The Warehouse had a returns policy which included a 12-month money back guarantee and allowed customers to return items without a receipt, if the employee handling the return could ascertain that it was a legitimate purchase. This policy had helped The Warehouse earn customer loyalty, but it did expose the retailer to the potential for fraud due to how returns were handled. How does a customer get away with returning the same item multiple times and, more importantly, how do you stop them? This was the dilemma faced by The Warehouse. A better way to validate that returns were genuine was therefore needed, and the search for a solution led to Elasticsearch.
Implemented in a matter of months, Elasticsearch now enables employees using 1,500 point of sale (POS) devices and 200 service desk computers across The Warehouse’s 93+ stores to search through years of transactional data. This allows team members to quickly find and validate transactions and refund customers exactly what they paid. The streamlined process is a win for everyone and has effectively combatted the potential for fraud.