The rush of today’s Mega Monday may seem taxing enough, but retailers are now being warned to brace themselves for Boomerang Thursday – when returns will be at their peak.
Delivery company Collect+ says that 1.5m parcels will be returned during the course of this week, and that a 15% rise in returns across the course of the week will peak on Thursday.
Mark Lewis, chief executive of Collect+, which runs its delivery and returns service through a network of local convenience stores, said: “All the signs are that this Christmas will be a bumper one for online retailers, despite the tough economic conditions. For retailers to profit from this they must make sure that when a gift isn’t right first time, they’re able to remedy this with a swift replacement.
“Equally retailers must exert strict control over their warehouses and stocks to ensure they can get items back on the shelves as quickly as possible.”
The company predicts that returns will be higher than in previous years because shoppers are now more confident (47%) of receiving replacements in time. Less than a fifth would ask for a refund and buy elsewhere because they fear not getting the replacement in time.
Two fifths of online shoppers (38%) said they had returned goods if they saw them on sale for a lower price elsewhere, using the seven-day cooling off period that internet sales are guaranteed under law.
Lewis said: “For leading online retailers it is clear that an effective returns process helps build customer loyalty and trust. With the right systems and processes in place, Boomerang Thursday should mean happy returns for retailers and shoppers alike.”
