Product Returns

Amazon.com has started charging a fee for some returns made at UPS stores. Customers living near a free drop-off location who decide to return their package through UPS may have to pay a $1 fee, an Amazon spokesperson said Tuesday. "We offer convenient, easy returns to Amazon customers, with one or more options for label-free, box-free returns…

Imagine a long day of getting the kids ready for school, going to work, heading to soccer practice, and then coming home to make dinner only to remember that the clothes you ordered that didn’t fit are still sitting in your bedroom waiting to be returned. When you go online to initiate the return process,…

Shopping surges over the holiday season brought higher returns volumes, costing retailers significant financial burdens to process unwanted items. Compounding the issue, online shopping has soared in recent years, with return rates hovering between 20 percent to 30 percent. To offset rising costs of reverse management, many retailers are adjusting policies to incentivize in-store returns,…

Online shoppers have come to count on not only free shipping, but free returns as well. Experts say retailers can expect, on average, about $158 billion of merchandise sold during the recent holiday shopping season to be returned. While some brands are rethinking their return policies, shortening the return window, or even charging a return or restocking fee, there's a bigger picture to consider.  There’s…

The 2022 shopping season, including coveted holiday sales, proved to be anything but typical for shoppers and retailers alike. Issues with rising inflation and tighter budgets, coupled with continued shipping challenges, gave way to new and interesting retail trends. Data from Quantum Metric shows that providing value at every step in the digital experience is…

Most U.S. consumers (three out of five) now rank environmental sustainability as a top factor in their purchasing decisions, and that number jumps to 75 percent for Gen Z. However, while many online retailers are adopting eco-friendly production and sales practices, the post-purchase process remains a challenge to sustainability. Shoppers return between 15 percent and…

It’s time to brace for the inevitable holiday shopping aftermath: returns. Currently, returns are a $760 billion challenge. You can feel this in your own business. Returns are a genuine cost in time, money, infrastructure and opportunity. At the same time, your customers have learned to love flexibility. The challenge for retailers is finding ways…

You want your retail business to be regarded for exceptional customer service and products. Reputation is important, and retailers will go the extra mile to ensure loyal customers are happy. Sometimes these concessions, such as an overly lenient return policy, can have an adverse impact on a retailer’s business. While relaxed return policies may comfort…

The 2022 holiday retail season is officially upon us. Despite shoppers expected to be cautious with their spending, the holiday season is off to a good start, with Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales showing 2 percent and 5 percent year-over-year growth, respectively, falling in line with National Retail Federation projections for the season to…

Amidst varying themes of the upcoming winter season, an unexpected and adverse development has occurred regarding holiday spending: consumers are having to adjust budgets and consider inflationary concerns along with supply chain shortages, both affecting the price and availability of many products this year. As a result, the retail industry will experience much earlier shopping…