Signaling Quality

In e-commerce, consumers’ return of unwanted goods is a growing logistical problem for retailers. Research by HKUST’s Man Yu and collaborators shows how third-party insurance for the cost of product return promises to make the process more sustainable as the volume of online sales continues to increase. Products bought online are returned more often than ... Read More

Return insurance is an innovative return policy recently emerging on major Chinese shopping platforms, such as Taobao.com and JD.com. It is underwritten by an insurer and can be purchased by either a retailer or a consumer. Under such insurance, the insurer partially compensates consumers for their hassle costs associated with product return. We analyze the ... Read More