New Look teams up with ZigZag introducing in-store return kiosks

High street retailer, New Look, has partnered up with ZigZag Global, a provider of technology-driven retail returns solutions, to install return kiosks in select stores across the UK this week.

Powered by ZigZag’s returns platform, the kiosks provide a free and convenient return option for customers. This will significantly reduce the amount of time spent by in-store staff processing returns, whilst improving data collection.

The returns process is easy. After entering returns information online, customers can choose ‘Return to Store’ as a return option and will receive a QR code. All customers then have to do, is  to present the package at a convenient drop off location, where New Look staff will be on hand to help.

Rachel Troke, Senior Product Manager at New Look, stated: "One of the key drivers for launching the kiosks was that we weren’t getting the right data from our customers on why they were returning in store. A lot of items were being marked down as unwanted. A trend that didn’t match up with what we were seeing with our online returns."

"We suspected that customers were perhaps too shy to dive into the exact reason for making the return with the store colleague… The in-store kiosks bring back that comforting anonymity you get with online returns for the customers whilst providing better data for our buying teams."

ZigZag’s data, taken from over one hundred renowned UK retailers, reflects this hypothesis. Results revealed that 67% of fashion returns during peak season in 2022 were due to sizing issues. Meanwhile,  returns made due to the item being unwanted represented less than one fifth of all returns.

This comes at a time as brands look to recoup costs associated with customer returns. Many retailers, such as Zara, have implemented return fees. New Look introduced a fee of £1.99, although the retailer has never charged for returns processed in store, leading to it becoming an increasingly popular method. In-store returns have doubled since the charge was introduced.

Al Gerrie, Co-founder & CEO of ZigZag, said: "ZigZag has been thrilled to work alongside New Look to expand their in-store returns offering and enhance their customer experience. The modern-day retail customer wants choice. Whether that’s a choice from a range of products when purchasing or different carrier and drop-off options available when returning, it is vital retailers cater to as many customer needs as possible.

"This latest innovative approach from New Look will provide customers with a free returns option, improving customer satisfaction whilst driving footfall to New Look’s shops. A win for all."