1) Why RTO Happens

Common reasons:

• Fake orders / low-intent customers

• Wrong expectations (offer mismatch)

• Poor follow-up / no confirmation

• Slow shipping

• Weak trust on product page

• Bad courier performance in certain zones

Most brands blame “customers.”
Smart brands fix the system.

2) The 5-Step RTO Control System

Step 1: Prepaid Push (Smart, not aggressive)

• Offer prepaid discount

• Add prepaid-only freebies

• Show “Prepaid priority shipping”

  Step 2: COD Confirmation Flow

Before dispatch:

• WhatsApp confirmation message

• Quick confirmation call for risky orders

• OTP-based confirmation if needed

  Step 3: High-Trust Product Page

Improve:

• Clear benefits

• Realistic promises

• Delivery timeline visibility

• Strong FAQs

• Trust badges (COD, returns, shipping)

  Step 4: Address Validation

Use:

• Auto address validation

• Pincode serviceability check

• Block repeated fake addresses

  Step 5: Courier & Zone Strategy

• Identify high-RTO pincodes

• Reduce COD availability in risky zones

• Use better courier partners for specific regions

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3) Metrics You Must Track Weekly

• RTO %

• Delivery %

• NDR % (Non-delivery report)

• COD vs Prepaid split

• Courier performance by zone

• Profit per order (after RTO loss)

If you don’t track these, scaling will break you.

Conclusion

India COD is a goldmine only when controlled.
Reducing RTO is not luck — it’s process.

Better confirmation + better trust + better ops = higher delivery rate + higher profit.