Follow us

Menu
PARTNER WITH USFREE NEWSLETTER
VISIT TheIndustry.beauty

Many Happy Returns? How shoppers feel about etailers getting tough on serial returners

Marcus Jaye
08 April 2019

Returns cost money, lots of money. Free delivery and no quibble returns are starting to become a strain on online retailers and it seems ASOS has had enough. The British fast-fashion giant recently announced it was cracking down on “serial returners”. 

An extension in its returns policy – items can be returned up to 45 days after purchase with a cash refund up to 28 days and credit thereafter – was also issued with a threat to investigate and “take action” if it notices anything unusual with people returning more items than usual. If it suspects someone is wearing and returning goods, or ordering and returning “loads”, it may deactivate the account.

ASOS is one of the world’s largest online retailers, particularly among younger demographics, and its ease of ordering and returning is, arguably, part of the its success and growth story.

"When you go into a shop you can take 10 items into the changing room and not like any of them, e-retailers need to expect the same thing."

Becky, 29

Becky, 29, says: “I think it’s against the whole nature of online shopping. When you go into a shop you can take 10 items into the changing room and not like any of them, e-retailers need to expect the same thing to happen with their sites and customers should be able to return the items they don’t want.

"I buy a lot from ASOS and return a lot simply because it doesn’t fit right or because it doesn’t look how I expected it to when I bought it,” she says. “If it starts impacting how quickly refunds come through – or if I start having refund requests declined – then it definitely would discourage me. I love ASOS though – the majority of my wardrobe is from ASOS, now, where they host so many brands – so I’m intrigued to see what happens!”

This issue is experienced by many retailers. Research conducted by resource planning platform Brightpearl, who surveyed 200 retailers across the UK, found more than a third of shops have seen an increase in serial returns over the last year. As a result, 45% of retailers, including ASOS and Harrods, said they were planning to blacklist repeat offenders. It can cost double the amount for a product to be returned into the supply chain as it does to deliver it and in the UK, it can pass through seven pairs of hands before it is listed for resale. This all takes time and money.

Meli, 26, says: “I’m glad that this prevents people returning used items as I’ve had something sent to me from ASOS before that was definitely used. However I’d hate to be blacklisted for genuinely returning items that don’t fit or I don’t like!

"I think the real problem is sizing as ASOS stocks so many different brands, it’s hard to rely on standard sizing to be the same across all."

Meli, 26

“I often order in bulk with multiple options and different sizes then do a try on at home to see what I like best, and return the rest. I think the real problem is sizing as ASOS stocks so many different brands, it’s hard to rely on standard sizing to be the same across all,” she says.

“If I was blacklisted then it would certainly drive me to other online retailers or just shop directly with the brands that ASOS stocks. For now, it will make me think more carefully about exactly what I’d be likely to keep if it did fit,” she adds.

Zalando

Zalando has taken to attaching large labels to garments to deter serial returners

Earlier this year, Zalando started a trial in which it would attach very big clothing labels to items to make it more difficult to “wear and return” or buy items simply so you could post them on Instagram. That label reads: “Dear customer, feel free to fit this article and try it, but if this label is removed, it will not to be accepted as a return by Zalando.”

Retailers have somewhat encouraged some of this behaviour with their “try-before-you-buy” options. Consumers can order what they like and then just pay for what they keep. This encourages over-ordering and a large number of returns. Amazon Fashion currently restricts this service to between three and eight items. 

Research from Barclaycard found that almost one in 10 UK shoppers have bought clothes online with the intent to wear them for social media and then return them. Surprisingly, it was the older demographic, men and women aged 35 to 44, with 17%, revealing that they are guilty of shopping only for their #OOTD. The research also found that is was men who were more inclined to shop and return as they are more “socially self-conscious” than women – with 12% admitting to posting a clothing or accessory item on social media and returning it to the retailer afterwards.

Lois Spencer-Tracey, fashion blogger, says: “I must confess, I'm a bit annoyed by this. I probably send back 80-100% of an order I receive purely because of their sizing and my body shape. It’s nothing to do with my Instagram or blog.”

Last year, Next announced it would start to charge customers a £1 fee for returns they make through a courier or through a Hermes Parcel Shop. The collection charge will be applied for each collection, regardless of the number of items collected. Returning items at any of Next’s retail or clearance stores in the UK remains free.

ASOS is even playing the fashion police by admitting it had resorted to checking people’s social media accounts in a bid to catch out consumers who wear clothes before sending them back, and falsely claiming they have not received items bought online.

“I’m a massive online shopper. I find it so much easier to just order clothes in and try them on at home because then you can try on a full outfit, matching with the shoes and accessories you want. It’s so much easier to do in your own home rather than in a squished changing room. And usually returns are easy with things like collect+ which is much better than working out when you’ll next be in town to take clothes back to a store,” says Becky.

This is a difficult line for online brands to tread. On the one hand they don’t want to discourage consumers from ordering or being frightened to return things, and, on the other hand, they need to let excessive returners or people who are wearing things and returning them, know they are being monitored. It's definitely easier to return something into a faceless plastic bag than been quizzed by a sales assistant. 

This is probably an empty threat from ASOS, but does illustrate how serious this issue is becoming for fashion e-tailers. Rather than look at the volume of returns, maybe look at the conversion percentages of sales from shoppers. You don’t want to alienate active and engaged consumers, but neither do you want to service those costing the company dearly.

Free NewsletterVISIT TheIndustry.beauty
cross