Cellbes delivers
exchanges in
48 hours

When exchanges take too long, customers do what most shoppers do instead:
they return the item, wait for a refund, and either give up or start over.

Cellbes wanted to change that.

Together with Inretrn, they launched a faster exchange flow where customers can receive a new item within 48 hours from registration. The goal was simple: remove friction, keep the customer happy, and make it easier to keep the sale. The early results show it’s working: 11% of returned items now become exchanges, return rate is down by 1 percentage point, and the share of items not sent back is below 0.1%.

A customer base that values simplicity

Cellbes has built a strong relationship with a loyal customer base over time. The average customer age in Sweden is around 60, 70% of customers placed more than one order during 2025, and 20% have been customers for more than 10 years.

That matters.

Because when Cellbes designed its exchange flow, it was not just designing for speed. It was designing for trust, clarity, and ease of use for a customer group that values guidance and convenience.

Why Cellbes changed the exchange experience

Before exchanges were introduced, the process was more demanding than it needed to be.

Customers had to return the product, wait for the refund, and place a new order themselves. That meant more steps, more waiting, and in many cases more money tied up in the meantime.

Cellbes also saw the commercial downside. Some customers bought multiple sizes or colors upfront because exchanging later felt too complicated. Others simply did not bother placing a new order at all.

Customer feedback made the issue clear. Several customers described size exchanges as complicated and asked for a simpler, free-of-charge way to switch products.

How the new flow works

Cellbes chose to make exchanges available directly in the digital return flow.

The customer selects the item, chooses an exchange reason such as wrong size or a different preferred color, and then picks the replacement product in the interface. From there, the customer gets clear next-step guidance, a QR code for drop-off, and confirmation that the exchange is free.

The key difference is timing.

Instead of waiting for the returned item to arrive at the warehouse, Cellbes starts preparing and shipping the replacement item as soon as the exchange is registered. That is what makes the 48-hour experience possible.

Faster for the customer. Smarter for the business.

This was not just about making exchanges feel nicer.

It was about creating a flow that helps Cellbes keep more revenue, reduce unnecessary returns, and remove friction from a process that used to interrupt the customer journey.

So far, 11% of returned items are now turned into exchanges instead, which means more customers stay in the purchase journey rather than dropping out after a return. At the same time, the return rate has decreased by 1 percentage point.

That is a strong sign that when customers trust the exchange experience, they do not feel the same need to order multiple options upfront.

The customer response

The strongest signal came from customers themselves.

One customer described the process as very smooth and said the replacement item arrived the day after the original item was sent back. Another said the experience made it feel safer to shop. Others highlighted the value of free exchanges and the simplicity of not having to start over with a new order.

For Cellbes, that matters just as much as the operational metrics.

Because a good exchange flow should not just solve a return.
It should strengthen the relationship with the customer.

A bold choice that paid off

Cellbes evaluated different ways to handle exchanges.

One option was to wait until the return arrived at the warehouse. Another was to trigger the new shipment based on carrier status. But to create a truly fast experience, Cellbes chose the most ambitious route: sending the new item already at registration.

That naturally came with risk. What if customers never returned the original item?

In practice, that concern turned out to be very limited. The share of items not returned has remained below 0.1%, and in many cases a reminder was enough to resolve it.

What Cellbes learned

One insight stood out quickly.

Some customers wait for the new exchange item to arrive before sending the original one back. In some cases, they want to compare both items at home before deciding which one to keep. Cellbes had not initially planned for that behavior, but it became clear that the flow needed to support it.

That learning is now shaping the next phase of improvement.