Almost two-thirds of shoppers are less likely to return goods bought online
A survey by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has revealed that almost two-thirds of consumers are less likely to return goods they buy online, compared to those they buy on the high street — despite an extra right to a seven-day cooling-off period for goods bought online.
The survey for the ‘Know Your Consumer Rights’ campaign found that:
- More than 60% of shoppers are less likely to return goods purchased online, compared to goods purchased on the high street.
- Three quarters (77%) of UK consumers don’t know there are differences between online and high street consumer rights.
- More than one in 10 (13%) admit to not being sure of their consumer rights with online purchases.
“There has been a huge revolution in how people buy goods,” says consumer minister Kevin Brennan. “We are now Europe’s biggest online shoppers, so it’s important we all know that most online goods can be returned with no questions asked within seven days. We want confident consumers who can assert their rights and get a good deal.”
The survey also reveals that consumers are just as confused when shopping on the high street: Two-fifths think that retailers always have a right to refuse a refund if they don’t have a receipt, while one in ten believes goods can’t be returned once they’ve left the store.
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Headline grabbing statistics, but I’d refute the suggestion that such a high proportion of shoppers are less likely to return goods they have purchased online. The retailers and logistics firms that we work with have indicated that the growth in ecommerce has had a direct effect on the level of customer returns they are experiencing; which can reach 35% of products purchased compared to the high street average of 10%. However, it may be a truer analysis that consumers don’t understand their rights when it comes to shopping online.
I’d suggest that as consumers become more savvy, and realise that retailers are obliged to offer cash refunds for products purchased online (where on the high street they are within their rights to issue credit notes), the impact of larger volumes of returned stock will become even more prominent. We’re already seeing an increase in the amount of returned goods being sold to traders via our site as retailers and logistics companies look to maximise value from stock in the reverse supply chain.