Branded self-service portal cuts support tickets by hosting customer returns.
Small business owners struggle with inefficient return shipping logistics and refund processing that complicate their operations.
ReturnHub provides a customizable customer-facing portal for initiating returns with photo uploads and reasons. Merchants get real-time notifications, inventory updates, and one-click approvals. Integrates with shipping for labels and refunds, streamlining the entire loop.
Small e-commerce business owners selling physical products and handling customer returns
White-label portal with mobile-optimized UX and instant inventory sync to prevent oversells.
supportive
Embeddable branded return page.
Customers upload proof, select issues.
Email/SMS alerts to merchants.
Approve/deny with notes.
Auto-adjust stock on return receipt.
Responsive for customer phones.
Upsell discounts on return page.
| Column | Type | Nullable |
|---|---|---|
| id | uuid | No |
| text | No | |
| created_at | timestamp | No |
| Column | Type | Nullable |
|---|---|---|
| id | uuid | No |
| user_id | uuid | No |
| domain | text | Yes |
| branding_json | text | No |
Relationships:
| Column | Type | Nullable |
|---|---|---|
| id | uuid | No |
| portal_id | uuid | No |
| order_id | text | No |
| status | text | No |
| photos | text[] | Yes |
| inventory_synced | bool | No |
Relationships:
/api/portalsCreate portal
/api/return_requestsCustomer submits request
/api/return_requests/:id/approveMerchant approves
/api/return_requestsList for merchant
/api/inventory/sync/:idUpdate stock
Basic branding
| Month | Users | Conversion | MRR | ARR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month 1 | 120 | 2.5% | $75 | $900 |
| Month 6 | 900 | 9% | $2,025 | $24,300 |
Empower customers to self-serve returnsβless tickets, better data for your shop.
Offer free setup to 3 active Shopify stores via app store reviews. Post demo in small biz Discords and cold email from Hunter.io lists. Track via Typeform interest form.
Physical dropoffs
Expensive, US-only
Digital portal at $25, global
Network of portals driving viral customer shares + UX data for retention tools.
Self-service boom in 2024 as support costs rise 25% for ecom.
Image storage costs
CDN limits + compression
Portal adoption slow
Embed widgets + free tier
Custom domain issues
Vercel aliases
Success: 50 signups
Success: 20 returns processed
Success: 100 installs
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