More and more online stores are introducing return fees

Smore and more fashion players choose to charge for returns. What has previously been a recipe for success is changing.

The time for free return is over, writes the BBC. Around 17 percent of purchases made online in 2022 were returned, writes the broadcaster.

That is down a whopping 21 percent from the previous year.

And there is probably a reason for that.

During the pandemic, we shopped online like crazy, a trend that has only accelerated.

You should steer clear of these online stores

With that also came the returns which gradually piled up. The answer? Fees.

Experts generally believe that charging for returns is a good way to rein in the worst overspending, writes the BBC.

And as the clothing giants increasingly introduce return fees, many others will follow suit and customers will eventually accept it as the new normal.

First out

Both Zara, H&M and ultra-fast-fashion giant Shein have introduced return fees.

As late as 2022, H&M introduced a return tax here at home. In physical stores, there are still free returns for all purchases made online, and the clothing chain’s Plus members also get free returns online.

Keep this in mind when buying jeans online

– The introduction of the return fee was in line with the general trend in the industry, says press officer Clara Oldenburg to KK.

– Returning goods is part of doing online shopping, and is something the entire industry has to deal with. It is in both our and our customers’ interests to keep the number of returns as low as possible, as it benefits both parties.

Will not share numbers

Oldenburg says that the Swedish clothing giant is working on various activities to reduce the number of returns, for example improved size guidance.

Will ban advertising for ultra-fast-fashion

– This is one of the most important things for us, not least from a sustainability perspective.

H&M does not want to share figures related to the percentage of returns, but tells KK that the H&M group, which sits on brands such as & Other Stories, Cos, Monki and Arket in addition to H&M, works with standard routines for online returns across of the brands.

Returned goods without faults or defects are put up for sale again, while goods which are still usable, but which are mainly faulty, are donated to charity.

Returned products that cannot be donated are sent to external partners who sort and then reuse or recycle the products, says Oldenburg.

Half is returned

Zalando is one of the online giants that has not yet introduced a return fee. Here, customers can still return freely.

Zara floods thrift stores

– Free returns have been an integral part of our service promise to customers since day one, says a spokesperson for Zalando to KK.

The return rate is relatively stable despite increased growth in recent years, reports the online giant.

On average, 50 percent of what is ordered is returned, they inform KK.

All returned goods are checked and sorted in a standard procedure before they possibly go back on sale in the online store.

Therefore, columns such as “Steal the style” can be problematic

– It is important to us that every item has a chance to be reused, because destroying goods and returns not only lacks commercial logic, it also goes against our understanding of sustainable business.

97 percent of the goods that are returned are therefore for sale online again.

– This includes all returns processed by our return centres. Basically, it is all goods from our wholesale business as well as goods from partners that use our logistics solutions. Not included are partners who do not use our return management system. They take back any returns to their own inventory to either offer them again through our platform, own or alternative channels.

Virtual fitting rooms

The online giant is working to reduce inevitable returns, for example because an item does not fit or looks different than it did online.

Size-related returns make up a third of all returns at the online giant, which is working to improve size guidance, among other things, by offering virtual fitting rooms where customers try on the garment on their own personal 3D avatar.

This is the world’s largest online store for fashion

– Size-related returns are highly dependent on the category. For example, it is easier to find a t-shirt that fits than it is to find jeans in the right size.

– Headless shopping

– When the chains stop offering free returns, it is probably primarily about the fact that they want to cut costs, but it can also lead to major cuts in the climate emissions linked to the shipping of clothes, says Anja Bakken Riise to KK.

The future in our hands-the leader continues:

– Free return of goods has made consumers used to mindless shopping where you buy the same garment in many sizes and colours, and then send what you don’t want back in the post. It is clear that this has led to a lot of unnecessary transport, and caused many people to shop more than they would otherwise.

Riise believes that bad return practices at their worst can lead to clothes being sent on an unnecessary round trip across many countries, without ever being used.

– The most important thing we do to reduce the environmental burden from the clothing industry is to reduce overproduction and the overconsumption of clothing. When free returns end, a small barrier is introduced against a careless shopping culture, and in that sense it is a small step in the right direction, she says.