Product Returns

E-commerce returns have been a black hole for retailers.  It has been challenging to understand the complete impact of product returns, as the process has typically been manual and reliant on paper-based systems. With no real insight into the overall effect of returns, they've been considered a necessary but unfortunate cost and therefore sidelined in…

Overall, e-commerce sales rose an incredible 16 percent in 2019, capping off an excellent upward trend throughout the past decade. While the COVID-19 pandemic has only boosted this growth, certain industries have taken a tumble despite the overall increase in online traffic. With so many of us wearing sweatpants and T-shirts every day, the fashion…

Between November 2019 and January 2020, shoppers across the U.S. bought a record amount of goods, about $1.1 trillion, approximately 5 percent more than in 2018 over the same period, according to Deloitte. This is good news for the fashion and beauty industry at large, however, there’s a growing problem in retail that may reach…

Thanks to the convenience, speed and overall ease of the modern day e-commerce landscape, product returns have become synonymous with the purchasing process. Consumers are able to buy multiple colors, sizes and variations of a certain product with the comfort of knowing they can take the ones they don't want back to the retailer with…

With countrywide COVID-19 guidelines in place, online retail has grown faster than expected. Data from North American retailers shows that online purchasing was up an average of 56 percent over the same period in 2019. Some have even seen a 300 percent increase during the pandemic. The sharp rise in online shopping is bound to lead…

Few retailers would argue with the notion that for years customers have held retailers to high (and increasing) expectations. Now it appears from a recent survey that a small, but significant, percentage of consumers are willing to take retail justice into their own hands when things don’t go their way. A worrisome percentage of consumers…

Consumers have come to expect flexible returns policies. In recent research, Forter found that a whopping 97 percent of consumers say that returns policies impact their likelihood to actually purchase with a retailer. This is especially true for consumers shopping for apparel and accessories; these shoppers frequently use in-store and online returns, and deem these…

With stores closed and social distancing in effect, consumers rely on online shopping now more than ever, causing e-commerce to explode by 40 percent in March. While retailers have focused on deep discounts, curbside pickup and optimized delivery, they should also hone in on a critical and lesser-known factor of customer loyalty: the returns experience.…

For many retailers, returns are an enormous operational, logistical and financial burden throughout the year — especially as carrier fees continue to increase. With the right technology and some careful planning, product returns can actually be re-imagined and turned into a revenue or efficiency opportunity. Here are four ways retailers can transform returns: Charge for…

Think about the last purchase you made online that you returned. Maybe the color wasn’t right. Perhaps you bought the wrong size. Or maybe that return is still somewhere in the abyss of your closet, holding your precious cash hostage and taking up space. Whatever the reason for your return, you likely found it disappointing…