Your Returns Problem Isn’t Returns… It’s Education.
- Kyle Olmstead
- 3 days ago
- 6 min read
Why Pre-Shipment Guidance Is the Secret Weapon Health & Wellness Brands Keep Ignoring.
Most brands don’t have a returns problem — they have a “customers have no clue what they just bought” problem.
And honestly? It’s self-inflicted.
Because if we’re being real with each other (best-friend energy, remember): People don’t return products they understand. They return products that surprise them. Confuse them. Intimidate them. Sit unopened on the counter giving them quiet, judgmental side-eye.
Let’s talk about how to fix that before it ever happens.
The Truth No One Wants to Admit
Everywhere you look, brands are obsessing over the wrong metric.
They’re treating returns as a logistics issue. Or a quality issue. Or a “customers today are so unreasonable” issue.
Nope. Returns are an education issue. Period.
And if you’re a subscription brand in Health & Wellness? Education isn’t a “nice to have.” It’s your entire business model’s survival strategy.
The truth is simple: If customers don’t know what to expect before that box arrives, you’re going to lose them after the unboxing.
This is why pre-shipment education emails are secretly one of the most profitable and painfully underutilized weapons in lifecycle marketing.
And not the boring “Your order is on the way!” ones.
I mean the “Hey, here’s exactly how to win with this product before it even hits your mailbox” kind.
Those emails? They don’t just reduce returns. They transform buyers.
Why Pre-Shipment Education Is a Cheat Code for Subscription Brands
Let’s zoom out for a second.
Ever notice how excited people get when they buy things … and how fast that excitement evaporates the moment they remember they actually have to use the thing?
Buying is dopamine. Using is discipline.
That’s where your emails come in.
Education turns customers from:
“Uh… what did I just sign up for? ”into“ Okay, I know exactly how to use this, when to use it, and what to expect from it.”
If you do this right, something magical happens: Customers start succeeding before they even receive the product.
That’s the North Star.
Because a successful customer — or a pre-successful customer — is a long-term customer.
The Buyer Psychology No One Talks About
Here’s the part brands underestimate: When people join a wellness subscription, they’re not just buying a product.
They’re buying a promise.
A promise of more energy, better habits, clearer skin, improved sleep, smoother digestion, a jumpstart, a reset, a transformation — whatever outcome your brand delivers.
But between checkout and delivery, something called the “Expectation Gap” grows.
**Expectation Gap =
What they imagine your product will do MINUS What your product actually does**
If you don’t close that gap early, it will punch your retention in the throat.
And this is why pre-shipment education matters. It does three things extraordinarily well:
Setting expectations (the realistic kind).When customers know what “normal” looks like, they stop panicking on Day 3 and asking for a refund.
Building confidence.People stick with things they feel capable of doing.
Reducing buyer’s remorse.Nothing kills a subscription faster than the sudden post-checkout “Did I act impulsively?” spiral.
Education puts all those fires out before they start.
The Pre-Shipment Sequence I’d Use If I Were Running a Wellness Subscription Brand
Hypothetical. Not client-based. Just what I’d personally build if I wanted to reduce returns by 20–40% and boost retention by at least one renewal.
(Yes, bold claim. But this works.)
Email 1: “Here’s What’s About to Happen”
Timing: Immediately after purchase. Tone: Friendly sherpa with zero judgment.
This is your “Let’s get on the same page” moment.
Key things I’d include:
What results they can expect in the first week
What results they shouldn’t expect yet
How long typical customers take to notice changes
A realistic timeline (people love timelines)
A simple, almost comically easy step to prep before the package arrives
Think: “No, you won’t wake up tomorrow with glowing skin like the woman on TikTok. Yes, you’ll probably start noticing X and Y around Day 5–7.”
Expectation Gap? Closed.
Email 2: “Mistakes First-Timers Always Make (So You Don’t)”
This one works like magic.
Because everyone secretly wants to be the “good student.” Tell them what most people mess up. Then tell them how to not be those people.
This positions you as:
Honest
Helpful
Human
And most importantly: Someone who actually understands their journey
I’d include 3–5 quick-hit bullets like:
The thing people overdo
The thing people underdo
The thing people don’t think matters but does
The thing that’s uncomfortable but normal
The thing that feels bad but is secretly a sign of progress
Make them feel prepared — not paranoid.
Email 3: “Your Personal Gameplan”
This is where it gets fun.
It doesn’t need to be customized. It just needs to feel customized.
A simple 7-day roadmap like:
Day 1–2: What to notice
Day 3–4: What might feel weird
Day 5–6: Early wins
Day 7: What success looks like this early
Throw in a “What to do if…” section for common concerns.
People LOVE having a plan. Plans reduce anxiety. Less anxiety = fewer returns. Fewer returns = longer retention. Longer retention = your business grows while spending less.
Email 4: “Before Your First Delivery Arrives…”
A little checklist.
Fast to read. Zero fluff.
Stuff like:
“Put this in the fridge”
“Don’t take this on an empty stomach”
“Start with half a scoop”
“Read this 10-second primer on timing”
“This first experience makes or breaks results — here’s how to nail it”
This email alone?It prevents half the returns brands swear are “unpreventable.”
Spoiler: They’re preventable.
Email 5: “Your First 48 Hours”
This is the moment your customer would normally be on Google searching:
“Is it normal if…”“Why am I feeling…”“Should I stop taking this if…”
Instead, you get ahead of all that.
Give them reassurance. Give them clarity. Give them the “Hey, this is all part of the process. You’re doing great.”
Not in a condescending way. In a “I’ve been there, and you’re good” way.
Buyers who feel supported don’t return products. They build habits.
Why This Works So Well (The Psychology Breakdown)
1. You reduce cognitive friction.
People stick with what feels easy. People quit what feels confusing.
Education = ease.
2. You rewire their self-identity.
When customers see themselves as someone who uses your product successfully, they behave like that person.
Education = identity shift.
3. You create emotional safety.
Most returns are emotional decisions disguised as product issues.
Education = safety.
4. You increase perceived value — before the product even arrives.
People value what they understand.
Education = higher perceived ROI.
Put simply?
Education emails are retention insurance. Cheap. Simple. Scalable. And wildly profitable.
“But Won’t That Be Too Many Emails?”
Short answer: Not if they’re good.
Long answer: People aren’t annoyed by more emails. They’re annoyed by worse emails.
If your emails actually help them, reassure them, and level up their early experience, they’ll read every single one.
In fact, education emails regularly get 40–65% open rates because they’re answering the exact questions customers are already Googling.
Stop thinking of them as “emails.”Think of them as “preparation.”Think of them as “onboarding.”Think of them as “success activators.”
The Part Brands Don’t Expect
When you do this well, something incredible happens:
Customers start thinking you care about their outcome — not just their wallet.
And when customers feel cared for?
They forgive shipping delays. They stay through initial discomfort. They don’t panic when results aren’t instant. They follow instructions. They trust you. They renew.
Retention is built in the moments where people decide whether your product fits into their life.
Pre-shipment education makes that decision easy.
My Personal Story (The Short Version)
I’ll keep this part quick.
I once bought a supplement years ago that promised the world. The branding? Stunning. The landing page? Chef’s kiss. The checkout experience? Smooth enough to make Shopify blush.
But the product showed up and... No direction. No guidance. No “here’s how to get the most out of this.” Just a bottle staring at me like, “Well? Figure it out, genius.”
Three days in, I convinced myself I bought the wrong thing. I tossed it in the bathroom cabinet and never renewed.
Was the product bad? Probably not.
But the experience? Terrible.
And terrible experiences turn into returns, cancellations, and forgettable brands.
That moment stuck with me.
Because the difference between a long-term subscriber and a churn statistic often comes down to one thing:
Did the brand help me succeed early… or did they leave me on my own?
Never leave customers on their own.
The Big Takeaway
If you want fewer returns, better retention, higher LTV, and subscribers who feel supported instead of confused?
Start the relationship before the delivery truck does.
Pre-shipment education is the easiest win most brands never prioritize.
And in a category as emotional and expectation-heavy as Health & Wellness?
It’s the difference between a customer who uses your product…and a customer who returns your product.
One is a liability. The other is a lifelong revenue stream.
Choose the second one.
A Question to Leave You With…
If your customers had everything they needed to feel confident, prepared, and successful before their first product ever arrived…how many of your current “returns problems” would simply disappear?
(And how much smoother would scaling feel if that became your new normal?)
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