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COD Isn't the RTO Problem. Your Confirmation Step Is.
25–30% of Indian COD orders come back. Most brands blame COD itself. The actual fix is a lot cheaper than switching to prepaid-only.
25–30% of COD orders in India result in RTO (returns to origin) — a number that scares a lot of founders into going prepaid-only.
Banning COD outright usually kills conversion in categories where Indian buyers still expect it — the fix isn't removing the payment method, it's adding friction at the right point.
A WhatsApp or IVR confirmation step before dispatch filters out low-intent and fraudulent orders without adding checkout friction, and typically reduces RTO by 15–25%.
Combined with SKU-level return-reason tracking, this turns RTO from a mystery cost into a manageable line item.