About

Kinfield is a sustainable skincare brand specializing in plant-based personal care items free of parabens, sulfates, phthalates, and synthetic fragrances. With cruelty-free bug repellents, sun protection, and a range of Leaping Bunny-certified products, Kinfield aims to inspire happier, healthier lives through the great outdoors.

Challenge

Giving customers purchasing confidence while protecting the bottom line

Like other leading eCommerce brands, Kinfield understands that inefficient refunds and returns processing would cut into their margins. But, as an up-and-coming skincare brand, Kinfield also needed to build trust with consumers who were hesitant to make their first purchase. They needed a better way to encourage customers to try their products without causing a hit to their profits.

As they searched for a solution, Customer Experience Lead Lou Sherman and her team had three goals:

1. Offer reassurance with comprehensive order protections: Before adopting a skincare product, customers need to see how it performs in their lives (and on their skin). Kinfield needed an order protection solution to go beyond transit damages and encompass this level of customer satisfaction.
2. Provide outstanding customer service: As the company scaled, Kinfield needed an efficient post-purchase solution that offered customers quick and convenient self-serve resolutions.
3. Protect their bottom line: During peak months, Kinfield uses a pre-order system to meet the increasing customer demand. But if a customer canceled their pre-order before receiving their items, Kinfield historically ate the chargeback cost. Lou wanted a way to keep these reimbursements from coming directly out of the company’s pockets.

With Onward, Lou found a solution that checked every box.

“We needed a partner that not only gave our customers the confidence to order but also protected us on the backend by not having reimbursements come out of our pocket.”

Solution

Benefit #1: Improving customer confidence with Onward’s 90-day Satisfaction Guarantee

With Shipping Protection backed by Onward’s 90-day Satisfaction Guarantee, shoppers now have the flexibility to try Kinfield’s products for three months and send them back for a full refund, no strings attached. This return window gives Kinfield’s customers ample time to integrate an item into their skincare routines and confidently decide whether it’s right for them.

The 90-day Satisfaction Guarantee covers return shipping for all unused Kinfield products and refunds any used goods that do not qualify for returns. However, orders without Onward’s protection can still be returned unused within 30 days for a $5 fee. This newfound order assurance resulted in a spike in CVR, with customers feeling more inclined to add to cart. And, since Onward covers all reimbursement costs, Kinfield offers these comprehensive customer-first benefits while protecting their bottom line.

Beyond their new Satisfaction Guarantee, Kinfield also found a solution for pre-order mishaps during peak seasons. Now, in rare cases where a customer can no longer wait for their pre-ordered products to arrive, Onward reimburses Kinfield for the chargeback.

Benefit #2: VIP customer services to strengthen customer loyalty

With Onward as an extension of their customer experience team, Lou no longer worries about keeping up with the volume of claims — no matter how fast Kinfield grows. Customers can now submit claims through a self-serve portal for near-immediate answers. With Onward’s team resolving most claims within 24 hours, Lou is confident that all Kinfield customers are supported with quick and thorough resolutions.

Adding to the convenience of Kinfield’s elevated customer experience with Onward, shoppers can now opt-in to any post-purchase services right at checkout using Onward’s shopping cart widget. What’s more, after a customer places an order, Onward follows up with a Kinfield-branded satisfaction email, reinforcing customer relationships and ensuring every shopper is pleased with their purchases.

Benefit #3: CashBack rewards drive repeat purchases and LTV

With sales peaking during the summer months, Kinfield now has a way to incentivize customers to order throughout the year with Onward’s CashBack program. For every order, customers get 5% back to use toward their next Kinfield purchase.

For example, if a customer spends $100 on Kinfield’s skincare sets or bug-repellent bundles, they will automatically receive $5 back. This money can be used across Kinfield’s entire product line, including year-round essentials like lip balm and deodorant.

In only four months of partnering with Onward on this service, Lou saw a 23% increase in customer LTV.

“With Onward, being able to offer customers a satisfaction guarantee while protecting us from chargebacks and reimbursements has been a game-changer. We’ve seen record-high sales, and Onward was a part of that.”

Results

Kinfield increases LTV by 23% in just 4 months with Onward

With Onward, Kinfield can offer every customer premium order protection, speedy service, and a consistent customer experience without compromising profitability.

This has driven new business, and Kinfield is experiencing record-high sales, including:

“The Onward team is so hands-on, and so intuitive in knowing what our company needs, making suggestions for what services will best serve us, and constantly evolving to fit our brand.”