Update: We originally published this article in 2010 when retailers were beginning to connect online shopping with in-store returns. Today, this option is commonly called buy online, return in store, or BORIS. We updated the article to explain how the process works and what eCommerce businesses need to manage it successfully.
Buy online, return in store allows customers to purchase a product through an online store and return it at a physical retail location. For customers, BORIS can make returns faster and more convenient. For retailers, it can reduce return-shipping costs and bring shoppers into a store. However, the process also requires accurate inventory records, clear return policies, and coordination between online and physical operations.
What Is Buy Online, Return in Store?
Buy online, return in store is an omnichannel return option that allows a customer to bring an online purchase to a physical store instead of mailing it back. The store may issue a refund, exchange the item, or provide store credit based on the retailer’s return policy. BORIS is different from buy online, pick up in store, or BOPIS. BOPIS concerns how customers receive an order. BORIS concerns how they return one.
How Does BORIS Work?
A typical BORIS process includes several steps:
- The customer starts a return online or brings the order to a store.
- An employee verifies the order and confirms that the item qualifies for a return.
- The retailer issues the appropriate refund, exchange, or store credit.
- The returned item is inspected.
- The business updates the item’s inventory status.
- The product is restocked, transferred, repaired, discounted, or removed from sellable inventory.
The exact process depends on the retailer’s systems and return policy.
Benefits of Buy Online, Return in Store
More convenience for customers
Customers can avoid repacking an item, printing a return label, and waiting for the package to reach a warehouse.
Lower return-shipping costs
The retailer may avoid paying for return postage when customers bring products to a store.
Faster product recovery
Employees can inspect returned merchandise sooner and determine whether the item can go back into inventory.
Additional in-store sales opportunities
A customer who visits a store to make a return may exchange the product or purchase something else.
Challenges Retailers Need to Manage
BORIS can create problems when the online store, retail locations, and inventory systems do not share accurate information.
Common challenges include:
- Confirming the original order
- Applying the correct refund method
- Enforcing consistent return rules
- Tracking returned inventory
- Determining whether an item is sellable
- Preventing duplicate refunds
- Moving inventory between locations
- Keeping stock quantities accurate across channels
A return should not automatically increase available inventory. The business first needs to inspect the product and determine its condition.
Keep Returned Inventory Accurate
Returned products may follow several paths. An unopened item might return to sellable stock, while a damaged or incomplete product may need to be quarantined, discounted, repaired, or written off.
An inventory management system can help businesses track stock across warehouses, stores, and sales channels. Accurate inventory records reduce the risk of reselling an item before employees have confirmed that it is ready.
Create a Clear BORIS Policy
A buy online, return in store policy should explain:
- Which online purchases qualify
- How long customers have to make a return
- What proof of purchase they need
- Whether all store locations accept returns
- Which products are excluded
- How refunds are issued
- How exchanges are handled
- Whether marketplace purchases qualify
Customers should be able to find this information before completing a purchase.
Measure the Results
Retailers should evaluate more than the number of in-store returns. Useful measurements include:
- Return-processing costs
- Return-shipping savings
- Time required to process a refund
- Percentage of returned products restocked
- Exchange rate
- Additional purchases made during return visits
- Inventory discrepancies
- Return fraud or duplicate-refund incidents
These results can show whether BORIS is improving the customer experience without creating unnecessary operational costs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does BORIS mean in retail?
BORIS stands for buy online, return in store. It allows customers to return an online purchase at a retailer’s physical location.
What is the difference between BORIS and BOPIS?
BORIS refers to returning an online purchase in a store. BOPIS, or buy online, pick up in store, refers to collecting an online order at a physical location.
Does BORIS reduce return costs?
It can reduce return-shipping expenses, but retailers still need to account for store labor, inspection, inventory handling, and refund processing.
Can returned products immediately go back into inventory?
Not always. The retailer should inspect each product and confirm that it is complete, undamaged, and suitable for resale before updating available inventory.
Is BORIS only for large retailers?
No. Smaller retailers with physical locations can also offer it, provided their order, payment, return, and inventory processes stay coordinated.
Keep Online and In-Store Inventory Connected
BORIS works best when retailers can track orders and returned products across every location and sales channel.
Ordoro helps eCommerce businesses manage multichannel inventory, orders, shipping, and returns from one system, making it easier to keep stock accurate throughout the return process. Start Your Free Trial
