In 2021, returns cost retailers a whopping $761 billion, or almost 17% of total U.S. retail sales. This year the powerful combination of the special sale dates in Q4 (like Target, Amazon and Walmart holding October Black Friday events) and an increase in ecommerce holiday shopping means that this upward trend for returns will continue.
Returns can be an excellent opportunity to sell something new to a known customer. But the truth is that we live in an increasingly “instant gratification hustle culture,” where consumers know precisely what they want and have high expectations. There’s no time for ill-fitting, poorly described items. There’s also not a lot of time for complicated return policies.
