Al Gerrie, CEO of ZigZag, examines the impact of social marketplaces on returns – and how this is changing as ‘haul culture’ takes root.
Black Friday was a disappointment in the UK for traditional retailers, but quite the opposite for TikTok Shop. The online marketplace smashed its record sales by over 50%, selling 27 items every second on the day.
Fast fashion is taking on a new form as platforms like TikTok Shop’s popularity skyrockets, particularly among younger shoppers. Trends arise overnight and are gone just as quickly, creating a shopping culture that encourages people to spend fast and send back what they don’t want later down the line. It’s already causing attitudes to soften towards irresponsible and borderline fraudulent returns activity among TikTok Shop’s younger audience, at a time when many retailers are pushing back against unmanageable returns volumes by adding more friction into their returns policies.
Overconsumption as the norm
Returns issues stemming from marketplaces fly in the face of trends across the retail industry. Overall, returns have become increasingly mutually beneficial for consumers and retailers in recent months. Research ZigZag published this year found that serial returners – who regularly over-order items and return a portion – declined from 12% to 8% of UK shoppers last year as retailers became more intentional with their policies and consumers started coming around to the idea of paying a reasonable fee.
In the same study, we saw the impact of short-form, influencer-driven content on returns. Over a quarter (28%) of Gen Z who bought an item through TikTok or Instagram last year said they were unsure before being tempted by a short-form video and another 29% were directly influenced by a creator they follow. #haul is used in around 4.1 million TikTok posts as ‘haul-fluencers’ creating content around shopping sprees rise in popularity.
According to some estimates, one in five purchases on social marketplaces are returned, rising to one in three among Gen Z. Retailers trying to stem returns volumes have seen returns spike on these platforms. Overconsumption is counter-productive in the long-term even if the platform drives a sales boost overnight.
Returns tipping into fraud
‘Haul culture’ – the practice of buying a ‘haul’ of fast fashion, some of which will be returned – is normalising irresponsible returns behaviours that are bad for creators, retailers, and the planet, especially among younger shoppers.
39% of Gen Z now say it’s acceptable to buy clothing intending to wear and return it, and 11% of under-45s bought items explicitly to film content before sending them back. We even saw a 12% jump in Gen Z shoppers ‘wardrobing’ items – wearing them to an event and sending them straight back. Hauls and try-on challenges are threatening to undo efforts retailers have put in to making returns more financially and environmentally sustainable. The risk is that this will embed irresponsible returns in the mindset of social-first shoppers, setting a problematic ‘new norm’ unless addressed head on.
Retailers are now caught in the crossfire of a behaviour they did not create but are expected to enable. Social-led shopping without constraints means higher logistics costs, more stock written off and a growing fraud risk while retailers are already trying to protect thin margins. There needs to be a level of support for those trying to combat the cultural shift towards irresponsible returns.
Back the retailers
When viral products generate unsustainable return rates, social platforms can’t continue to pass the problem down the chain. The growth of social commerce demands clearer ownership of its impact.
Few creators are prepared for what comes next after their product goes viral. We’ve seen rapid sales surges – 10,000 units in 48 hours in one case – followed by return volumes large enough to wipe out profits entirely. Retailers face the same logistical nightmare if a trend inexplicably causes demand to surge for their goods.
The ecosystem is already changing, as retailers’ tech partners improve and specialise their integrations with marketplaces. But technical fixes can only go so far. If platforms continue to prioritise virality without addressing the impact, the cost will keep landing on sellers least able to absorb it. For social commerce to be sustainable, responsibility can’t stop at the point of sale.
Time to work together
Retailers’ efforts in stemming unprofitable returns are at risk if social media continues to drive overconsumption. When return rates spike to one in three among Gen Z, and fraudulent behaviours like wardrobing are openly discussed and even encouraged online, sellers and retailers need help managing the consequences.
Social marketplaces have fundamentally changed how people shop, including returns, which comes with responsibility. That means clearer returns policies, better aftercare infrastructure, and support for merchants when haul culture goes wrong. Retailers are doing their part by tightening policies, investing in smarter returns technology, and promoting more responsible behaviours. It’s time the social platforms meet them halfway.
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