General Settings
Updated 11 November 2026
Overview
This article explains the Store information card, the first card on the Policy > General page. It holds the two store details ReturnZen prints on shopper-facing pages and in notification emails: your storefront address and your support inbox.
Use the menu on the left to quickly navigate this article.
Before you start
- A connected Shopify store.
- To change the support email, access to Shopper > Notifications, the only page that saves it.
Store information
Settings
In the admin, go to Policy > General > Store information.
- Store URL: your storefront address, for example https://yourstore.com. The portal uses it for its Back to Store links. Default: empty.
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Support email: your default support inbox. Portal footers and notification emails link to this address. It is shown here read-only, and reads Not set until an address is saved. To change it, click Edit on the Notifications page, which opens Shopper > Notifications. See Notifications: who sends the emails.
Note: Until a support email is saved, portal pages and emails show no contact line, and the Notifications page reads Add a support email so shoppers know how to reach you.
Policy > General, the Store information card with Store URL filled in and the read-only Support email with its Edit on the Notifications page link
What the shopper sees
A Back to Store link on portal pages that opens the Store URL. Your support address in the footer of portal pages and in the emails ReturnZen sends. With no support email saved, the contact line is left out.
How it works
Every card on the General page saves together. When you change anything, a bar appears at the foot of the page that reads You have unsaved changes, with Discard Changes and Save Changes. Nothing is saved until you click Save Changes; the bar then reads Settings saved. If a field is invalid, for example a Return activity threshold that is not a whole number, the save is refused and a message appears under the field.
If the page cannot load your settings, it reads Settings could not be loaded. Refresh the page. and saves nothing. Refresh the page before you change anything.
Dates and times are not set here, and there is no timezone setting anywhere in ReturnZen. Every date and time in the app is shown in your store's timezone: the returns list, the return page, reports, the dates written into your Shopify order notes, warranty date ranges, and the date a shopper is told their return window closes. ReturnZen reads the timezone from your Shopify store settings and follows a change on the next sync.
Return management
This section covers the Return management card on the Policy > General page. It holds two switches, one for your team's ability to change a return before processing and one for the progress bar on the shopper's status page, plus a shortcut to the page that decides what shoppers can change themselves.
Settings
In the admin, go to Policy > General > Return management.
- Admin return editing: when on, a member of your team can edit return details before the return is processed. Default: on. See Editing a return.
- Return status tracking: adds a progress bar to the shopper's return page. Steps update as the return moves. Default: on.
- Shopper return editing: not a switch on this card. The line opens Shopper > Return Editing, where you choose how shoppers can change their return before it is processed: whether they can edit or cancel it and change the exchange shipping address. See Return editing.
Policy > General, the Return management card with Admin return editing, Return status tracking and the Shopper return editing line
What the shopper sees
With Return status tracking on, the status page shows a bar with the steps Submitted, Shipped, Received, Approved, then one of Refund issued, Store credit issued or Exchange order placed. Each step is ticked the moment its fact exists, with the date, in whatever order the facts arrive. Nothing is estimated.
- Shipped comes from the carrier's first scan, or from the tracking number the shopper typed on a self-ship return. A typed number counts as in transit only when the carrier's scan is heading to your return address.
- Received comes from the delivered scan or from your team recording the parcel as received.
- Approved comes from your approval or from the policy's automatic approval. While the return is in review the bar reads Your return is being reviewed. After a rejection it reads Your return was not approved, with your reason.
An Instant Resolution return that is waiting on its refund shows a card headed Your return is being reviewed while it is in review, or Your return has been submitted once it is open. Both read You're keeping your items, so there's nothing to send back., and the bar has no refund step until the refund is issued. A cancelled return shows the line This return was cancelled. instead of a bar. An expired return shows no bar: the page title reads Your return has expired and one card tells the shopper the time to send the return has passed. A keep-the-goods return shows nothing in place of the bar.
With the switch off, the status page shows the return's status sentence and instructions without the bar. Carrier tracking is unchanged either way, and the carrier link stays in the emails.
Shopper status page with the progress bar, Submitted and Shipped ticked with dates, Received and Approved still empty
Order lookup criteria
This section covers the Order lookup criteria card on the Policy > General page. It decides what a shopper has to enter next to their order number on the portal's first page: the shipping zip code, the email on the order, the phone number, or any of several. For the page itself, see Step 1: Order lookup.
Settings
In the admin, go to Policy > General > Order lookup criteria.
- Zip code: the shopper can find the order with the shipping zip code. Default: ticked.
- Email: the shopper can find the order with the email address on it. Default: off.
- Phone number: the shopper can find the order with the phone number on it. Default: off.
Note: Tick at least one. The portal has one field for the detail, and its label follows your ticks, so there is no placeholder to edit under Shopper > Portal Customization.
Policy > General, the Order lookup criteria card with the three boxes
What the shopper sees
The order lookup page asks for the Order number and one more detail in a single field. The field's label names exactly the boxes you ticked, in the order Zip code, Email, Phone number, for example Shipping Zip Code or Email. The shopper types any one of them, not all of them.
If the typed value matches none of the ticked criteria, the page refuses it with Enter your (fields)., naming the ticked fields. If no order matches, the page reads We couldn't find that order. Check your order number and (fields)., naming the ticked fields, for example We couldn't find that order. Check your order number and shipping zip code.
Portal order lookup page with the Order number field and the second field labelled Shipping Zip Code or Email
How it works
A typed value is sent as the criterion it matches: a value with an @ as the email, a value with a letter in it as the zip code, a value starting with + as the phone number, a five digit US ZIP as the zip code, and any other number as whichever of zip code and phone number is ticked, matched against either when both are. The server checks only the ticked criteria and refuses a lookup that carries none of them.
Gift returns do not use this card. The gift lookup always asks for the order number and the shipping zip code, because the recipient does not know the buyer's email or phone. See Gift Returns.
Policy acceptance
This section covers the Policy acceptance card on the Policy > General page. When it is on, the portal's review step shows a checkbox with your message, and the shopper has to tick it before submitting.
Settings
In the admin, go to Policy > General > Policy acceptance.
- Require policy acceptance: require customers to agree to return policy conditions prior to submitting a return. Default: off.
- Acceptance message: shown only when the switch is on. The text shown next to the checkbox shoppers must tick before submitting a return. Plain text only. Default: I acknowledge that I have read, understand, and agree to the return policy conditions.
Note: The message is plain text. Links and formatting are not rendered, so name your policy page in words rather than pasting a link.
Policy > General, the Policy acceptance card with the switch on and the Acceptance message field
What the shopper sees
On the review step, after the items and the outcome, a checkbox with your message. The submit button stays disabled until the box is ticked. The default message reads I acknowledge that I have read, understand, and agree to the return policy conditions.
Portal review step with the policy acceptance checkbox above the submit button
How it works
The switch is store-wide: the checkbox appears on every return submitted through the portal, whichever policy applies. The message is saved on the General page, so change it here and click Save Changes.
Whether a ticked box counts as agreement to your terms depends on the law where you sell. This article describes how the feature works. It is not legal advice.
Refunds
This section covers the Refunds card on the Policy > General page. It holds one setting, which decides the order in which payment methods are refunded when an order was paid with more than one. It matters only for orders paid with a mix of card and gift card or store credit; a single-method order is refunded to that method either way.
Settings
In the admin, go to Policy > General > Refunds.
- Refund credit cards before gift cards: when on, refunds go to the credit card first, then gift cards, then store credit. When off, refunds follow Shopify's default order. Default: off.
Policy > General, the Refunds card with the Refund credit cards before gift cards switch
What the shopper sees
The refund arrives on the payment methods in the order this setting chooses. The refund email states the amount refunded.
How it works
When an order was paid with more than one method and this switch is on, a refund fills the shopper's credit card first and any remaining amount goes to gift card balances, then store credit.
A 90.00 order paid with a 60.00 gift card and 30.00 on a credit card, with one 40.00 item returned: with the switch on, 30.00 goes back to the card and the remaining 10.00 to the gift card. With the switch off, Shopify's own order decides which method is refunded first. A full refund of the order sends 30.00 to the card and 60.00 to the gift card either way.
The setting changes only where the money goes. The amount refunded is worked out by the return, the policy and the discount settings, and the refund email states the amount actually refunded. Refund timing to the shopper's card is set by their bank, not by this setting.
Return activity
This section covers the Return activity card on the Policy > General page. Every new return is graded low, moderate or high by how many returns the same email address has filed in the last 90 days, and the two thresholds on this card decide where the lines fall. The grade is a signal for your team and your workflows. On its own it never approves, rejects or holds a return.
Settings
In the admin, go to Policy > General > Return activity.
- Moderate threshold: the number of returns in 90 days at or above which a new return is graded moderate. A positive whole number. Default: 4.
- High threshold: the number of returns in 90 days at or above which a new return is graded high. A positive whole number, higher than the moderate threshold. Default: 6.
Below both thresholds the return is low.
Note: If a threshold is not a positive whole number, or the moderate threshold is not lower than the high threshold, Save Changes is refused and one of three messages appears under the fields: The moderate threshold must be a positive whole number., The high threshold must be a positive whole number. or The moderate threshold must be lower than the high threshold.
Policy > General, the Return activity card with the Moderate and High threshold fields, each followed by returns in 90 days
What the shopper sees
Nothing. The grade is shown only to your team.
How it works
Every new return is graded by how many returns the same email address has filed in the last 90 days, whether the shopper submitted it in your portal or your team created it with Create Return. At or above the moderate threshold the return is graded moderate; at or above the high threshold, high; below both, low.
Allowlisted customers and orders always read low. An order that carries no email address stays low, because there is no customer to count. See Blocklist and allowlist.
The grade is a measure of activity and not a judgement about a person. A shopper who buys three sizes and sends two back every month is the most active returner in your store and has done nothing wrong.
The grade is recorded on the return and shown as a chip on the return page: Low, Moderate or High. It drives the Return activity filter on the returns list, and it is available to your notification templates as the fraud_risk merge tag. The tag's name is unchanged from earlier builds, so templates you have already written keep working.
To act on the grade automatically, add a workflow with the Return activity condition, for example to send high activity returns to review. Workflows run on returns your shoppers submit. On a return your team creates by hand, a member with Policy exceptions gets nothing from a workflow. A member without it gets what workflows change on the portal's item step: hidden products, final sale, a shorter window, excluded outcomes, the workflow fee and no label. A workflow's review or reject does not apply to a hand-made return, and a workflow that sets a bonus refuses it. See Workflows and Manual returns.
Product tags
This section covers the Product tags card on the Policy > General page. It names two Shopify product tags that change what a shopper can do with an item: one that removes the refund outcome, and one that stops the item being returned at all. You tag the product in Shopify, and ReturnZen applies the rule in the portal without any other setup.
Before you start: A connected Shopify store. The tags added to the products in your Shopify admin, spelled exactly as you type them here.
Settings
In the admin, go to Policy > General > Product tags.
- Exchange only tag: items with this tag can only be returned for an exchange, store credit or Shop Now. A refund is never offered on them. Enter one tag. Default: Exchange Only.
- Final sale tag: items with this tag cannot be returned. Every outcome is disabled for them. Enter one tag. Default: Final Sale.
Note: Each box holds one tag, and the tag must match what is on the product in Shopify exactly. If you already tag products with different words, type your own tag names into these boxes rather than retagging your catalogue.
Policy > General, the Product tags card with the Exchange only tag and Final sale tag fields
What the shopper sees
An exchange only item shows exchange, store credit and Shop Now as its choices, and no refund. A final sale item is shown as not returnable with the reason This item is marked as Final Sale and cannot be returned. and cannot be added to a return.
Portal item list showing a final sale item greyed out with the cannot be returned reason
How it works
The tags work alongside your return policies. A policy decides which outcomes are offered on the order; the tag then narrows them for that one item.
A member of your team with Policy exceptions can still create a return on a final sale item by hand, because exceptions are the point of that access. A member without it gets the same answer the portal gives. See Manual returns and Users and access.
Inventory
This section covers the Inventory card on the Policy > General page. It decides how ReturnZen judges an item to be out of stock, whether returned items are put back into Shopify inventory, and what happens to an exchange or Shop Now order whose replacement has run out by the time you process it.
Before you start: A connected Shopify store. The Shopify locations ReturnZen reads chosen under Shipping > Locations, which a policy can narrow on its Exchange card. See Locations.
Settings
In the admin, go to Policy > General > Inventory.
- Minimum inventory: products at or below this quantity are treated as out of stock. 0 to 100. Default: 3.
- Respect Shopify 'continue selling when out of stock' setting: when ticked, a product Shopify allows to keep selling at zero stock is still offered for exchange. Default: ticked.
- Restock functionality: when on, returned items are restocked in Shopify at the location the return is received at. Default: off.
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Automate out-of-stock scenarios: when on, an exchange or Shop Now whose replacement is at or below the threshold at processing time is converted to the fallback you pick, Original payment method (a refund) or Store credit. When off, the return goes to Needs review with a sentence explaining why. Default: on, Store credit.
Note: The page shows these defaults from the start, but they take effect only once you click Save Changes on this page for the first time. Until then an out-of-stock replacement goes to Needs review.
Important: Restocking changes your Shopify inventory counts. If you inspect items before deciding whether they are resaleable, leave Restock functionality off and restock by hand.
Policy > General, the Inventory card with Minimum inventory, the continue selling box, Restock functionality and Automate out-of-stock scenarios with its fallback
What the shopper sees
Out-of-stock replacements are not offered in the portal. If the item sells out between submit and processing and the fallback applies, the shopper receives the fallback outcome, and the email states what was paid.
How it works
The portal checks stock when the shopper picks a replacement, so an out-of-stock variant is not offered in the first place. The threshold is re-checked when you process the return, because stock moves between submit and processing.
On the returns list, an open exchange or Shop Now whose replacement is at or below the threshold carries an Out of stock chip under the order number. The chip is checked on every load, so it clears itself if stock comes back before you process the return.
With Automate out-of-stock scenarios on, processing converts the exchange to the fallback and pays the shopper that way. An exchange that would pay nothing at the fallback, for example an even swap converted to a refund of 0.00, is not paid: Process Return puts the return in Needs review instead, whatever this setting says. Shop Now follows the same setting as exchanges. See Flags and Needs review.
With Restock functionality on, each returned item is put back into Shopify inventory at the location the return is received at. For a bundle from your bundle list, a partial return restocks nothing and the return page asks you to adjust inventory for the returned piece by hand. See Bundles.
Discount distribution
This section covers the Discounts card on the Policy > General page and its Discount distribution options. They decide how an order-level discount is spread across the order's line items wherever a discounted line price is worked out, including the prices recorded when a return is submitted. They matter on every store that uses discount codes, automatic discounts or script discounts.
Settings
In the admin, go to Policy > General > Discounts.
Three groups, one per kind of discount. Each has the same choices, except script discounts, which cannot be distributed across a family.
- Discount codes: for discounts applied with a code. Default: Do not distribute.
- Automatic discounts: for discounts Shopify applied automatically. Default: Do not distribute.
- Script discounts: for discounts applied by a Shopify script. Two choices, Distribute across entire order or Do not distribute. Default: Do not distribute.
The choices:
- Distribute across discount family: spreads the discount across the items in the promotion, such as both the trigger item and the discounted item of a Buy X Get Y. When Shopify gives no family data for the order, the discount is spread across the entire order instead.
- Distribute across entire order: spreads the discount over every line on the order.
- Do not distribute: leaves line prices as Shopify recorded them.
Important: The amount refunded is what these rules calculate, so test with a discounted order before changing them on a live store.
Policy > General, the Discounts card with the three discount kinds and their distribution choices
What the shopper sees
The value shown for each item in the portal, and so the refund or credit quoted on the review step, reflects the choice here.
How it works
Shopify records an order-level discount against the order, not against each line. When a shopper returns one item, ReturnZen has to decide how much of that discount belonged to the item. These options make that decision.
A 100.00 order of two items, a 60.00 jacket and a 40.00 hat, with a 10.00 off code on the order. The shopper returns the jacket.
- Do not distribute: the jacket's line price stays as Shopify recorded it. The refund quoted follows that recorded price.
- Distribute across entire order: the 10.00 is spread over both lines, so the jacket carries its share of it and is worth less than 60.00 when returned.
- Distribute across discount family: the 10.00 is spread over the items the promotion applied to. For a code that covered the whole order, that is the same as the entire order. For a Buy X Get Y, the discount is spread across the trigger item and the discounted item only.
The same value is used wherever a discounted line price is worked out, including the prices recorded on a return when it is submitted, so the refund, the store credit and the exchange credit all start from it.
Note: Pre-discount credit, on the Exchanges card, is a separate setting. It controls whether the exchange credit ignores item discounts entirely, and turning it on does not switch these options off. See Exchanges.
FAQ
Do I need to set my store timezone? No. ReturnZen reads the timezone from your Shopify store and uses it everywhere. If dates look wrong, check the timezone in your Shopify admin under Settings, then Store details.
Why can I not type the support email here? The support email is saved on Shopper > Notifications, next to the other sender settings. The Store information card only shows it so you can see what shoppers are pointed to. It is the default inbox: gift recipients are pointed to the Gift support email instead when one is set, see Gift Returns.
Can shoppers change their own return? That is set on Shopper > Return Editing, not here. The line on this card is only a shortcut to that page.
The shopper says the parcel is posted, so why is Shipped still empty? The step is ticked by the carrier's first scan, or by a tracking number the shopper typed on the status page once the carrier's scan is heading to your return address. Until a scan exists, the step stays empty on a return with a label, because nothing is estimated. On a self-ship return with no label, the step is not drawn at all until a scan arrives.
If I tick two boxes, does the shopper have to type both? No. The portal shows one field, and the shopper types any one of the ticked details.
Where did the lookup placeholder on Portal Customization go? It is read-only and follows the boxes ticked here. Change the ticks and the label changes with them.
A shopper's phone number is on the order but the lookup fails. Why? Only ticked criteria are checked. If Phone number is not ticked, a phone number is refused with the Enter your message naming the fields that are ticked.
Can I link to my return policy from the message? No. The message is plain text, and a pasted URL is shown as text, not as a link. Put the policy where shoppers can find it in your store and name the page in the message.
Can I require acceptance on one policy only? No. The switch is store-wide and applies to every return submitted through the portal.
A shopper paid entirely by gift card. Does this setting send anything to a card? No. There is no card payment on the order to refund, so the refund goes back to the gift card.
Does this apply to store credit issued by ReturnZen? No. Store credit as a return outcome is issued under the Store credit card, see Store Credit. This setting only orders refunds to the original payment methods.
What does the Return activity grade mean? It is a count, not a verdict. Low means the email address has filed fewer returns in the last 90 days than your moderate threshold; moderate and high mean it has reached the moderate or the high threshold. It is there to help you decide where to look, and to let a workflow route those returns to review if you choose.
Does changing a threshold regrade old returns? No. The grade is recorded on the return when it is filed. New thresholds apply to returns filed after you save.
Can I count by customer account instead of email? No. The count is by email address.
Can I use more than one tag for final sale? No. Each box holds one tag. If you use several in Shopify, pick one and apply it to every final sale product.
I changed the tag name here. Do I need to save? Yes. The General page saves as a whole: click Save Changes in the bar at the foot of the page.
Why was an exchange turned into store credit? The replacement was at or below your Minimum inventory when the return was processed and the fallback is Store credit. Raise or lower the threshold, change the fallback to Original payment method, or switch the automation off so those returns wait in Needs review for a decision.
Which locations are counted? The locations chosen under Shipping > Locations, unless the policy narrows them on its Exchange card under Inventory locations.
Why is a returned item's refund less than its price? An order-level discount is being spread onto it by the option for that kind of discount. Check which kind applied to the order in Shopify, then look at that group's choice here.
Which option do I use for a Buy X Get Y code? Distribute across discount family spreads the discount across the items in the promotion, so a returned free item carries its share of the discount. The family falls back to the entire order when Shopify gives no family data.
Does this affect refunds to Shopify? It affects the amount ReturnZen asks Shopify to refund, because that amount is worked out from the distributed line prices.
Please reach out to support@returnzen.app with any additional questions.