Return Policy Data for Ecommerce: A Machine-Readable Audit
Return policy is not just a footer document. It can be relevant context for purchase decisions, and inconsistent policy information creates uncertainty for shoppers and software alike.
Why this matters
A good audit checks whether the store has a clear policy, whether product-specific exceptions exist, and whether structured return-policy information is present where the platform supports it.
What to check
- A clear store return policy is publicly accessible
- Return windows and conditions are current
- Product exceptions do not contradict the general policy
- Structured policy data is accurate when implemented
How to improve it
- Maintain one authoritative return-policy source
- Link product exceptions clearly
- Review policy after operational changes
- Re-scan templates if policy markup is generated automatically
Copying a generic policy into structured data without matching your actual business rules can be worse than leaving the field absent.
How AI SHOP CHECK approaches the audit
AI SHOP CHECK samples representative product pages, evaluates a fixed set of machine-readable commerce signals and aggregates repeated gaps into a store-wide report. The scan is designed to make remediation easier: you can see the overall score, the percentage of sampled products missing a signal, individual product scores and a short prioritized action plan.
The score is an independent readiness metric. It is not issued by OpenAI, Google, Shopify or another shopping platform, and it does not guarantee inclusion, ranking, traffic or recommendation. Use official platform documentation for channel-specific eligibility and feed requirements.
Use the result as a baseline
Save a scan before changing your theme, structured data, catalog import or policy configuration. Re-scan after the change and compare the result. For stores that change frequently, recurring monitoring can help surface score drops that deserve investigation.
Related guides
Run a store-wide readiness scan and see the repeated product-data gaps first.
Open AI SHOP CHECK