Online Returns: 1 in 4 Big Brand Retailers Charge For Returns

The days of free online returns may be numbered according to a recent report published by the post-purchase and customer experience company ParcelLab. The report suggests that 25% of the UK’s biggest online retail brands are now charging customers for returns. This figure represents a 14% increase from the previous year.

According to the report, retailers not offering free returns charge an average of £3.53 per return and take approximately nine days to refund the purchase.

Is It Becoming More Difficult to Return Online Purchases?

It’s important to remember returns aren’t going away anytime soon (ever). Distance selling regulations in the UK demand the right to return goods for any reason. What is changing is the way retailers manage their returns and customer expectations.

Many retailers continue to offer “easy” return options. These include allowing customers to drop returns off at a local parcel shop using a service like Hermes, DPD, or Collect+, or in the case of retailers with bricks and mortar stores, in-store returns. However, 20% of brands require customers to make their own arrangements to return an item. Furthermore, making the returns process more complex and certainly less sustainable, upwards of 87% of leading…