Product Returns

Black Friday is a day that retailers wait for all year, and 2019 was no different. Digital sales for the retail holiday increased nearly 20 percent last year, reaching $7.4 billion across the 4,500 retail websites tracked by Adobe Analytics. Consumers also found their way into brick-and-mortar locations much more often, with many having opted…

It comes as no surprise to retailers that returns are rising across nearly all product categories. Increases in online shopping, general expectations for free shipping, and consumer conditioning around style sampling (a la Stitch Fix, Rent the Runway, and others) are all contributing to increased rates of return in aggregate. In 2018 alone, U.S. consumers…

Amazon.com is expanding its free return policy to include millions of products not previously eligible, including electronics, household items, and kitchen appliances. The products must be sold and fulfilled by Amazon, and they must weigh under 50 pounds. For the holiday season, the new policy kicks in retroactively, so it applies to any products purchased on Amazon…

Amy S. makes most of the purchases for her family, both big and small. And when it comes to larger-ticket items, she not only shops around for the best price, but also looks closely at merchants’ return policies. “Making sure I can easily return a purchase is something I think about when deciding where to…

Let’s say two holiday sweaters arrive at your doorstep, just in time for party season. The first sweater, with the eight tiny reindeer, fits perfectly. But the second, with a snowman, makes you look … abominable. Here’s the good news: Returning an ugly sweater takes as little time as printing a return label from an…

While consumers look forward to the new decade, they also have big plans: returning their holiday gifts. According to Oracle Retail’s holiday research, the majority of global consumers (77 percent) plan to return a portion of their gifts, with nearly 20 percent expecting to return more than half of their presents. Beyond a hefty return…

Most of us didn’t know it at the time, but 2005 marked a turning point in retail. That was the year free two-day shipping arrived on the scene. Customers loved it then, and they still love it now. In fact, customers loved it so much that free shipping — for both the initial delivery of…

Retailers work year-round to ensure a successful peak season and drive the biggest spike they can. But as sure as night follows day, a spike in sales causes something else too: more returns. Managing the uptick in returns can be a hassle, and what’s even more difficult is watching hard-earned holiday and year-end revenue being…

Retail is facing more stress and complexity than ever before. U.S. population growth is less than 1 percent annually, shopper journeys no longer follow predictable demographics, and customers are simultaneously demanding more human interaction and more self-service technology. Add to that the rising cost of shipping, the looming threat of tariffs, and the tight labor market. Retail…

Did you know the top three words fashion executives use to describe the industry are digital, optimistic, and fast? This was just one of many findings from Mckinsey’s State of Fashion 2019 report, and it makes perfect sense. The metabolism of the fashion industry keeps getting faster: mega brands associated with fast fashion can restock…