E-commerce

Custom Refund & Returns Management System

A custom refund system that cut processing time 80 percent

Web Development Database Design Process Automation

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Custom Refund & Returns Management System case study

The Results

80%

Faster Processing

15hrs

Saved Weekly

The Challenge

TSB Living is one of New Zealand's largest online furniture and homewares retailers, processing thousands of orders a week across multiple marketplaces and its own Shopify store. Its refunds and returns operation ran out of a shared Excel spreadsheet, with the customer service team copying order numbers, refund amounts, reasons, and approval status between tabs by hand.

As order volume grew, the team needed a single source of truth: safe simultaneous editing, a clear audit trail of who approved what, and reliable reporting on return rates by product and supplier. The goal was a purpose-built system that could keep pace with that volume and keep finance, customer service, and management working from the same data.

Our Solution

Built a multi-user web application on a Node.
js and PostgreSQL stack with a normalised relational schema covering orders, refund requests, approvals, and supplier chargebacks.
Pulled order data directly from Shopify via the Admin API so the team never re-keyed details across systems.
Routed each refund request through a configurable approval workflow with role-based permissions, then triggered the Shopify refund via API once approved.
Added automated customer email notifications at each stage and a full audit log of every action.
Surfaced return rates by SKU and supplier in a reporting dashboard for management.

What We Delivered

✦ 4 workstreams · 11 deliverables

01 Web Application 3 deliverables

Multi-user app
Role-based access
Approval workflow

02 Database Design 3 deliverables

PostgreSQL schema
Refund and chargeback data
Full audit log

03 Shopify Integration 3 deliverables

Admin API sync
Automated refunds
Order data pull

04 Reporting and Comms 2 deliverables

SKU and supplier dashboard
Customer email alerts

How We Work

Our Development Process

A proven methodology that delivered results

Requirements Analysis

We mapped out your business requirements and technical needs, defining clear specifications for the solution.

Architecture & Planning

We designed a scalable solution architecture, selecting the right technologies and frameworks for your needs.

Development & Testing

We built using modern frameworks with comprehensive testing to ensure reliability and maintainability.

Deployment & Support

We deployed with zero downtime and provided ongoing support to ensure smooth operation.

Execution Timeline

Our Automation Process

The step-by-step approach behind the outcomes

Process Mapping

We mapped your existing workflows to identify automation opportunities and inefficiencies to eliminate.

Integration Design

We designed reliable integrations between your tools and systems, ensuring data flows correctly.

Implementation

We built and tested automated workflows, ensuring reliability and handling edge cases gracefully.

Monitoring & Maintenance

We set up monitoring to ensure reliability and provide ongoing maintenance to keep systems running smoothly.

Built with

Node.js PostgreSQL Shopify Admin API

"Jason has been awesome in the work he has done for us - he is fast, very responsive and professional. Would highly recommend!"

Joel D'leema

Director, TSB Living

Want results like this for your business?

A custom refund system that cut processing time 80 percent for Custom Refund & Returns Management System. Tell us about your business and we will show you what we can do for you. Backed by our results guarantee.

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info@lucidmedia.co.nz +64 27 582 4369