Decline in number of European retailers offering free returns

There has been a serious drop in the number of European retailers that offer free returns to their customers. It went from 55 percent in the first quarter of this year to 28 percent now. In the UK, half of brands offer free returns, while 23 percent in Germany and 21 percent in Ireland do this.

This is shown by research from returns platform ReBound among over 200 leading fashion brands. The second edition of the Great Returns Race report also shows that most brands are still not being honest about their returns policy to customers. Only 6 percent promote their policies at all three key stages of the returns purchase: the product, basket and checkout pages.

European retailers offering free returns

The number of online retailers offering free returns in at least one international market has decreased from 55 percent in the first quarter to 28 percent in the most recent poll. In the United Kingdom, 10 percent of brands have stopped offering free returns since the last edition, while 12 percent of Brands in Ireland has done this during the same period.

First interaction with return policy affects return experience

“We use the research as a way of stepping into the shoes of shoppers from all over the world to see how this first interaction with a return policy affects their return experience”, says Charlotte Monk-Chipman, head of marketing at ReBound.

The study also shows that there are now more brands who offer different returns periods and that the website accessibility has improved. “This affects the number of moves it takes for a customer to access returns policies online. ”