Returns are no longer a side issue in e-commerce: the average online return rate in 2025 was around 19.3 percent (NRF), and in individual categories such as apparel 20 to 40 percent is common. In B2B the volume is often smaller but the value per case is higher - and the process is considerably more complex. Instead of a simple change-of-mind decision, it involves claims, defective goods, incorrect deliveries and bulk returns that ripple across procurement, logistics, accounting and cash flow. Anyone who does not map this RMA process (Return Merchandise Authorization) digitally loses time, money and trust. This article shows how to structure the entire flow from return request to credit note in B2B e-commerce.
Key takeaways
- An RMA process gives every return a unique number and guides it in an orderly way from request via approval and inspection to the credit note.
- B2B returns are rarely a change of mind but claims, incorrect deliveries or bulk returns with high product value and a commercial consequence.
- A visible status pipeline with self-service reduces queries to the sales desk and keeps the business relationship relaxed.
- The credit note must be created from the same data as the order and posted cleanly against the open balance in the ERP.
- A pragmatic start begins with the request and status pipeline; ERP posting and finer inspection rules follow in a second stage.
Why B2B Returns Are More Complex Than B2C
In B2C the return is usually a change of mind: the trousers do not fit, the parcel goes back, the amount is refunded. In B2B it looks different. Here it is rarely about taste but about claims due to defects, incorrect or excess deliveries, damaged goods or contractually agreed buy-backs of stock. Each of these situations follows its own rules, and behind every decision sits a web of stakeholders - from purchasing via logistics to accounting. A single return therefore affects the supply chain, liquidity and the business relationship at the same time.
There is also the volume per case. While a B2C return usually involves one or two items, B2B often involves many units or whole pallets per case - with a correspondingly high product value. Processing a single return costs around 27 percent (Optoro) of the purchase price, and in some categories even more, and in 2025 alone the value of returns in US retail amounted to roughly 850 billion US dollars (NRF). In B2B this adds up quickly, because every line item triggers a commercial consequence: a credit note, a correction of the open balance, an adjustment to stock.
This is exactly why B2B trade needs a structured RMA process instead of a loose chain of emails and phone calls. Well-thought-out e-commerce consulting first clarifies the cases - what is a claim, what is a voluntary buy-back, what is an incorrect delivery - and then translates them into a digital flow. This is closely linked to how business customers are captured during onboarding and registration, because only a cleanly created customer with terms can also be processed correctly during a return.
A Claim Is Not the Same as a Return
The RMA Workflow in Five Steps
A robust returns process follows a clear flow that is comprehensible for everyone involved. At its core is the Return Merchandise Authorization, the approval of a return with a unique RMA number. No goods should leave the customer's warehouse without this number, because only then can incoming parcels be matched to the right case. The following five steps form the framework that can be refined depending on industry and case.
1. Request in the Portal
The buyer selects the relevant order and line items in their account, states quantity and return reason and optionally uploads photos for defects. Master data and prices are already on file.
2. Approval and RMA Number
The request is checked by rules or manually. On approval a unique RMA number is created that clearly assigns every further action and the later parcel to the case.
3. Return Label
With the approval a shipping label is generated and made available to the customer. The RMA number is printed on label and delivery note so the goods receipt can match the parcel immediately.
4. Goods Receipt and Inspection
In the warehouse the goods are checked against the request: do quantity, item and condition match? This is where the decision is made whether to restock, repair, scrap or treat the item as a claim.
5. Credit Note
Based on the inspection result the credit note is created - including any restocking fee and taking the original terms into account. It is posted against the open balance in the ERP.
Status in Real Time
Every step updates a status pipeline and notifies the customer and sales desk. This removes the recurring question where is my credit note, because the status is visible at any time.
This flow can be mapped as continuous self-service in a Shopware shop. The buyer starts the request themselves, sees the status at any time and does not have to reach for the phone. According to Deloitte, automated processes reduce operating costs by around 25 percent (Deloitte), mainly because label generation, status communication and stock posting are no longer done by hand. This self-service character is decisive in B2B, because buyers expect efficient, digital processes.
Status Pipeline and Self-Service for the Buyer
The biggest point of friction with returns is the lack of transparency. The buyer has sent the goods back but hears nothing for days and does not know whether the credit note is coming. This uncertainty strains the business relationship, because delayed credit notes erode trust. A visible status pipeline solves the problem: it shows every step from the received request via the inspection to the posted credit note and makes the progress visible for both sides.
A good returns portal gives the customer a brand-consistent self-service interface in which they can initiate and track returns without contacting support - especially as 82 percent (NRF) of customers name easy returns as an important purchase criterion. In B2B this goes beyond mere status: the buyer sees their open and completed RMA cases, the associated credit notes and their offset against the account. These functions belong in a well-built B2B portal in which orders, invoices and returns are visible as one connected process.
- Unique RMA number per case, visible to customer and sales desk
- Status pipeline with clear stages: request, approval, shipment, inspection, credit note
- Automatic notification on every status change
- Self-service creation of returns directly from the order history
- Photo upload and mandatory fields for return reasons on claims
- Overview of credit notes and their offset against the open balance
Transparency Is Half the Battle
A return is not a flaw but a moment of truth: how quickly and traceably the credit note arrives decides whether the buyer orders again next time.
Restocking, Inspection and Restocking Fees
As soon as the goods arrive in the warehouse, the most expensive part of the return begins. Processing a return costs around 27 percent (Optoro) of the purchase price, and estimates suggest that more than 80 percent (Optoro) of returns end up in recovery, liquidation or disposal rather than full-price resale. The rest ends up as B-grade goods at a discount, is repaired or has to be disposed of. In B2B with high product values per case, the inspection is therefore not a formality but a commercial decision with a direct effect on margin.
The inspection decides per line item how to proceed: fully restock, list as discounted B-grade goods, send for repair or scrap. This very result must feed into the credit note. A blanket full refund is rarely appropriate in B2B because it ignores the real cost of the return. Instead a restocking fee is common - in trade, rates of 10 to 25 percent (Priceva) of the product value are widespread to cover processing and refurbishment, and around 72 percent (NRF) of retailers now charge a fee on at least some returns. Which rate is appropriate depends on industry, item and return reason; for justified claims the fee is usually waived entirely.
Inspection Result and Credit Note Belong Together
Creating Credit Notes Correctly and Posting to the ERP
The credit note is the commercial conclusion of every return - and particularly delicate in B2B because it must be clean in tax and accounting terms. It corrects an invoice that has already been issued, refers to specific line items and must take the original terms into account: if delivery was at a tiered price or with a customer discount, the credit note must apply the same price, otherwise discrepancies arise. Delayed or incorrect credit notes are among the most common points of friction and strain the customer relationship.
For the credit note to be reliably correct, it must be created from the same data as the original order. This is where the value of a solid ERP integration shows: the shop knows the original document, the line-item prices and the customer's open balance. The credit note is posted against this balance, stock is increased on restocking and the case is documented in the leading system. Without this connection, accounting would have to rework every credit note manually - error-prone and slow.
{
"rma_number": "RMA-2026-0481",
"customer": "K-48120",
"original_order": "AB-2026-11733",
"items": [
{ "sku": "PRT-8842", "qty": 5, "reason": "restock", "condition": "A", "unit_net": 535.00 },
{ "sku": "PRT-9001", "qty": 3, "reason": "defect", "condition": "warranty", "unit_net": 535.00 }
],
"restocking_fee_pct": 15,
"credit_note_net": 3878.75,
"post_to_erp": true,
"adjust_stock": true
}A correct credit note has a lot to do with the pricing logic that applies at the point of sale. Just as tiered prices and discounts come from the ERP, the credit note must use the same source to stay consistent. Anyone who feeds order, invoice and credit note from one data basis avoids contradictions between the documents. This consistency also pays into the trust that business customers place in a supplier - and therefore into visibility and reputation with business customers, because a smooth after-sales process gets around.
Implementation with Shopware Open Source
On the basis of Shopware Open Source the RMA process can be mapped in a vendor-independent way. The open architecture makes it possible to provide a return request in the customer account, to define an approval workflow with RMA numbers and to post the credit note against the ERP. Because the source code is open, the merchant stays independent and can adapt the logic precisely to its cases - from simple restocking to a multi-stage claims process involving suppliers.
In practice a step-by-step approach works well. First the self-service request with a status pipeline is introduced so that returns come in in a structured way instead of by email. In the second step the connection to the ERP follows for the automatic credit note and stock posting. Only after that is it worth extending with photo upload, automatic approval rules or a connection to repair and supplier processes. This iterative approach reduces project risk and delivers visible value early.
From more than 50 B2B projects (project experience) we know that the biggest hurdle is rarely the technology but the clean definition of the cases and conditions. Which return reasons are there? When does a restocking fee apply? Who may approve what? We clarify these questions at the start together with sales, logistics and accounting and translate them into configurable rules. The long-term stable operation of the ERP interfaces is then secured through continuous maintenance so that stock and credit notes stay reliably up to date.
A Pragmatic Start