Returns are expected to peak today as shoppers return goods bought on impulse in the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales weekend last week.
By comparing returns volumes over the cyber weekend in 2015 to 2016, CollectPlus reported an 18% increase in parcel return volumes following the cyber shopping weekend last year. This year CollectPlus is estimating a further rise.
In a study conducted by the company nearly one in five (18%) of British shoppers said that they plan to, or have already, returned items they purchased online over the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales weekend. Nearly one quarter (22%) of shoppers confessed to buying more items than they needed because there were so many great deals on offer, while more than one in ten (12%) simply claim they bought into the hype surrounding Black Friday.
According to the research almost half (42%) of purchases being returned will be clothing, footwear or accessories. The study also revealed men are slightly more likely to take the lead in returning items compared to women, while those aged 18-25 were found to be the most likely to return goods.
Neil Ashworth, CEO of CollectPlus, said: “We expect to see a peak in unwanted items being returned this Friday, or ‘Back Friday’ as we’re calling it. We’ve seen retailers work tirelessly across the entire supply chain to plan effectively for the fulfilment of orders made on Black Friday. With the volume of items being sent back it’s important that they have a robust strategy in place to deal with returns in the same way. Shoppers expect to be quickly and easily reimbursed for online shopping and any delays in the process can lead to delays in repurchase,” he said.
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