Return Reasons

Updated 11 November 2026

Overview

This article explains the Return Reasons page, where reasons are organised into groups by product type. Customers see only the reasons that fit the products they are returning. Every store starts with reasons already seeded, so shoppers have something to pick from on day one. Editing the reasons inside a group is covered in Editing a reason group.

Use the menu on the left to quickly navigate this article.

Before you start

• A connected Shopify store, so product types can be read.

The Return Reasons page

Creating a group

In the admin, go to Shopper > Return Reasons.

1. Click Create Group.
2. Type a Group name, for example Footwear.
3. Click Create Group. The new group opens so you can add product types and reasons.

Screenshot

Shopper > Return Reasons, the Reason groups table with a default group and a Footwear group

Settings

• Reason groups: a table of your groups with Title and Product types. Each group sets which reasons customers see for its product types. Clicking a group's title opens it.
• Title: the group's name. Shoppers never see it.
• Product types: the Shopify product types the group serves. The group with no product types reads Any product type not in another group: it is the default group and serves every product no other group claims.

Note: Reasons are shared across groups. A group is a selection from one shared library, so the same reason can appear in several groups, and editing it changes it everywhere. If the list fails to load the page says so and offers Retry.

What the shopper sees

When they pick an item to return, the reasons from the group whose product types include that item's Shopify product type, or from the default group when none does. The reasons show in the group's order, or in a random order when the group has Randomize order for this group on.

Editing a reason group

This section covers the Edit Reason Group page. It has three columns: Group settings on the left, the Return reasons enabled for the group in the middle, and a Group summary on the right. Here you decide which products the group serves, which reasons it shows, whether a reason needs a comment or a photo, and which Shopify return reason each one maps to.

Before you start: A group created under Shopper > Return Reasons; see Return reasons.

Group settings

In the admin, go to Shopper > Return Reasons and open a group.

• Title: the group's name. Not shown to customers in the returns portal.
• Associated product types: type to filter your store's product types and click one to add it as a chip; the x removes it. Only types that exist in your store can be added. A group with no product types reads No product types set.

• Randomize order for this group: when on, shoppers see this group's reasons in a random order. When off, they see them in the order shown on this page. Default: off.

  Note: Only the top-level reasons are shuffled. Sub-reasons keep their order.

• Save Settings: saves the title, product types and the randomize toggle.

• Delete Group: opens Delete reason group?, which reads that the reasons in the group stay in your shared library and that this cannot be undone. The default group cannot be deleted (This is the default group for products not in another group. It can't be deleted.), and neither can the last reason group.

Screenshot

Shopper > Return Reasons, a group page with the Group settings card, the Return reasons list and the Group summary

Choosing the group's reasons

1. In the Return reasons card, click Manage Reasons. The Manage reasons for this group window lists every reason in your shared library with a checkbox, plus a prebuilt library of common reasons not yet in your store.
2. Tick the reasons to show. Ticking a parent ticks its sub-reasons; ticking a sub-reason ticks its parent. Search return reasons filters the list.
3. To add a reason, click + Create Parent Reason, type the label and click Add. + Create Sub-Reason under a parent adds a sub-reason the same way.
4. Click Save Reasons, which shows the number ticked, for example Save Reasons (3). The page reads Reasons updated for this group, or Reasons updated (N added from library) when library reasons were added.

Screenshot

The Manage reasons for this group window with parent reasons, their sub-reasons and the search box

Note: The window reminds you that reasons are shared across groups, so editing one changes it everywhere it is used. Group settings and reason ticks are saved separately: Save Settings saves the card on the left, Save Reasons saves the ticks.

Editing a reason

Click Edit beside a reason, in the list or in the Manage reasons window, to open Edit reason. The dialog reads Changes apply to every group that uses this reason. To change a reason for one group only, create a new reason and enable it in that group.

• Reason: the wording shoppers see.
• Require a customer comment: when on, shoppers must write a comment to pick this reason, and an optional Prompt shown to customers sits above the text box. When off, no comment is asked for.
• Require photo upload: makes a photo compulsory for that reason (customers must attach a photo to pick this reason). Photos are stored by ReturnZen; see Shopper photos.

Note: Comments and photos are set on sub-reasons. Edit a sub-reason to require a comment or photo; a parent that has sub-reasons does not carry them.

• Linked reason sent to the store: maps the reason to one of Shopify's own return reasons: Too large, Too small, Damaged or defective, Not as described, Wrong item received, Color, Style, Changed mind, or Not linked. Not linked sends a generic reason with the customer note. A linked reason carries a Shopify chip in the lists, and a sub-reason with no link of its own inherits its parent's.

Save Reason saves the dialog. Delete Reason opens Delete reason?, which reads that the reason will be removed from your shared library and from every group that uses it, and that this cannot be undone.

Screenshot

The Edit reason dialog with Require a customer comment on and a linked Shopify reason chosen

What the shopper sees

The parent reasons, then the sub-reasons under the one they pick. The parent reasons show in the group's order, or in a random order when Randomize order for this group is on; sub-reasons always keep their order. A comment box or a photo upload appears when the chosen reason requires it, and the return cannot be submitted until it is filled in.

FAQ

Do I have to create groups at all? No. The default group serves every product. Create a group only when some product types need different reasons, for example shoe sizing reasons for Footwear.

A product type is missing from the picker. Only product types that exist in your Shopify store can be added. Set the product type on the product in Shopify first.

Can I delete the default group? No. The default group cannot be deleted, and neither can the last remaining group.

I changed a reason's wording and it changed in another group too. Reasons live in one shared library, so an edit applies everywhere. To word a reason differently for one group, create a new reason and enable it only there.

Why can I not require a photo on a parent reason? Comments and photos belong to sub-reasons, because the sub-reason is what the shopper finally picks. Add a sub-reason and set the requirement there.

What does the Shopify link do? When the return is sent to Shopify, the linked reason is written on the Shopify return. Not linked sends a generic reason with the customer note instead.

Please reach out to support@returnzen.app with any additional questions.