Attention "Wool Party"! Taobao announced the relaxation of the "refund-only" feature

On July 26, Taobao announced that it would optimize the "refund only" function, improve the after-sales autonomy of merchants based on the new version of the experience score, and reduce or cancel after-sales intervention for high-quality stores. The strategy will be implemented on 9 August.

It is understood that after the optimization of the "refund only" function, for merchants with a comprehensive experience score greater than or equal to 4.8 points, the platform will not actively intervene through Want Want to support refund-only after receipt, but encourage merchants to negotiate with consumers first.

Since the beginning of this year, major e-commerce platforms have successively launched "refund-only", which effectively protects the rights and interests of consumers. However, it cannot be ignored that while "refund only" protects consumers, it is also used by some "wool parties", which damages the rights and interests of some normal businesses.

At the same time, Tmall announced that from September 1, 2024, the annual software service fee of the platform will be cancelled.

Taobao's optimization of "refund-only" will increase merchant autonomy

On July 26, Taobao announced that it would optimize the "refund only" function, improve the after-sales autonomy of merchants based on the new version of the experience score, and reduce or cancel after-sales intervention for high-quality stores.

The strategy will be implemented on 9 August. According to reports, after the optimization of the "refund only" function, for merchants with a comprehensive experience score greater than or equal to 4.8 points, the platform will not actively intervene through Want Want to support only refunds after receipt, but encourage merchants to negotiate with consumers first.

For merchants in other segments, the platform will give different degrees of independent disposal rights according to the experience score and the nature of the industry. The higher the experience score, the greater the merchant's disposal power.

At the same time, while giving merchants more independent disposal rights, Taobao will also provide a number of after-sales service plans for merchants to choose from, guiding merchants to continuously optimize after-sales service and reduce disputes and capital losses caused by "refund only".

In addition, Taobao has also optimized the refund-only appeal link. After the merchant initiates an appeal, the platform will ask a third-party testing agency to conduct a random inspection of the goods, and if the test is passed, the platform will compensate the merchant for the loss.

Since the beginning of this year, major e-commerce platforms have successively launched the "refund only" function, which effectively protects the rights and interests of consumers. Zhuang Shuai, a special researcher at the E-commerce Research Center of the Network Economic Society and the founder of Bailian Consulting, said that only the refund rule has a positive effect on both users and merchants. It has always been difficult for open e-commerce platforms to eliminate fake and shoddy goods, and there are still problems such as counterfeit and shoddy goods and refurbishment and sale of second-hand goods, and there has been no suitable solution before. The "refund-only" approach alleviates this problem to some extent.

However, while protecting consumers, the "refund only" function is also used by some "wool parties", which damages the rights and interests of normal businesses.

The reporter inquired about the China Judgment Network and found that there were more than 300 judgment documents involving "refund only and no return", most of which were disputes surrounding the sales contract, that is, after the buyer initiated a refund, the refund was successful, but the goods were not sent back to the merchant.

For example, the "Civil Judgment of First Instance of the Information Network Sales Contract Dispute between Lai and Jing" released on April 24 shows that on January 16, 2024, the defendant Jing Mouling placed an order to buy 1 pair of jeans in the plaintiff Lai's online store, with a product value of 57.9 yuan. On January 18, 2024, the plaintiff Lai sent the contracted goods jeans to the defendant Jing Mouling through postal express. On January 22, 2024, the defendant Jing Mouling received the commodity jeans sent to him by the plaintiff Lai and confirmed the receipt. On the day of signing, the defendant Jing Mouling applied for a refund only for the reason of "not liking and not having a good effect", and after the Pinduoduo service platform intervened, the Pinduoduo service platform refunded the defendant Jing Mouling 57 yuan on the same day. After the refund was successful, Jing Mouling did not return the goods, and Lai sued the court.

The court held that the parties formed a legal and valid sales contract and should perform their respective obligations in accordance with the agreement. After receiving the pants, the defendant Jing Mouling believed that there was a quality problem and applied for a refund, which was an act to protect his own rights and interests, and terminated the sales contract between the two parties. However, after receiving a refund of 57 yuan, Jing Mouling has not returned the goods, which violates the principle of good faith. The court ruled that Jing Mouling should pay Lai 57 yuan within 10 days after the judgment took effect; Lai's other litigation claims were rejected.

The reporter combed through the judgment document network and found that some merchants said in the lawsuit that the defendant (buyer) applied for "refund only" but did not return the goods, which caused great trouble to the majority of merchants and damaged the legitimate rights and interests of merchants. The court held that the buyer's "refund only without return" violated the principle of good faith transactions.

Wang Youjian, a special researcher at the E-commerce Research Center of the Network Economic Society, said that after Taobao and JD.com launched the "refund only" rule, consumers can get refunds more quickly and do not need to return goods, which may lead to an increase in the refund rate.

The new version of the experience sub-system will enhance the after-sales autonomy of merchants

Recently, Taobao has fully launched a new version of the experience sub-system.

The new version of the experience score system will not only be fully applied to store operation scenarios such as hand Tao search and Home guess what you like, but will also provide merchants with more autonomy in after-sales scenarios such as refunds, appeals, and delivery exceptions based on experience points - the platform will reduce or cancel platform intervention according to the experience score in the after-sales processing process, and the merchant will independently negotiate with consumers to deal with it - this means that the experience score will not only be linked to the store and product traffic, but will also become the key to protecting the rights and interests of merchants in after-sales scenarios.

It is understood that the new version of the experience score system includes "store experience score" and "product experience score (PXI)", which will fully replace the previous DSR (seller service evaluation system).

Specifically, after the official implementation of the new version of the experience sub-system, in multiple after-sales scenarios such as refunds, appeals, and abnormal delivery, Taobao and Tmall will clearly grant different independent disposal rights to merchants based on experience points, and the platform will reduce or cancel direct intervention for merchants operating normally, so as to fully protect the rights and interests of merchants while protecting the rights and interests of consumers. At present, this rights and interests protection rule has started internal testing in some stores with excellent experience scores.

Taobao Tmall said that it will allocate different degrees of independent disposal rights to more stores that meet the requirements of the experience, and at the same time give merchants targeted after-sales suggestions, provide multiple after-sales solutions for merchants to choose from, and guide merchants to continue to optimize after-sales service.

From September 1, Tmall will completely cancel the annual fee for merchants

The reporter learned that from September 1, 2024, Tmall will cancel the annual software service fee of the platform (hereinafter referred to as the "annual fee"). From September, new merchants do not need to pay; Merchants who have paid the annual fee will be refunded in batches according to the settlement rules.

Previously, merchants in different categories of Tmall needed to pay an annual fee of 30,000 yuan to 60,000 yuan per year. After the full abolition of the annual fee, new merchants who enter Tmall after September 1, 2024 will no longer have to pay this fee. At the same time, for merchants whose operating turnover from January to August 2024 reaches the annual target, Tmall will refund the annual fee in full.

It is understood that before the cancellation of the annual fee, Taobao Tmall has launched a series of actions to benefit merchants, including providing nearly 10 measures to all brands and merchants, including AI business efficiency improvement tools, free business advisory, and shipping logistics subsidies.

Previously, when Alibaba Group announced its group strategy, it said that Taobao and Tmall would further clarify its business priorities - users first.

Wu Yongming, CEO of Alibaba Group and chairman of Taotian Group, said in the quarterly earnings analyst conference call in November last year that Taobao has three insistences on putting users first: insisting on being a "universal Taobao", adhering to the strategy of consumption grading and price power, and insisting on the user value of products. Among them, Taobao's "omnipotence" lies in providing users with a massive and rich supply of goods and services.

In addition, Taobao will adhere to the positioning of an Internet consumption platform and "not position itself as a retail company". As a consumption platform, user purchase frequency will be prioritized over GMV as the most critical target, and "purchase frequency most directly reflects users' recognition of the consumption platform".

In May this year, Alibaba Group Chairman Joe Tsai and Alibaba Group CEO Wu Yongming said in their first letter to shareholders that the "user first" strategy will ensure that user experience is the first priority in business strategy and product design, and improving user experience will improve user retention and repeat purchases. This will provide the best value proposition for sellers of goods and services on platforms such as Taobao, Tmall, Xianyu, Fliggy, Ele.me, AutoNavi Map, AliExpress, and more.

Judging from the performance of Tmall merchants on · 18, relevant measures have achieved certain results. According to the data, during the · 18 period, 365 brands exceeded 100 million yuan in transactions on Tmall · 18, and more than 36,000 brands doubled. Among them, nearly 200 merchants who participated in 6·18 for the first time exceeded 10 million transactions, and 576 new brands within 3 years of establishment won the first place in the trend category.

Editor-in-charge: Zhu Yumeng

Proofreader: Li Lingfeng

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