# Ecommerce Returns Analysis Checklist

Use this checklist before publishing a returns dashboard or acting on a high-return SKU.

1. Declare whether the denominator is shipped units, delivered units, orders, or revenue.
2. Freeze a return-lag window appropriate to the product category.
3. Keep order ID and order-item ID; do not join returns only on customer or SKU.
4. Map raw return reasons to a versioned normalized taxonomy.
5. Separate customer-selected reason from the internally verified root cause.
6. Reconcile returned quantity and refund value to the source system.
7. Segment by SKU and variant before using the storewide average.
8. Separate refund, exchange, store credit, and rejected-return outcomes.
9. Include shipping, handling, inspection, refurbishment, and value-loss costs.
10. Track time to refund, time to receive, and time to restock separately.
11. Require a minimum sample size before escalating a product anomaly.
12. Record the query, filters, source dates, exclusions, and reviewer for every decision pack.

The CSV supplied with this checklist contains synthetic example rows. Delete those rows before loading authorized data.