Britons are likely to send back massive volumes of unwanted presents today (January 2), the first working day of 2019 which has been tagged as ‘Takeback Wednesday’, Royal Mail is predicting.
Takeback Wednesday is the day that most Brits will return their unwanted and ill-fitting Christmas presents, according to the British postal operator. Returns of online purchases are predicted to increase by 80% today compared to the average number of return parcels per day in December.
According to a study commissioned by Royal Mail, six in ten (60%) online shoppers will not use a retailer again if they have a difficult returns experience. Clothing (75%), electrical goods (42%) and computer software/hardware (33%) are the most commonly returned items.
The study, part of Royal Mail’s annual Delivery Matters report, reveals women are more likely to return something because the item is not what they expected. Men are more likely to return a non-clothing item because it’s incompatible or not useful for its intended purpose.
The average online shopper in the UK sends back an online purchase every month, the research found. Over half (53%) of those that return clothing or footwear said the most common reason to return is because the item didn’t fit or was the wrong size.
One in three (34%) of those that return items have used ‘try before you buy’ services. Younger, 18-34 year-old shoppers (49%) are more likely to use a service like this if it was available.
Clothing (52%) and footwear (39%) are the categories people are most likely to use this service for, followed by electrical goods (39%). Two in five shoppers (40%) believe they would purchase more items if a retailer offered a ‘try before you buy service’.
A spokesperson from Royal Mail said: “January is the busiest time of year for returns. Having an easy way to return online purchases is a crucial part of the online shopping experience. For retailers, ensuring their returns experience is in line with consumers’ expectations is incredibly important.
“With 17% of global retailers already adopting a ‘try before you buy’ model, it’s important to consider putting try before you buy at the heart of your returns offering – and staying one step ahead of your competitors when it comes to customer satisfaction.”
