With many retailers no longer offering free online returns, in-store returns promise to see an uptick. Are stores ready?
A study led by researchers at the University of Portsmouth supported by the ECR Community Shrinkage and On-Shelf Availability Group concluded that “returns from online sales, particularly returns to store, are seriously impacting company profits.”
The study finds that BORIS (buy online, return in-store) “creates unexpected additional costs,” including requiring stores to find more physical space to store returns in their shops and use store staff to process returns.
