AYMAN ELHAKIM
MENA / Egypt ecommerce

Cutting COD return rates in Egypt

May 28, 2026

Cash on delivery is the default in Egypt, and it quietly taxes your margin through returns and failed deliveries. You cannot remove COD, but you can shrink its damage.

Confirm before you ship

An automated WhatsApp or SMS confirmation before dispatch catches the impulse orders and wrong numbers before they cost you a round trip.

Make the customer have skin in the game

A small partial prepayment, or loyalty perks for prepaid orders, shifts behavior without blocking COD buyers entirely.

Watch the courier, not just the customer

Some return rates are a delivery problem, not a buyer problem. Track failed-delivery reasons by courier and zone, and move volume to whoever actually delivers.

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