Where the buying flow shifted
Google's return-policy structured-data guidance is effectively saying that return windows, fees, regions, and methods are shopping facts, not only post-purchase disclosures.
A clear return policy helps product pages and help-center pages behave more like credible answer surfaces for AI shopping and search.
Do not trust one metric
The signal matters when it clarifies the buying path, not when it adds another isolated commerce feature.
Check the transaction boundary
- Break out return windows, who pays the fee, where items go back, and any non-returnable categories into first-screen summaries and dedicated help pages
- Keep the test narrow: one priority product or checkout flow before expanding recommendation, authorization, payment, and support work
What still needs proof
Opaque return boundaries can kill trust before checkout begins. Keep the original source open so the announcement, the evidence, and this site's interpretation stay separate.