange conversion, customer satisfaction, and repeat purchase after returns.
Future trends
- Faster refund experiences: Increased use of instant refunds and real-time payment rails while balancing fraud risk.
- Returns as a loyalty moment: More retailers tying BORIS to loyalty benefits (instant credit, member-only exchanges, flexible windows).
- Automation in-store: Kiosks, app-guided returns, and barcode-based workflows to reduce associate time and shorten lines.
- Smarter disposition and recommerce: Better routing of returned goods to resale channels, including recommerce marketplaces and outlet strategies.
- Agentic commerce and service: Customer agents initiating returns, selecting store locations, scheduling drop-offs, and optimizing for refund speed.
Related Terms
- Reverse logistics
- Returns management system (RMS)
- Order management system (OMS)
- Omnichannel commerce
- Buy Online, Pick Up in Store (BOPIS)
- Curbside pickup
- Ship-from-store
- Return fraud
- Exchange workflow
- Recommerce