Returns & Refunds Are AI Ranking Factors Now — Here’s Why

Imagine you send a personal assistant to buy you a shirt. You tell them: "If it doesn't fit, I want to be able to return it easily."

The assistant looks at two stores.

• Store A: "Free returns within 30 days. Pre-paid label included."
• Store B: "Returns subject to approval. 15% restocking fee may apply. Contact support for RMA."

Which one does the assistant buy from?

AI Agents operate on the same logic, but mathematically.

---

Policy Ambiguity = Agent Friction

AI agents are programmed to maximize user satisfaction and minimize regret.

A "difficult return" is a high-regret outcome. Therefore, when an agent evaluates products, it scans the Merchant Return Policy schema.

If that schema is missing, it tries to read your "Returns" page. If that page is full of legalese, vague conditions ("subject to approval"), or contradictory dates, the Agent assigns a High Risk Flag.

It will deprioritize your product in favor of a competitor with a clear, low-risk policy.

---

The Structured Data of Trust

Google and Schema.org have specific properties for this: merchantReturnPolicy.

You can tell the AI explicitly:

• returnPolicyCategory: https://schema.org/MerchantReturnFiniteReturnWindow
• merchantReturnDays: 30
• returnFees: https://schema.org/FreeReturn
• returnMethod: https://schema.org/ReturnByMail

When this data is present, the Agent doesn't have to guess. It knows deterministically that you offer 30-day free returns.

This is a massive ranking signal for "Best [Product]" queries, because "Best" implies "Safe to buy."

---

Common Shopify Policy Mistakes

1. The PDF Policy: Storing your policy in a PDF or image. AI can't read it easily.
2. The "Contact Us" Wall: "Contact us for returns." This signals high effort. Agents hate high effort.
3. The Hidden Policy: Putting it only in the footer, not on the product page structure.

---

Naridon's Policy Clarity Engine

Naridon scans your policy pages. It extracts the core logic (Days, Fees, Methods). It then converts this into the structured merchantReturnPolicy schema and injects it into every product page.

You don't need to change your policy. You just need to translate it into the language of the Agent.

Make your store "Safe to Buy" for machines, and you will see your recommendation share increase.