STUDY by parcelLab: Consumers Across the Board Will Stop Shopping From Brands with Poor Returns Processes

parcelLab and YouGov's survey of US consumers provides actionable insights for retailers

NEW YORK, Nov. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Online returns have become a "make or break" factor in consumers' buying decisions, according to a recent report by parcelLab, the leading Post-Purchase Experience (PPX) Management platform. The State of Online Order Returns in 2022 found that 62% of shoppers will stop purchasing from a brand after a poor returns experience.

The research was conducted in partnership with YouGov and involved a survey of 1,320 consumers in the United States. The study showed that most shoppers are unwilling to pay for returns. Results indicate that 53% of customers believe the retailer should cover the cost of returns, and 58% would rather return products in-store to avoid fees.

Unfortunately, less than half of the top brands in the United States enable customers to return orders for free. parcelLab's analysis of the top 200 US retailers indicated that 51% of brands don't offer free returns.

The study also found that majority of shoppers (55%) check a retailer's return policy before purchasing. Of those customers, 92% said that the brand's return policy sways their buying decisions either some or all of the time. 

"Poor returns experiences are costing brands their customers. And in today's hypercompetitive landscape, retailers cannot afford to alienate shoppers," says Tobias Buxhoidt, Founder and CEO of parcelLab.

He continues, "The good news is there are tools available to help businesses meet the expectations of modern consumers."

According to Buxhoidt, while brands cannot always control the rising costs of goods and services, they can find ways to streamline their existing practices to save time and money. One way to do this is to implement a returns management platform to centralize all order data and communications.

"Having a returns hub makes it easy for consumers to initiate and track returns, which helps brands reduce inefficiencies and increase customer satisfaction. Over the long term, this can ultimately lead to repeat business and a healthier bottom line," Buxhoidt adds.

About the study

The data in parcelLab's report is based on an online survey conducted between October 6 and 8, 2022. A total of 1,320 people participated in the study, and the results were weighted and representative of the US population aged 18 and over. View the full report here. 

About parcelLab

parcelLab is the leading Operations Experience Management platform globally.

We bring people and brands closer together by closing the experience gap post-sales and beyond, transforming operational complexity into opportunities to outperform for 500+ brands worldwide, including IKEA, Farfetch and Lidl.

With offices in New York, Munich, London and Paris, we have been highlighted by the Financial Times as one of the fastest-growing technology companies in 2020.

It's all in a day's work for us:

• Monitoring over three million shipments per day
• Actively managing Operations Experience in 153 countries
• Sending around seven million pro-active, personalized, event-driven emails
• Tracking shipping data from more than 350+ carriers worldwide, including DHL, FedEx & DPD
• Creating over 30 million reasons for people to fall in love with brands every day

For brands, that means more chances to create relationships that last. And for the people that buy from them, it means turning mundane operational moments into moments of joy.

Find out more at parcelLab.com

Media Contact:

Diffusion PR for parcelLab 
[email protected] 
(646) 571-0120

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SOURCE parcelLab