(Yicai Global) July 4 -- Customers of 750 stores in Shanghai, including Gome Electric Appliances, Suning.Com, and C&A department store, may now return their purchases within seven days after sales as offline retailers seek to recover some of their lost ground to online retailers.

The group of sellers, including department store owner Bailian Group, furniture vendor Red Star Macalline, and Yongle China Electronics Retail, launched the initiative yesterday, the Shanghai Observer reported. Some 80 retailers in Shanghai's Jing'an district have tested the refund policy since last May, reporting positive feedback from clients. 

In China, offline terms of sales may sometimes be worse than online ones as e-commerce merchants must provide their clients with a seven-day refund policy without requiring any reasons, as stipulated by the law in 2014. Some even pay for postage. 

The goods offered at Shanghai's shopping malls are not inferior to their counterparts overseas, but the Chinese after-sales service lags behind that of developed nations, said Qi Xiaozhai, director of the Shanghai Commercial Economic Research Center. More firms should join the initiative, Qi added. 

Editor: Emmi Laine